Their press bumf claims that Melbourne’s all-girl trio Valentiine “reincarnate the heavy ’90s”. ‘Reproduce’ would be a more pertinent verb – this debut is a re-run of Hole/L7/The Breeders with only the faintest of contemporary twists.
There’s plenty of attitude. Chucky, their first single, is about throwing up after a heavy night, while Hates Me taps some genuine teen angst. But although such introspection might feel fresh to Valentiine – whose surly gazes from behind their plastic shades betray their youth – they are hardly new to those who recall L7 hurling tampons into the crowd or Courtney Love grandstanding her way through the grunge years.
Valentiine can write a tune, but they need to find a voice, and – more importantly – a worldview that they can fully inhabit.
