The Vancouver quartet JPNSGRLS (pronounced “Japanese Girls”) use the recording studio strategically. Locked away with producer Steve Bays (Hot Hot Heat, Fur Trade), they sent vocals and instrumentation into the red with a hypercharged style that sounds as if the band are in danger of hyperventilating at any moment. This lends an urgency to songs like “Smalls,” “Southern Comforting,” and the manic panic of “Laughing Gas.” Comparisons to Hot Hot Heat and Spoon are valuable, since surely fans of bands who work that hard will find much to love about this debut album. Bass guitar pulses at a determined speed for “Brace Yourself,” where the elliptical patterns sound like a maze that’s impossible to extricate oneself from. Twelve songs in 39 minutes guarantee a well-paced set that's neither minimalist nor indulgent. By “Oh No Excuses,” they’ve even used falsetto voices and a slower, more introspective speed to temper the full-on aggression. It's quite a statement for a debut album.