Clorox Girls

Now that the Ramones are history, it’s timely that these three guys from Seattle (sic) should step up to the abandoned punk plate and hit a grand slam out of the pop music park on their first try. And because the twelve tracks here clock in at a mere 17:16, you don’t have to wait long to understand why Justin Maurer (guitar and vocals), “Cassius” Clay Silva (drums and tambourine)and Zack Lewis (bass and vocals) have a fine shot at making it “big” just like Queen’s best did. They have a ton of catchy melodies in their songbook the, even at 42 seconds flat, leave you wanting to hear a whole lot more. Plus, you just gotta love witty romantic lyrics like :”When Iknocked on your door, you saw me standing there. You said something about being friends, I just wanted my underwear.”

If you are too young to have supported the Ramone’s back in ‘76 when they first started out, here’s your chance to shape history once again. And if you did support the Ramones during that golden summer, this just may be the second coming you’ve been waiting for.

So, what are you waiting for?Go buy their record!Go see them live!Gabba gabba go. (Jeffery Morgan) - Metro Times, Inc.

Of all the bands to namecheck, I was surprised as hell to see Portland’s Clorox Girls mentioning early Red Cross. And it probably wouldn’t have crossed my mind as a reference either, but now that they brought it up, well, yeah, I can hear it. The sound on their eponymous Kurt Bloch-produced debut LP (SmartGuy) is clean and classic, just like an early 80’s SoCal punk band doing Ramones-based tunes. And it may be a little less mush-mouthed than Red Cross, but is has a basic goodness that is harder to ignore than a trouserfull of antlers. (Thurston Moore/Byron Coley) - Arthur Magazine

There are no girls in this San Francisco-by-way-of-Eugene, OR quartet (sic) (there used to be one), but there is some zippy 1980-1982 L.A. type punk to be found. You’d think this was originally released on Posh Boy, Frontier, or Smoke 7 back then! Singer/guitarist Justin says the first Red Cross EP (the original Greg Hetson/Ron Reyes “Annette’ Got the Hits” and “We’re a Cover Band” version) is an inspiration, and, fair enough, But exciting memories of the original So-Cal poppy punk crowd that followed (much more roaring guitars and better playing) of Symbol Six, The Crowd, Adolescents, Shattered Faith, Bad Religion, Channel 3, Descendents, Agent Orange, and Legal Weapon, come to mind. And with the perfect choice of ex-Fastbacks guitarist Kurt Bloch producing in Seattle, the band is captured in all its most crunchy, upbeat, instant exuberance. And thank Buddha for song-writing that actually sounds as good as such a vaunted list. Whether the bubblegummy “Stuck in a Hole” or the faster “Not My Hometown,” “The Press,” and “Time for Losing,” they’re actually as catchy as The Dickies, Flyboys, or The Gears. Clorox is 12-songs-in-17-minutes, basic, uplifting, wisecracking, munchy punk rock like it ought to be, even 22 years later. (Jack Rabid)
- Rodent Production

I didn't want to like these guys (for reason that I'd rather not admit to (alright, I'll fess up, one of them was in MAURICE'S LITTLE BASTARDS and that band irritated the hell out of me so I am holding a personal vendetta against him forever! For-ever!)). But I'm digging this. I heard they were located out of the Bay Area for a while but moved back to Portland or something. I dunno, point being I missed these guys when they were all the rage around town. Nine time out of ten when someone talks up a band to the degree that they did the CLOROX GIRLS that's enough of an indication that I probably won't like them in a year or two (and) neither will anyone else, but these guys reminded me of a dumb-down FM KNIVES at times and a smarter BANANAS at others. They've really got a Sacramento feel to them. I'm not sure if it's the Woodhouse-like production (yeah, I just compared this Kurt Bloch/EGG studios recorded LP to Chris Woodhouse and the Loft. And, y'know what? I meant it) or the fact that they just know when to be poppy and when to be pissed off. Well done good sirs. (BM) - MRR

So I get dis lil' fugger in da mail not really knowin' what to expect, I had seen 'em out in SF and thought they were great but coulda been swayed by their show, and the booze, and bein' outta town. Well, I wasn't, this fucker went flying through my CD player like a fuggin' dangerous whirlwind of destruction. I must have listened to it a hundred times in a row. I can't get enough. Such an amazing brilliant sense of pop punk (and I pretty much hate anything that can be called "pop punk") simplicity. Reminds me of some of my favorite all time favorite records thrown all together . Think very early DESCENDENTS, NIP DRIVERS, and the one I hear the most, RED CROSS. Yeah, and modernly think FM KNIVES and MARKED MEN, but for some reason this seems to kinda push its way to the front of the list. Easily one of my favorite records in a long time. It's a time for...(Candy Sin) - Horizontal Action

In a perfect world, Dangerhouse Records never would have gone out of business some twenty years ago. Or that Robby Fields, without the threat of violence or a lawsuit, would actually pay the bands that help keep Post Boy in business. The Clorox Girls - I'm assuming, named after the song from Red Cross' first self-titled
12" EP - would have fit perfectly in with either label. They actually owe more than a passing blush to that version of Red Cross, too (whose members were to go on to Black Flag, Bad Religion, and Redd Kross). This LP has captured the overall feeling of a really cool attitude that punk still seems so full of possibility and fun, even though it looks like shit and so many people claim that ll the intellectual property's already been gentrified for arenas or strip-mined of any value. The songs on this LP are both wide-eyed and tough. Arty flourishes kept in check by the fact that the songs rock all the way through, even when they slow down. The haiku-like, borderline paranoid lyrics provide a nice amount of traction to the bounce. Much more realized than their 7", which I liked a lot too. (Todd) - Razorcake

SmartGuy Records has brought us the fine, fine debut LP by these Portland young guns. You may recognize lead goon Justin from his stint in the great DEADLY WEAPONS, but make no mistake: Clorox Girls are a combo worthy of devoting all your attention to. I'm a little apprehensive to play-up their youthful energy here but it certainly does contribute to the short, hooky buzz that they churn out. In lieu of just calling them retarded (which is a cop-out), I'll just say that their fusing of creeping, wormy punk a la M.O.T.O. or THE SPITS fills these ears with glee. The total package: a great new band on a 45 rpm 12" with hand-screened sleeves. (MC) - American Music Press

The young darlings everyone has been creaming over unleash their debut album. A parade is scheduled for this Thursday. Yes, there will be Churros. The improvement from their previous Johnny Cat single to this LP is downright immeasurable, thanks to a line-up change and a wicked recording by Kurt Bloch. I’m sure they’ll still get mentioned alongside M.O.T.O. and THE SPITS for their simplistic approach and wormy catchiness, but I think the tunes speak for themselves. The L.A. influence of RED CROSS and THE GEARS is very much upfront, which is another defining characteristic. The whole mood is very “Oakland” to me in nature, but anyone with a beer and toes to tap can hum along just fine. The sound of youth elation...all you old folks (coughTRICKKNEEcough) should live vicariously through them. (MC) - Terminal Boredom