The band — made up of Oliver Bruce and Ben Hopkins, who mutually cover vocals, guitar, and drums — put out its stellar debut EP, Cinderella Beauty Shop, last year, and they’re about to put out three
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The band — made up of Oliver Bruce and Ben Hopkins, who mutually cover vocals, guitar, and drums — put out its stellar debut EP, Cinderella Beauty Shop, last year, and they’re about to put out three new tracks on a split with fellow Band To Watch honorees Jawbreaker Reunion. Both bands are based out of Bard College, and they share a knack for needy progressive punk that’s as revelatory as it is warm. On Cinderella Beauty Shop, PWR BTTM is at their best when they’re tongue-in-cheek and anarchic. Take the all-too-relatable “Carbs,” which consists of the band rattling off a long list of yummy foods they’d rather eat than anything else. Or on “Kill All Assholes,” whose chorus is just a round of Sesame Street singalong refrains: “Kill all assholes, 1-2-3/ It’s not hard, just do it with me/ Kill all assholes, 6-6-6/ Let’s just get it over with/ Kill all assholes, 6-9/ I’ll eat your heart and make it mine.” They even manage to work in a reference to Gucci Mani on the brash opener “All the Boys”!
