The Brat Years compiles every thing released by Pussycat Trash between 1992 and 1995 including single sides, compilation tracks and their sole album. Thanks to Troubleman Unlimited, those who weren't there for the first go round, can now get it all in one fell swoop on one 70 plus minute cd.

I was there back in the day, collecting their singles, it was a definite pleasure every time I got my hands on the newest and latest Pussycat Trash recording. Whether it was the split one sided single with Razorblade Smile, or the 4 band compilation Some Hearts Paid to Lie (which had cover art designed by Chris from Huggy Bear), I would hunt for the next Pussycat Trash release with a fervor.

Pussycat Trash was one of many bands that Rachel and Pete from the UK fronted and at first it was their pop/hardcore outlet. They also did the 4 track home recording project Avocado Baby, Pete led Milky Wimpshake which was more guy punk pop, and eventually once Pussycat Trash broke up, both Rachel and Pete formed Red Monkey to continue on with the hardcore sounds.

For me the defining Pussycat Trash sound was developed most fully on their 7 inch single sides (tracks 18-31, 34-39); I was somewhat disappointed when their full length album came out (tracks 1-17) back in 1995. I think it had to do with the fact that I found they had covered everything with those singles, and had run out of ideas. Their first single (tracks 18-21) called Plink Plonk Pink Punk will always be my favorite release. In fact, someone gave it to me because they thought it wasn't punk enough, and well compared to their later releases, it's their most pop effort. But a lot of the riot grrl bands started out with a poppy side (check out some early Huggy Bear for some head spinning bedroom styled pop music and see what I mean). So songs like Positive Bomb, Girlfriend, Hot Bed and Squid Joke (all found on Plink Plonk Pink Punk) are some great songs to me.

The double 7 inch Some Hearts Paid to Lie was a defining single for the time which included Skinned Teen, Linus (still active to this day), Comet Gain (also still active but with a new lineup), and Pussycat Trash: these were the bands which helped define the sound of 1993. Both Pussycat Trash songs - Un Soul Less and Doris are short blasts of kissy girl punk rock.

Another all-time favorite for me was Alien Shake from the split Razorblade Smile one sided 7 inch. I never even got my hands on the split single with Jarvis and am very impressed by Pussycat Stomp, it's one of their best songs.

Things began to change a bit on the La La Ovular single: Pete began to sing with the band more, there was more of a Huggy Bear male/female dynamic, which works quite well on these sides. Crushomatic, Secret Rocket and Ultraism are my favorite moments from this single. The two songs from the Elastic Jet Mission compilation sound out of place without the rest of that compilation - but to sum up they are quite noisy. I never gave the Amore single a chance when I first got it, and when comparing to everything else I still think it is my least favorite single.

Ok the Pussycat Trash album: Non-Stop Hip-Action. Listening to it today, I definitely was liking it a lot more than when I got it back in 1995. I still think it is not my favorite thing by them, it has too many thrown together in an afternoon songs for my tastes. Fave songs include Existentialism, I Need Science Fiction, Big Sulk, Spacesuit in a Supermarket and Where Will We Strike Next? are my favorite songs from the album, but I must say the sound that they were mining here was fleshed out much better in later bands like Red Monkey.

All in all, I would say that the Pussycat Trash cd is a wonderful collection, because now I won't have to copy all my old singles to cd-r. This will also make it much more easy for when I need that early 90s slinky pussycat punk sound.

Indeed, Pussycat Trash are my favorite kinds of bands: do what you need to do and move on. None of this pussyfooting around and being overly prolific for years and years. That's so boring; Pussycat Trash got it right by putting out a few singles and an album and moving onto other projects.