I saw True Womanhood at NYC's Cake Shop during CMJ and they were absolutely phenomenal. The sheer fact that they exist is incredible to me. I think of Chuck Klosterman’s review of Chinese Democracy but this actually matters because that album would have gotten made if Axl Rose had been sealed in Wax. They play dark, post-punk, Yeah Yeah Yeahs a little bit, a little bit Fugazi, a little bit Joy Division. But it is straight DIY – that’s the rub. These guys are playing some of the most progressive music I have heard in a long time and they are doing it out of the most culturally repressive cities in the world. They tell me later that they play shows in DC that get shut down reliably by 10:30 p.m. because the police cruise the interwebs and are fastidious about time ordinance. There will be a lot more to hear about them soon, I hope. To me, they have a winning combination: nerdy and enthusiastic frontman, cute and talented female bassist, obviously brainy dude behind the kit. - Dale W. Eisinger