Punk Rock Child’s Play

Music press has roundly called Nosebleed Weekend, the latest release from The Coathangers, a step toward maturity for the Atlanta punk act. So it’s somewhat ironic that one of the album’s best tracks, “Squeeki Tiki,” features a child’s squeaky toy.

“We had a lot more time to work on it, practice all the songs. We recorded demos, which we never got to do before,” Coathanger’s bassist and vocalist Meredith Franco tells EW. “We’re older. We were more mature.”

Maturity notwithstanding, Nosebleed Weekend is full of Coathanger’s rough-’n’-tumble style punk rock, made smoother by a certain degree of intentionality. Nevertheless, album-track “Dumb Baby” is four chords spread-eagle over the hood of a Camaro. And “Squeeki Tiki” is classic ska punk, alongside the knowing aggravation of British bands like The Slits or X-Ray Spex.

Franco says the album, recorded in L.A. — a first for the southern band — has a vintage feel. After 30 years, Coathangers rechristened SoCal’s Valentine Recording Studios. “It has that kind of vibe,” Franco says. “Shag carpet everywhere.”

Franco says any similarities to classic L.A. bands like X or The Go Gos are unintentional, but Nosebleed Weekend definitely sets out to blend their signature fun and simplistic style with the gritty glamor of the Sunset Strip. “Everything is like exactly how it used to be,” she says. “Nothing was touched.”

The Coathangers play with Eugene’s Critical Shakes and Birth Defects 7 pm Thursday, March 16, at The Boreal; $10, all-ages.

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