When a video of four girls shredding guitars and screaming about a “racist, sexist boy” in the LA public library went viral in 2021, it proved a powerful launchpad for the Linda Lindas. Combining chugging drums with sludgy guitars, pop hooks and emphatic punk vocals, the quartet’s 2022 debut record, Growing Up, skewered the awkward angst of adolescence. Now reaching the tail-end of their teens, the group’s follow-up, No Obligation, showcases a maturing sound.
Blistering, rage-fuelled compositions kick in from the opening title track, which features vocalist Lucia de la Garza cathartically screaming about her refusal to conform, while the frenetic Resolution/Revolution and Excuse Me both hit hard courtesy of drummer Mila de la Garza’s punishing groove. There is energy aplenty, yet it’s on the slower, more melodic numbers that the album offers exciting new ground. The downtempo guitar melody of All in My Head, for instance, channels the singalong songwriting of the Foo Fighters, while the pop-punk Don’t Think wouldn’t feel out of place in the hands of Olivia Rodrigo.
Rather than a pastiche of styles, No Obligation displays the depth of the Linda Lindas’ developing musical skill, capable of channelling their infectious enthusiasm beyond virality into a long-lasting career.
