The Grates: Patience Hodgson (vocals); John Patterson (guitar); Alana Skyring (drums).

Additional personnel: Nick Broste, Jim Becker, Patrick Newberry.

Recording information: 2006.

Australians the Grates strike a pleasing balance between NUGGETS-era garage rock, lo-fi punk, and Elephant 6-style quirk-pop. Their full-length debut, GRAVITY WON'T GET YOU HIGH, delivers on each count: the songwriting is whimsical but not frivolous, and the band rocks but isn't weighted with poseur attitude. At times the Grates seem to be playing a quaintly crafted version of vintage garage punk, but their sunny, child-like exuberance wins out in the end, making this catchy, solid first effort feel more like punk rock played at a 10-year-old's birthday party. Fans of indie rock that's short on attitude and long on personality should take notice.

What the critics say...

Rolling Stone (p.99) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Science Is Golden' is bright, upbeat...setting well-textured propulsion against Hodgson's throaty, nimble singing..."
Q (p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The Grates are clearly in thrall to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs....More sprightly than sinister..."
CMJ (p.5) - "Peppy vocal hooks answer guitars that shift from crisp to chaotic, while saxophone and horn arrangements keep things interesting."