The center of this Garden State trio, diminutive Marissa Paternoster is a Punky Van Halen in thrift-store coats who rips through spiky guitar solos unlike anybody else in indie-dom, delivering postcollege angst in an intimidating quaver-to-throat-ripping howl. Screaming Females’ emotionally detailed songs and tight playing push against a slightly muddy sound straight outta the mid-’80s underground. “I Believe in Evil” thunders at religion, while “Skull” packs a swinging stoner-rock jam into less than five minutes. But Power Move doesn’t touch the band’s live performances. See them once, and Paternoster will always be with you, the tiny shredder in that band.
Watch: Screaming Females, “Bell”
