As a Warped Tour staple, Tsunami Bomb provides a refreshing estrogenic oasis from bratty boy-punk outfits and their arid angst. By the end of the band's sets, fans are often dancing -- a rarity at any rock show, let alone one taking place outdoors in 100-degree heat. Granted, many of the people pushing to the front are trying to get a closer look at Agent M, a singer with a versatile voice, a flawless fashion sense, and a pink streak that weaves through her stark black hair like a flamingo floating face down in an oil slick. Once she lures listeners, the band's jagged riffs, staggered bass lines, and deceptively dense drumbeats set them in motion.
Tsunami Bomb's latest disc, The Definitive Act, goes in for dark tones and intense instrumental passages, but a band that once wrote a hilarious song titled "Rotting Vampire Eyeballs" could never smother itself in gothic gloom. So while M communicates complex emotions, she saves space for a gleeful music-as-savior tune and talks a potential suicide off the ledge with convincing calm. The album also overflows with concert-ready choruses, the cathartic whoa-oh sing-alongs that can make a December club gig feel like a sweat-splattered show under the summer sun.
