Rips

This all-female trio are the most exciting thing to happen to hard-driving power-chord grooves since Kathleen Hanna kneed us in the groin with ''Rebel Girl.'' Ex Hex's debut, Rips, does what the title promises, from the Velvet Underground swagger of ''Hot and Cold'' to the pop-punk ''You Fell Apart,'' both about bad dude decisions (''Tried so hard not to forget/That you’re just a creep that I regret''). Singer-guitarist Mary Timony (Helium, Wild Flag) has been on the D.C. hardcore scene for decades, and her new band's no-frills approach incorporates doo-wop melodies and Joan Jett anthemics without ever being cutesy or overthought. Clearly, she's no novice at heartache.