Jacuzzi Boys: Glazin’

According to Miami-based garage-punk threesome the Jacuzzi Boys, “glazin'” is a badass state-of-mind/way of life, but one spin of Glazin’ and you’ll be convinced it refers to the glorious pop sheen that coats their triumphant second album. Where the band’s — guitarist/singer Gabriela Alcala, drummer Diego Monasterios and bassist Danny Gonzalez — 2009 debut, No Seasons, was a fun-as-hell, scuzzy (if nondescript) romp, the comparatively cleaned-up Glazin’ — recorded in an actual studio in Benton Harbor, Michigan (!) — shows how nicely our Boys can clean up. Girl-crazy tunes like “Automatic Jail” (“Me without you? I just can’t cope!”), “Libras and Zebras” and “Crush” are neon glam rock of the highest order, easily on par with trendsetters like Wavves, Best Coast, Sleigh Bells and Hunx and His Punx (who could’ve guessed in 2011 that plunking girl-group aesthetics down at the beach with some fuzzed-out guitars would be a legitimate path to glory?), and even goofball throwaways like “Cool Vapors”, an ode to driving in an air-conditioned car, anchored by Alcala’s metallic guitar lead, are nothing short of charming. A few b-side missteps — the heavy, stomping sci-fi “Silver Sphere (Death Dream)”, doesn’t really serve Jacuzzi Boys, Mk. II, nor does “Zeppelin” — keep Glazin’ from ascending to true greatness, but this is the sound of a band getting their shit together. Keep an eye on these guys.