After 10 years surfing the sound waves of fun bubblegum punk, Seattle-based quartet Tacocat shift to a softer, more polished brand of pop.  

Featuring punchy, kick drum-driven rhythms, Beach Boys-esque choruses and lyrics free of pretension, This Mess Is A Place is an energetic jaunt through bouncy melodies. 

Singer Emily Nokes takes the lead with her all-or-nothing singing style that is garnished with winding inflections that nod to the late Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries.  

Many tracks aren’t as straightforward as you might expect from a punk band. Tacocat make frequent detours from their main chord progressions to explore more hook-laden melodies.  

With This Mess Is A Place, Tacocat wear the pop punk title well, putting together dynamic tracks that feel decidedly upbeat while expressing thoughts that are decidedly not, like on their summertime anthem, “Crystal Ball,” when Nokes proclaims, “What a time to be barely alive,” like a victory cry.

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