Led by singer-guitarist Wendy Case and guitarist Marco Delicato, the quartet’s debut rocks and pops like nobody’s business, full of powerhouse drums, big fat choruses and riffs, and more hooks than a tackle box. Topped with Case’s sandpaper-and-whiskey vocals, the Paybacks conjure up images of a ballsier Cheap Trick or a pre-disco Blondie album smothered in grease. The louder you play ’em, the better they sound, which makes a live gig the best place to experience the mayhem. Don’t forget your earplugs.
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2003.