Sure there are the occasional slower, more heartfelt tunes (the beautiful, dare I say tour de force (?!) “Whatever You Want” the tender and light “Tonight”, “Goes Down Easy”), but overall, the 14-track album is a blistering clinic in just what a fun punk record should sound like, as it’s comprised of myriad fast, catchy, anthemic numbers (though all distinctly different-sounding) like the unsurpassable sing-alongs “Pass the Flashlight” and “Channel X”, the solid “Portland” and “Winning Is for Losers”. One aspect that is overtly discernible upon listening to the record is how much FUN it is, and how much fun these people are having simply playing. Drummer Danny confirms this opinion: “This is the funnest band I’ve ever been in.” However, he’s quick to temper this statement, perhaps fearing The Soviettes will come off as just some party band, adding, “We all have pretty much a good grasp on – it sucks to say – but like a business sense. First and foremost we have fun and that’s why we do it, but…we’re pretty responsible. We party responsibly, I guess,” the jovial drummer concludes. He describes their interesting sound thusly: “Kinda like Buzzcocks/Ramones-meet-The Fastbacks or The Muffs,” though in many reviews and articles on The Soviettes, they’re compared to The Go-Go’s and The B-52’s, and even Bikini Kill.

And though the band set the goal of wanting to have a record out around this time (it was released June 8th) so they’d be able to tour during the summer as they did last year after releasing their debut, apparently there wasn’t any pressure on the band to get ‘LP II’ out. Just like Danny claims this is the most fun he’s ever had in a band, The Soviettes are also quicker writing material than any other band he’s been a part of. After all, as he says, “If each one of us writes four or five songs, [we’ve] got an album right away.” But no Soviette songwriter is an island, as they are always there to help each other if someone’s having trouble with some part of a song-in-progress. For instance, the self-deprecating drummer insists that as he “can’t actually sing, I just yell” (he HAS been likened to The B-52’s Fred Schneider and adds much flavor to the record, so don’t listen to him!), Danny will bring his songs to the other members and tell either guitarists Annie or Sturgeon or bassist Susy to sing whichever part(s) he feels fits whichever singer(s). He also confides the songs are short because there’s no point in repeating certain parts, and also because they’re thinking of the plight of the listener – a humane gesture, you might say! “We like to keep ‘em short ‘cause if I get bored playing it, chances are someone else who’s watching it or listening to it, is gonna be pretty bored by then too,” he says with a laugh, “It’s a good rule to keep.”

In any case, basically, this seems to be quite a communal effort, a collective, if you will…See where I’m going with this…? If not, for shame! Thinking I’m being clever, I ask Danny if this whole “communal” idea is the reason for the band’s wonderfully intriguing name, he responds with a negative: “No, but that’s a good question. It actually doesn’t; it’s just a name,” and it’s NOT political. Turns out some dude told Annie if she ever had a band, she should call it The Soviettes.

Yeah, the band, although contributing a track (“Paranoia! Cha-Cha-Cha”) to the well-received ‘Rock Against Bush’ comp and that some songs off ‘LP II’ are socio-political in nature (“There’s a Banana in My Ear”, “Winning Is for Losers”, etc.), actually don’t consider themselves a political band per se NOR a girl band (despite what some people may deem them as, just because the majority of the members are women). “We’re a punk band, [influenced greatly by The Ramones], just following that sort of a tradition,” he attests, continuing, “But it’s hard these days NOT to be political and not to get pissed off about what’s going on. It’s easier and easier as things get more fucked up.” Touché. 

The Soviettes are on their second full-U.S. tour as you read this, and dates are still being confirmed, so please keep checking www.thesoviettes.com for updated info. The tour, comprised of three separate legs, was kicked off with a record release show June 13th in Minneapolis, and after completing a Midwest trek, they’ll be coming back home for an exciting show taking place June 25th as a part of the Gay Pride weekend, which will also feature Psychedelic Furs and a performance from Sandra Bernhardt. Danny sounds excited and reasonably so, as according to him, along with being on the ‘Rock Against Bush’ comp, it’s the “biggest thing that’s happened to” them. After the show the 25th, they’ll be embarking on the West Coast leg, followed by some more Midwest dates, and then hitting the East Coast. Should be one helluva summer.