ìI donít give a damn about my bad reputation,î might be a good catchphrase for Chicagoís Reputation if, for one, it hadnít already been coined by Joan Jett and secondly, if it were true. When you have a frontwoman in Elizabeth Elmore who is about to finish up law school at Northwestern, there isnít a whole lot of bad reputation to go around. But there is a whole lot of catchiness on the bandís debut release for Lookout!, To Force A Fate. As anyone who caught them at the Fader lounge at South By Southwest or has seen them on tour can attest, this quartet has a way with a tune. Not your average Lookout! fare, The Reputation turn in punk rock mayhem for tuneful indie rock along the lines of Velocity Girl or The Sundays. Pianos drive ìFollow-Through Timeî along, while album opener ìLet This Restî allows itself to be carried along by chiming guitars and Elmoreís powerful voice. The tempo is taken down a notch on the Sundays-esque ìFace Itî and on ìThe Ugliness Kicking Around,î but the only ugliness to be found is in title only. The varied indie rock tempos and song structures found on To Force A Fate, paired with Elmoreís pretty voice, draw you back into its grasp, listen upon listen.

The Reputation
Lookout! Records

1. The Reputation
2. Fate
3. The Reputation Gearing Up For First UK Tour
4. The Reputation Announce Another Round Of US Tour Dates
5. Video – Trailer For The Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie