Listen Up Flashback: Justine and the Unclean deliver bracing 'Heartaches'

Editor's Note: The New England music scene was rocked Friday morning at the news that Justine Covault, the lead singer of Justine and the Unclean and the force behind the Boston-based Red on Red Records had died the previous day. No cause of death was disclosed. According to a post on Facebook by Covault's daughter, "At this time there are no immediate plans for a service but please know there will be a memorial concert TBA. Sending much love to all of her friends and family."Here, we re-present Victor D. Infante's review of Justine and the Unclean's 2018 EP, “Heartaches And Hot Problems.”

“Heartaches And Hot Problems,” the latest EP by Justine and the Unclean from Rum Bar Records, may well be one of the most instantly likable rock albums in recent memory. Here, singer-songwriter-guitarist Justine Covault delivers fast-paced, high-octane rock music that’s raw, witty and unrelentingly honest.

The Boston-based band, which will be performing as part of the Rock and Roll Rumble April 6 at ONCE Somerville, comprises Covault, guitarist Charles Hansen, bassist-vocalist Janet Egan and drummer Jim Janota, and really, everyone shines. The album, which clocks in at six songs, is so spare and brisk that there’s really no room to hide. Each piece of the ensemble is both easily identifiable — take the blistering guitar solo on “Be Your Own Reason,” or the gritty bass line on “Margaritas and Secondhand Smoke” — but by the same token, nothing seems overly showy or out of place.

It’s that odd quality of everything being in its place that makes this album seem so simple, when it’s really anything but. There’s nowhere to hide here, and lots of room to sound sloppy, which never happens. The album begins with a full-frontal blast of rock ’n’ roll with the punk-flavored “This System Is Set to Self-Destruct,” leaning into the song’s feeling of implosion with biting mockery: “You’re always watching me,” sings Covault, “just like Big Brother/last time I checked it out/You’re not my mother.”

Overprotectiveness? This song’s persona’s not having it, and frankly, it’s delightful. The album blisters with independence and self-confidence, even on a whiskey-soaked blues blaster like “Heartache Knows Your Name.” Likewise, the feeling of restraint that comes with “Monosyllabic Man” conveys a great deal of feeling and humor without sacrificing the song’s energy. “I like the quiet type,” refrains Covault, as the song careens to a sidewinder guitar solo that seems to slither around the edges of the song. When the album transitions into the percussion-driven “Be Your Own Reason,” the result is almost jarring. It captures the listener’s attention instantly.

The EP begins to wind down with “Margaritas and Secondhand Smoke,” a down-and-dirty barroom bruiser of a song that in a lot of ways feels like the inverse of “This System Is Set to Self-Destruct” with none of the feeling of claustrophobia and the same amount of self-immolation: “This one is gonna end in flames,” sings Covault, “a fireball implosion and a hurricane/we both love fights/and ain’t that a shame/I only wish I could remember his name.”

It’s a fun song, and it’s sold with humor and attitude. Indeed, it’s probably the album persona’s sense of independence and virtual invulnerability that makes the album’s closer, “Love Doesn’t Know A Thing,” sear so much. The song has a touch of emotional vulnerability that feels well-earned, like it’s cracked its way through the armor of the earlier songs just a bit. The song has a slow-burn feeling, understated in its way, but also indelibly relatable.

Email Victor D. Infante at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ocvictor.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Justine and the Unclean deliver bracing 'Heartaches'