Instead of sounding much like its members’ prior bands (pg. 99, Majority Rule), for their self-titled debut Virginia's Haram followed in the stylistic footsteps of Drive Like Jehu and Sonic Youth, which is exactly who the band’s one sheet says they sound like. Good call.

          From the start, the four-piece wears the Jehu influence a little mightier on their collective sleeve. The tempos are fast and the vocals are snarled like Froberg or Reis would've done circa 1993. From time to time the songs slow down a bit and the guitars aren't shredding in quite an urgent manner—and that's when the Sonic Youth influence comes into play. Discordant guitars show themselves to be slightly reflective in tone or noisy in their drenched feedback. "Fade Away" is a good example of how both bands' sounds can be heard mixed together—the jarring force of Drive Like Jehu with the grating, noisier sound of Sonic Youth.

          In the end, it's not terribly original, but at least Haram chose two quality bands to emulate. The album probably won't make any top ten lists at the end of the year, but it's still fun for people who can't get enough of either of those bands.