Memory

When the post-punk revival of early-aughts Manhattan (think bands with “The” in their name) yielded to the Brooklyn DIY scene later that decade, Vivian Girls were leading the charge, expertly blending scrappy lo-fi punk with ’60s girl-group harmonies. The all-female trio were also on the front lines of the cesspool that was music blog comment sections, and not incidentally, the group disbanded after their third record. But with <i>Memory</i>, their first record in eight years, they pick up where they left off—namely, rough-around-the-edges garage and surf-rock jams that spiral off into dreamy tangents (perfected on songs like the echoing, reverb-drenched “Lonely Girl”). And they do it all ever so coolly, as if all three rolled out of bed one day and decided to make a comeback album for the hell of it.