Saents EP

With a brief but bright debut EP, Saents provide a gritty antidote to pop fluff. The blues-rock duo make heavy noise at a level that feels attached to way more than four hands, with growling crunchy electric chords stomping over thrashing, peppy drums that sound like they’re radiating heat. To be clear, it’s far from chaos. In fact, it’s concise and just about instantly likable. Singer/guitarist Rett Smith’s voice has a classic unbound rock ’n’ roll quality, particularly on the album opener “Blood,” where his voice crowd surfs over the fast-bashing noise with clear, hook-driven verses. “Hallelujah and Do-Si-So” balances a drilling precision with raw aggression, stacked with whip-quick hooks that attack. The five tracks blow by in under 20 minutes, exuding a feverish frenzy that leaves the listener as quick as it came. It’s not pop, but it’s catchy as hell.