Part power pop, punk and feminist action, Jerra's brand of D.I.Y. pop punk has just enough sugary sweet substance to not decay your teeth. Somehow, Jerra is able to combine powerful girl power lyrics with punk attitude, raising her above most female fronted power pop bands today. Bikini Kill, L7, Hole, PJ Harvey and The Breeders are all listed as influences, but Jerra's sound is definitely her own.
Play Like A Girl was released by Jerra's very own record label, Sugar Hooker Entertainment (S.H.E. - get it?), based in Los Angeles. The album is a fast and lyrically intelligent one and is laced with feminist activism and D.I.Y. attitude.
Songs like "Game Boy" are charming, cute yet carry enough snarl to know you don't mess with a girl and her Atari 2600. In the song, front woman and guitarist, Jerra Spence, tells about her first gaming experience with the classic Atari 2600. "I remember my first time, but / Everything's got to have closure / I press start, I press start / When I'm told: Game Over"
The amazing track, "Drama King" is about the idiocy of male manipulation. A must listen for all women!
The band also covers Danzig's, "Mother", which might not be to everyone's taste, but will certainly find fans with anyone who carries a torch for Jerra's flawless vocals. A very different cover of a great song that is worth checking out.
The album's closing song, "Sugar Hooker" is a short and (bitter)sweet track, complete with Xylophones and attitude and Jerra purring, "Heartbreak, no thanks / That's what jawbreaker's for".
Apparently popular with surfers, Play Like A Girl's opening track, the powerful "Don't Trust", can be heard in the surf film The Kill, which features pro surfers Kelly Slater and Tom Curren, while the third track, "The Others" can be heard on Surfer Magazine's clip of the Pipeline Pro Masters 2005. MTV's Real World and Road Rules has recently licensed tracks from the album to be used on the popular shows.
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