Cuffed Up - Asymmetry

Cuffed Up don't waste a second. The LA quartet's Asymmetry is a powerhouse crammed into four songs, a tight burst of post-punk-flecked alt-rock that hits harder for its brevity. Vocalists and guitarists Ralph Torrefranca and Sapphire Jewell trade off and pile on top of each other over the taut rhythm section of Vic Ordonez and Joe Liptock, and the whole thing moves with the urgency of a band that has something to get off its chest.

And it does. Across "Bonnie," "Terminal," "Canaries," and "One By One," the EP works through shame, regret, failing health, and relationships gone wrong, without ever tipping into wallowing. There's grit here, but also a stubborn thread of hope and forward motion running underneath the noise, the sound of a band reckoning with the hard stuff and choosing to keep going.

Cuffed Up brought in producer Brad Wood, whose fingerprints are on records by Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins, and Touché Amoré, and spent a week digging into the songs, experimenting with sounds and sharpening every hook. Hans DeKline handled mastering. The result is muscular and detailed, big guitars and bigger dynamics that reward turning it up.

This vinyl pressing of Asymmetry delivers all four tracks in the format they were built for. A short, sharp introduction to one of LA's most promising young bands, and an easy add for anyone who likes their guitar rock loud and honest.