As more and more time elapses, the concept of gender roles is being slowly eroded away. Women have lobbied for better rights for the female gender, and as such, progress has dictated much more equality between men and women in general. 

London, Ontario's Anti-Hero are an example of the positive results of gender equality. This four piece of socially aware rockers wear concepts like anti-conformity, female empowerment, equality, and personal betterment on their sleeves like safety-pinned punk band patches. Led by vocalist/guitarist/bassist Rose Perry, Anti-Hero strives to be just that; an uplifting, life-affirming, and strong beacon of social change and self-help that still trods on conventional ideas of heroism. Rounded out by Nicole VanHaverbeke (backing vocals, bass, rhythm guitars), Matty Cole (drums), and Jesse Tomes (lead guitars), Anti-Hero is a resounding clarion call in direct response to punk/alternative/grunge rock's traditionally prevailing nihilistic tendencies.

In many ways, this positivity and earnest hope are a tad demeaning. Unpretty is a solid romp through mid-to-slow paced, grungy pop-punk. Personally, I'd like Anti-Hero to take their surprisingly blatant lyrics berating our society, and graft them surgically to galloping, frantic punk beats like The Distillers, Amen, NOFX, or the like. However, I support the message more than the music itself (which I am typically disinclined towards, just so you know) and found myself liking Unpretty a fair amount.

Though Unpretty is dolloped with glossy, sleek, and shiny production, the songs actually have some decent hooks and a few surprises to catch people off guard. I'm glad they did, as it isn't even funny anymore how many punk/grunge/alternative acts exist in the world. "Not Good Enough" kicks things off with a simplistic wall of grungy guitars and Perry's oddly fitting vocals; this girl's got some sass and she isn't afraid to rip into those words! The song peppers growls and howls liberally over the chorus, a trend that repeats itself throughout the disc and does a little to separate Anti-Hero from the pack. A short, sweet guitar solo offers a surprising treat, and the song goes into one last choral rendition before ending on a high note. The album's title track, "Unpretty," is arguably one of the more interesting pop rock songs you'll be likely to hear. The song bludgeons society's ideas of beauty, good looks, and how those things can invariably lead to greater or lesser self-worth. It comes across as very feminist, and it doesn't take prisoners on the subject matter...so much so that a self-produced video has had trouble finding a distributor, having been rejected by Much Music on vague, open terms. 

"Wake Me Up" is a radio-rock ballad with a mild bite to it; however, it manages to be catchy as well and it is a pretty cool song. "Lost (on the Outside)" sneaks up on the listener with a quiet guitar part before switching into soft, palm-muted guitars and quiet drums. The girl-rawk tandem of Rose Perry and Nicole VanHaverbeke mix melodic vocals effortlessly on this track, and I'd have to say this is one of the most memorable cuts on the entire album. The bouncy "More or Less" is a song that sticks like velcro; I can see this as a radio single somewhere down the road. Grooving, simple, catchy, and wrapped with the slightest touch of twang in the vocal department, "More or Less" is a fun piece of ear candy that never tastes bad. The arrogant (in a good way of course) "Better Than You" takes the soft verse-buildup-harder edged chorus formula of bands like Korn and Nirvana, and grafts soaring female vocals onto it for a fresh twist. 

"For the Last Time" has a kicking hook to rock to, and muted verses that slowly grow like the band's mounting dissatisfaction towards the state of things in our world today. A swank clean guitar passage feels like a kind present that you didn't expect, and leads into a swaying finale. "Once More (With a Little Meaning This Time)" is an awesome punk anthem of hooky sing-alongs and visceral guitars; I think this would go over well live. The stunningly fragile "Lullaby" is a fantastic, unabashed pop rock ballad. It shows a side of the band that is entirely unexpected while still flowing naturally and sounding great. This is one of the best songs here! Closing song "Two Words" is a snappy piece of well-crafted and sticking rock that closes the album on a fulfilling and inspirational bang.

More or less, I found this to be a slow-burner of sorts. I was little leery of listening to something like this (it's pretty light for my tastes in all honesty) but as far as poppier rock goes, this is pretty decent. Tracks like "Two Words," "Lullaby," and "Better Than You" show that this CD's stronger portions appear on the latter half, and that it takes a bit of time for the songs to sink in properly. Even better is the message and vocals; these two distinctively unique aspects of Anti-Hero really set them a bar or two higher against their peers and will carry them far. This is a very strong debut, and I'm excited to hear them take things to the next level in the future. I recommend this for upbeat variety and fun, smarter-edged rock. Unpretty the music may be, but it is rarely ugly. Check it out!

Anti-Hero - Unpretty
Label:Her Records
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