Exits & All the Rest (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

While it’s fair to say that Girl in a Coma has sweetened its musical blend on Exits & All the Rest, by no means has the San Antonio trio lost its snarl or wallop. Since its 2007 debut, the group has broadened its palette without veering from its underlying punk and grunge influences. As lead singer, Nina Diaz shows greater range and confidence here, emphasizing her caressing upper range as much as the growling yelps that punctuated GIAC’s earlier releases. She also stretches out as a guitarist, dabbling in both fuzzed-out textures (“Mother’s Lullaby”) and rippling, Dick Dale–esque runs (“She Had a Plan”). Bassist Jenn Alva and drummer Phanie D more than hold their own as they lay down bone-shaking rhythms on “One Eyed Fool” and cool out with an ’80-style Brit-rock groove on “Smart.” The music’s volatility is matched by the bruise-filled but still-yearning content of Diaz’s lyrics. Tunes like “Adjust,” “Sly,” and “Cemetery Baby” obsess over the pains and pleasures of romance until the two extremes become one.