Kitten

This L.A. act's debut LP sounds great when 19-year-old singer Chloe Chaidez is delivering huge, dramatic hooks over New Wave-styled jams like the breathless opener, "Like a Stranger." It falters when the band indulges in out-of-nowhere rap verses or misplaced filtered vocals. When they get it right, it's not hard to imagine Kitten playing to a screaming arena, as with the fuzzed-out highlight "Kill the Light" – but way too many of these songs try way too hard to be noticed, from the endless "Cathedral" to the banal, awkward "Sex Drive." If Kitten want another shot at stardom, they'll need to apply their teen angst with a little more focus.