I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way…especially if you’re teaching them by way of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. That’s what I hear when I listen to julie, a trio out of Los Angeles who have taken the gospels according to Moore and Shields to heart, and crafted in My Anti-Aircraft Friend a fun and vibrant debut full-length that works for what it is: a catchy and frazzled indie rock gem, slightly flawed and wearing its influences in each facet of its cut, but sincere and earnest in how it goes about it.

It feels disingenuous to call them kids; I imagine they’re roughly the same age when Sonic Youth was bashing out their sound on early albums like Confusion is Sex and Bad Moon Rising (quick check: Kim Gordon was already 30 at this time, and Thurston was 25) but bassist/vocalist Alexandria Elizabeth, guitarist/vocalist Keyan Pourzand, and drummer Dillon Lee have the benefit of that band’s growth 40 years earlier to smooth out their delivery. Opener “catalogue” captures everything that’s a highlight about the band, including Elizabeth’s vocal delivery. They handle the blown-out distortion just right, letting some of the clarity shine through against the bass and letting Lee’s drums cut through to really carry the structure.

Follow-up “tenebrist” brings more of the mbv shoegaze elements to the fore, and while I like the laid-back ennui in Pourzand’s voice, it doesn’t resonate with me as much as Elizabeth’s vocals. When they combine it works wonders, though. “clairbourne practice” is a strong outing with their combined disaffection, and later single “feminine adornments” strikes hard, particularly when accompanied by the group’s video.

julie may not reach the highs of classics like Daydream Nation or Loveless, but as a debut album (yeah, I know they had EPs and singles before this) was anyone expecting that? I’m happy to hear bands taking inspiration from my favorite artists and learning to grow from there. My Anti-Aircraft Friend shows a group with promise, and with some maturity whatever they come up with next should really break them out.