Lately the underground rock scene has become professionalized to an extent that would have been tough to imagine even during the 90s alt-rock boom. But while many of their compatriots hustle for ad placements and lucrative corporate-sponsored showcase gigs, the Tough Shits are so half-assed about being a “successful” band that it’s almost heroic. Though they rarely play outside Philadelphia and they have the self-promotional instincts of a pile of bricks, they’ve amassed a small but fervent cult of admirers drawn in by their genius-level pop hooks and infectious attitude of not giving a single fuck in the whole world.
Burger Records somehow managed to get the Tough Shits to pull it together long enough to record a self-titled album, and you can preorder the vinyl here. Judging by what I heard when my band played with them in November—and by the sample track, “Cats & Dogs,” which you can hear after the jump—it’s gonna be one of the best collections of jangly guitar pop to come out in 2012.