I’ve got to admit, I almost feel guilty writing about HotChaCha without ever having seen them live.  A minimal amount of Googling will yield countless accounts of the unparalleled energy and impact of this female foursome’s stage show. But they claim that this EP is the closest they’ve come to harnessing their live performance on a record, and at the same time there are no signs of skimping in the studio.   HotChaCha are coming straight outta Cleveland and leaving no eardrums un-pounded with their third release, Fantastic Static.

Drowned in reverb in the likes of The XX, but with way more action, this album is a refreshing take on the girl-garage-grunge stuff we’ve heard throughout the last decade.  Singer Jovana Batkovic is both delicate and confident in her vocals, complimenting the varying instrumental dynamics of Mandy Aramouni (guitars and more), Heather Gmucs (bass), and Roseanna Safos (drums).  It’s evident that this group has spent enough time on the road that their individual talents have mixed together and boiled down to a savory rock ‘n roll reduction.  My favorite of the five-song EP is “Pleasure Cruise,” which serves to best represent the HotChaCha sound and, to boot, sounds like something Cobain might have recorded in future decades.  Fantastic Static is a promising indicator of this band’s commitment to exceeding expectations both on and off the stage.

(Exit Stencil Recordings, 159 Newel Street Apt. 4R, Brooklyn, NY 11222)