Locals Only

Any pop music aficionado over the age of 25 knows that all names bearing any esoteric relevance to a band's sound were used up by 1989, so judging a band by its moniker is a terribly antiquated measuring stick. But Sexytime Explosion (the name is an Ali G reference), a group of Long Beach lifers, have been known to induce a palpable overstimulation with their thick and rhythmic rock/punk/kool-thing amalgamation. We'll stop short of calling the demented circus keys of "Yesterday/Tomorrow" orgasmic in their push, spin and pull through the first moments of the album, but the ensuing racket certainly gets our rocks off. Some quick intros aside, this debut album stampedes along, herded into form by the imaginative rhythm section of Travis Laws and Chris Clawson.

Always happy to chat about the bass lines running through Rudimentary Peni or Subhumans music, Laws plays his four strings with the same kind of melodic abandon that made those indignant British punk bands so fun. Drummer Clawson has surprising finesse for a guy who can match pace and volume with the rest of this band. Guitarist Veronica Cruz bends her Flying V guitar through wild waves of mutilation, and if you are getting all these references you'll agree it's not too far a stretch to think of singer Jackie Ojeda as our little version of Karen O. And a few drunkards in the drunken Long Beach scene have been heard to mention such things that cause us to wonder whether she might be the object of desire in the fantasies that lead up to their, uh, alone-time explosions. This town is full of perverts—and good music.

Sexytime Explosion play their record-release party with Blow Up Blow, The Matachine and The Soft Hands at Alex's Bar, 2913 E. Anaheim St. (entrance around the back), Long Beach, (562) 434-8292. Fri., 9 p.m. $5. 21+.