In case you weren’t paying attention, there’s a garage rock revival going greatly surpassing the one that happened at the beginning of the century (think White Stripes, Strokes, etc.). But what differentiates this one from the previous is attention to detail. Attempting to replicate the ruckus as a relic rather than a slick re-invention, San Francisco's Hunx and His Punx (comprised of members from NoBunny and Gravy Train) emulates the Twist rhythms and Buddy Holly backbeats of early rock 'n' roll, and succeeds in merging these classic idiosyncrasies with whiny and scrappy power pop.

Gay Singles includes a collection of 7"s put out by various record labels over the last year or so, though it's really more like a greatest hits compilation. As part of a greater whole, each single exceeds well beyond the limitations of the shorter release while maintaining the robust zing of an A-side and retaining that energy throughout, which makes Gay Singles more cohesive than other singles collections. As the French are often known to announce "Tout le tueur, aucun remplisseur" ("All killer, no filler.")

You could set it next to early Pretty Things, or organ-heavy garage and it’d be hard to guess the decade it comes from. Call it post-punk Bill Haley, if you will, or a long-lost slower Ramones, albeit draped in a pink cape, because where Hunx truly subverts the genre is through lyrics that are incredibly homoerotic, although limited to the perspective of a young teen craving carnal satisfaction. Songs about junior prom and other puerile nonsense are told with the simple vision of peevish love appropriate for a juvenile to bear at such an inexperienced age, like in the early '60s, when sexuality was poorly and crudely coded.

This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2009.