Although Cherry Glazerr may have had a release or two previously, Haxel Princess feels like a true introduction. Here, ideas that they had toyed with previously are given full effect.

Throughout the alb, the band mashes together early LA punk with psychedelia and a little bit of goth. Opening track "White's not my color this evening," sounds like Siouxsie Sioux fronting the Bags. Reverbed, but hard hitting riffs, roll down the hill in the background while frontwoman Clem Creevy howls out in vocals that alternate between distressed and purposefully disinterred. It creates a cold, intriguing character that throughout the rest of the album, never really lets you inside, but keeps you interested.

At times, the band references the spaced out garage rock that is so popular right now, on tracks like "Cry baby" which sounds like a listless Ty Segall. But, just as the band is adept at melancholy garage rock, they're not afraid to go all out on other tunes. "Bloody Bandaid" floats with a dark cadence, feeling like the bad acid trip take on "Strawberry Fields Forever." The title track is driven by a hard rumbling guitar line while Creevy coos in the background. It contrasts the nasty with the nice, though suggesting, that Creevy might not be that nice.

The album flirts with sounds that have become synonymous with Southern California in the past decade, but wisely, instead of defining itself with those tools, use those tools to fashion a new combination. How interesting that despite the band avoiding definition throughout the album, the hodgepodge of influences here create a unique identity.