If The Golden Age is any indication, musicians from The Land Down Under have been influenced by some of the hipper bands from “up above.”  Mexico City Bees is laden with tracks that could be outtakes from Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted sessions, or lost recordings from Sonic Youth decades ago.  This Australian quartet has produced a solid album offering and could soon climb the industry ladder.

Many of the songs on Mexico City Bees draw you in with guitarist Dallas Houldsworth’s hypnotic vocals and alluring reverb guitar.  The songs range from more poppy, 80s-sounding tunes like “We’ll Be Here,” to rocket-charged guitar punk, such as “My Work is Done.”  But there’s more; the band can turn rhythmically enticing a la The Dandy Warhols, and Kat Harley provides excellent vocals on distinctly lush and ethereal numbers.

Favorite Track: Track 5, “The Desert Song”