I guess if Tuff Love were from the West Coast of the US of A their sound would be altogether lighter and carefree. Coming out of Glasgow, Scotland means that there's a harder urban edge and as a result they are more likely to be found "stranded in a car park" (Poncho) than chilling out on a beach.
The artists in question are the duo Julie Eisenstein (guitar, vocals) and Suse Bear (bass,vocals) with drummer Iain Stewart on drumming duties for live shows and videos. Their stock in trade are upbeat Beatle-esque punk-pop tunes.
This album is actually a 15-track compilation of three EPs they've put out since 2012. The titles - 'Junk', 'Dross' and 'Dregs' -may be labelled like waste products but this is no reflection of the musical quality. On the contrary, there's a crispness and vitality that more than compensates for the lack of variety and gloss.
Although these two tom-boyish 'indie girls' look like tough (tuff?) cookies
there's a nice, jangly 'I Feel Fine' factor running through the tunes.
The tracks they've made into videos are the best introduction to what they're about, namely Sweet Discontent, Flamingo ,Slammer, Duke and Carbon
They play to their strengths with a penchant for one word titles and a good ear for snappy 2-3 minute songs.
All in all it makes for a fresh'n'feisty antidote to the 'I'm so bored' school of punk-pop.
