New Town Drunks

Like a musical Bonnie and Clyde, the New Town Drunks are a rambling wreck of inspired innuendo and quick-draw melodies speeding toward a cliff, highballs in hand, laughing all the way. Led by red-haired siren Diane Koistinen, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina quartet plays spunky country-inflected rock, penning humorous odes to banality -- from the late-night bar call "Somebody Stole My Purse" to "Autumn's Truck," a folky, ramshackle paean to a borrowed car. Guitarist Roberto Cofresi brings a little Latin flavor, but Koistinen's the real showstopper, with a come-hither stare and a deep, throaty sneer. The band's debut, Trust Us With Your Car, has the powerful mind-loosening quality of margaritas at happy hour.