London’s Sniffany & The Nits introduced themselves in 2020 with The Greatest Nits, a ferocious and charismatic debut EP that was equal parts chaotic and catchy. The quartet (which includes former members of Joanna Gruesome), blend a mix of vibrant hardcore, rattled post-punk, and a touch of deranged pop, creating songs that are vulnerable beneath their muscular pummel and sarcastic edge. The Unscratchable Itch, the band’s first first length, expands the anxiety, animosity, and aggression of their EP with blunt force guitars, rhythms that pound their way into oblivion, and the always acerbic wit of Sister Sniffany. It’s her vocals and lyrics that truly set the band apart, taking situations of heartbreak and sexual exploitation and giving it all a swift kick in the teeth. The Unscratchable Itch is a cavalcade of character studies and personal exhortations, shouted and yelped over a constant stampede. The noise and fury never relent but the hooks find their way in, and there’s room to interpret the scorn and disdain in Sniffany’s world of cheating spouses, submissive behaviors, and empty promises. - DG