Always a nice surprise when Bitch Queens drop a new record on me because one thing for sure is these bad boys have slowly but surely been getting better and better with every release and this latest foray into splitsville is yet another step in the right direction.

'Does It Get To You' is the first one up and an excellent tune it is too. Clearly inspired by the 'Total 13' era Backyard Babies this is a smart three minutes of top notch songwriting; catchy and very well delivered, possibly the best song they've penned so far. After an impressive original opener they bring the curtain down on side A with an impressive covering of the Dead Boys classic 'Sonic Reducer'. Being such an iconic song by such a good band it's always a worry when bands take on such a task by putting their spin on it but in fairness Bitch Queens most certainly do it justice and I doff my cap with respect for the respect they show such a great song. Very enjoyable stuff indeed.

Turning over we have a couple of tracks from Dirty Blondes and, again, I was pleasantly surprised with the offerings on display and 'Gold Digger' hurtles out of the speakers with a great energy and impressive delivery. It's always difficult to get much from a band you've never heard when all you have to go on is two tracks on side AA but the fact that they share a slab of vinyl with my favourite band from Basle and manage to turn in two impressive tracks is worth further investigation; might very well turn out to be my favourite band from the Czech Republic. 

As far as splits go this is indeed a winner in my humble opinion; two very good bands and four killer songs - result - buy it!

www.bitchqueens.com

http://bandzone.cz/dirtyblondes