Released seven years after their 2011 debut, Someone to Watch Over Me is the explosive sophomore full-length from wily West Coast no wave collective No Babies. Since forming in the late 2000s, this band has packed equal parts quirk and menace, merging herky-jerky rhythms with overblown free jazz horns and hurling political invectives in the D.I.Y. tradition of early hardcore. Although it's only their second LP, No Babies have managed quite a bit in their decade of work, issuing numerous small-run singles, cassettes, and CD-Rs and touring as far away as Japan. Working with producer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Jeff Rosenstock), they've fine-tuned their gutsy, frenetic approach into a tightly strung attack of punk heft with an experimental nature. Of Someone's 13 tracks, nine clock in at two minutes or less, making for a relatively brief though highly intense experience. A loose ambient sax-and-percussion ramble introduces the album before the band kicks in full-bore with the spastic duo of "Hazia" and "The Weight." Anchored by guitarist Ricky Martyr, bassist Laura DeVeber, and drummer Sean Nieves, singer Jasmine Watson leaps into the fray as saxophonist Misha Poleschuck fills in the gaps. In spite of its harsh anarchistic feel, the album sometimes strays into more philosophical territory, like on "In a Dream," where Watson cycles through a list of skate tricks she has perfected only in her mind. No Babies can be a harsh listen, but they've got a lot of craft too, and this record covers a range of emotions in its own peculiar way. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi

1		DMFB
2		Hazia
3		The Weight
4		The Grains, the Fruit, the Land, the Blood
5		Nettle
6		Rabbit Hole
7		Luna Nueva/Luna Negra
8		Puzzle Pieces
9		Internalized
10		In a Dream
11		False Binary
12		Ice Forms All Around
13		Someone to Watch Over Me