Last month, Katorga Works put out Olympia punk outfit Vexx’s Give and Take 7-inch, adding to their roll of powerhouse releases for the year (following SHEER MAG’s II). The release is a less crusty and less agitated step forward for the four members, incorporating lively, creative guitar work and Maryjane Dunphe’s dominant voice into a pounding rhythm section that commands attention. Dunphe doesn’t so much shout or howl her lyrics as she does emphatically haunt them out. The four songs seem to explore all corners of the genre, ranging from anthem-like sing-along parts, to lightning fast power chords to weighty weirdness to twangy, raging heaves, all splattered and soaked with creative voice. The 7-inch is streaming below.
