The Exbats

• E Is for Exbats [Burger, 2019] B+
• Kicks, Hits, and Fits [Burger, 2020] ***

Consumer Guide Reviews:

E Is for Exbats [Burger, 2019]
Comprising guitar-playing father Kenny McLain and teenaged singer-drummer daughter Inez McLain, this southeast Arizona punk unit isn't as sharp as Billie Eilish or Chai. But they do repay the attention due any artistic unit whose premature best-of could inspire me to name both wunderkinds in the same sentence. Lifted from their 2016 debut A Guide to Health Issues Affecting Rescue Hens, "Everybody Loves My Mom" is no longer their compositional peak on the strength of such couplets as "She watches sports on TV/She's got more friends than me." That honor now goes to "Hey Dummy" and "Maximum of Happy" rendered as a diptych. B+

Kicks, Hits, and Fits [Burger, 2020]
Daughter-father trio roll out 10 more brief punk ditties, not all fast-hard-(or-unfortunately)-catchy but some sweet and even meaningful to compensate ("I Got the Hots for Charlie Watts," "Florida") ***