Mika Miko – We Be XUXA (2009)

Mika Miko – We Be XUXA (2009) Mika Miko were an American punk-noise band from Los Angeles, California. So… I’m a huge fan of Bleached, who I compared to The Soap Girls in a review, because in both bands, the two main young women are sisters. Both bands are pros at Punk Rock, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Garage Punk… with shades of Pop! Very similar energies and talents.

I think it says on Wikipedia that Jessie & Jennifer Clavin created Bleached, an American Pop band, which is relatively untrue, given that it’s all Pop, but it’s probably easier to remember for the general public who aren’t familiar with the musical sub-genre of Punk!

When I discovered Bleached, I read that they used to play in the band Mika Miko. Here’s the whole team: Jennifer Clavin (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jenna Thornhill (vocals, saxophone, keyboards), Michelle Diane Suarez (guitar, keyboards), Jessica Clavin (bass) and Seth Densham (drums). Admittedly, this first band was more aggressive and less harmonious than Bleached, but for me the pleasure is intact. My main regret is that I discovered the Clavin sisters’ projects so late. I only discovered them in the 2020s, whereas Bleached started in 2010, while Mika Miko’s lifespan was from 2003 to 2010.

This second and final studio album is great. But I didn’t love it on first listen. I probably wasn’t in the right frame of mind, given that I’m now listening to it over and over again and fully appreciating it from top to bottom. The vocals even remind me of bands like The Slits, X-Ray Spex and Bow Wow Wow. And that’s just the beginning! Of course, there’s also some Bikini Kill in there for the connoisseurs. In fact, musically, the title track Totion also sounds a lot like The Slits, with its Blondie-style disco drums, but Sex, for example, is reminiscent of The Damned.

The album is very short. Not even twenty-three minutes for twelve songs (the last track being a mix of the second)! The first track, 666, lasts just twenty minutes and two seconds. Now that’s punk! Not to mention the incredible energy, the dissonance, the rage, the humour, the no-holds-barred attitude…

In short! The explosive mix that creates the best bands in the genre is well and truly here. Ideal for bringing together fans of non-commercial music, for letting off steam, for venting your anger, for having fun jumping around the house or just for motivation.

In October 2009, the band decided to split up, with some members wishing to continue their studies or work on other projects. On 30 and 31 December 2009 and 1 January 2010, the band played its last concerts at the Smell in Los Angeles. What a shame… but what a pleasure to have got my hands on this album!