Hunx And His Punx: Too Young To Be In Love

No one expects bubblegum pop to keep its snap for more than a few chews, but the less distinctive entries in the recent wave of girl group-inspired, telephone cord-twirling indie acts have been flavorless on the first chomp. While Seth Bogart already demonstrated a charming lack of taste in his electro-trash outfit Gravy Train!!!!, his latest band Hunx And His Punx is actually sort of sweet, with the splashes of homoeroticism contained to coy double entendres on songs like “Blow Me Away” or the occasional gender-swapped pronoun. Last year's Gay Singles breathlessly channeled pent-up sexual energies and neanderthal Ramones riffs into a collection of songs that was likely more fun to record than it was to listen to. Love offers more variety, but unfortunately no more hooks. Except for the lolling title track and “Tonite Tonite,” with its heartbreaking plea for companionship, Too Young’s 10 songs are pleasant but indistinguishable three-chord jaunts. New backup group The Punkettes offer up some brash female vocals, but Bogart is still applying his Greg Proops-esque whine to odes obsessing over teen dreams and listening to mom. At times offering an interesting deconstruction of classic love-song tropes via a gay lens, Too Young To Be In Love is long on attitude and short on memorable melodies.