Be Your Own Pet

At a time when punk rock is pretty, polished and poppy, Be Your Own Pet is breaking down the walls like a leather-jacket-wearing, cigarette-smoking Kool-Aid Man with a bad attitude. The underage Nashville quartet's songs are snippy and crude, and feature about as many chords as minutes (usually two or three). Be Your Own Pet's tunes are brimming with teenage restlessness, which is epitomized by frontwoman Jemina Pearl's bratty vocals and angsty lyrics such as "breaking glass bottles is oh-so fun/let's go and kill someone." Pearl may be whining, but unlike the current Warped Tour masses, she isn't seeking pity. The only folks that Be Your Own Pet makes you feel sorry for are the bands that have to share the stage with them.