No Age: Weirdo Rippers

With rolling waves of gleaming guitars, Dean Spunt and Randy Randall establish their Southern California origins early on in their debut full length as No Age. This isn’t Laurel Canyon though, and it’s miles away from Hawthorne. Spunt and Randall are representing downtown Los Angeles and the uncompromisingly awesome DIY scene that’s built up around all-ages show space The Smell over the past eleven years. Anyone already familiar with regulars at the venue like Mika Miko, The Mae Shi, or Spunt and Randall’s previous incarnation as Wives may have some idea of what to expect from Weirdo Rippers, and spastic blasts like “Boy Void” or “Escarpment” definitely deliver on those assumptions. What’s so improbable about the album is how unexpectedly pretty it gets. Songs like “Sun Spots” and “Semi-Sorted” are unequivocally gorgeous. Swirling static and shimmer into pulses of riotous pleasure, Weirdo Rippers positions No Age as one of the most buzz-worthy and buzz-inducing bands of the year.