Be Your Own Pet is BACK!

If you haven't heard yet, Boston Tennessee punk band Be Your Own Pet released their eagerly anticipated (at least by me at the very least) follow up to their self-titled debut last year. It's titled Get Awkward, and you can tell the band has grown up since they hit the scene last year, but by no means would I call it growing pains. Whereas their debut was full of material that the band had perfected while playing for years before getting signed, this new one is full of new tracks that the band has cooked up since. And although I don't think it will ever fully apply to his band until after they retire, I dare say that they've matured since their first outing!

If you heard their first album, Jemina and crew were cranked up to 11 on a scale of 1 to 10. There was an immediate urgency to rock hard, fast, and as loud as possible. Listening to it brought forth images of a sonic tsunami just crushing down on you. It was almost downright scary how much angst was projected from Jemina's voice as she wailed out lyrics. With this new one, although there are some tracks that still convey that desire to be louder than loud, but there are also tracks that you might even describe as melodious (that being a relative term to their previous material!) which are toned down to, oh...say...a 9. Compared to a lot of other music being played out there, it's still at the upper end of the loudness spectrum, but the band isn't just relying on sheer intensity anymore (even though sheer intensity is still there).

While the album came out last week, unfortunately the US release was three tracks short of what the rest of the world will be able to listen to. Lawyers decided that they were "too violent" and the band was given the choice to re-work the songs or remove them. You know how the story ends. Once you listen to the two tracks below, order the album for the criminally insane price of $7.99 from Amazon (brand new), then you can search around though, and you'll be able to find all three deleted tracks to piece the album together as the band wanted it to be.

Be Your Own Pet - The Kelly Affair : Get Awkward
(watch the video)

Be Your Own Pet - Heart Throb : Get Awkward

and one from their last album:

Be Your Own Pet - Wildcat! (Live) : Be Your Own Pet (iTunes only)

Visit their website, their label Ecstatic Peace! Records, and become their friend on MySpace.