Swamp Tooshi: Estrogen Highs "Friends and Relatives"

It's not too tricky to pinpoint who New Haven, Connecticut's Estrogen Highs were listening to whilst making their second lp, "Friends and Relatives" (Gramery). The grooves are bursting with little moments reminiscent of  classic Kiwi pop groups such as The Bats and The Clean.  A couple of tracks - "The Supposing View" and "Alley Man" - even recall "Pass The Paintbrush, Honey" era Biff Bang Pow! which, of course, is no bad thing.  It's the kind of record that I could and probably would have bought and been very happy with at any point in the last 20 years.  They're at their best on the speedier, janglier numbers, especially the pleasingly rollicking "The Supposing View" but even the slower, more obtuse songs are interesting.  "Hand of Hearts" ambles into similar territory as The Beets (or before them Shimmydisc's oddballs The Tinklers) and b-side opener, "Graffiti Pt1" starts out like a cut from Nirvana's MTV Unplugged session but ends up a good few minutes later having sprawled psychedelically like a torpid MV+EE. 

Wavves frontman Nathan Williams must be seriously narked that Estrogen Highs beat him to calling a song "Weed Queen". I mean, if Best Coast's Twitter feed circa summer 2010 (the last time I read it) was anything to go by, it would've made a fitting title for an ode to his then (now?) ladyfriend, Beth Cosentino.

(Check out "Irresponsibility" on their myspace and see if the words "Wish she was mine, she looks so good" pop into your head - maybe estrogen highs are just girls' teenage kicks?)