Josephine Network

For the glam savvy and power pop true believers, Josephine has been a staple over the last few years, moving through phases like moonstones with dabbles in country on No One’s Rose and a plethora of pop spread over half a dozen singles as the Network began to take a more formal shape. The soft-punch punk and perfect pout of late ‘70s power pop doesn’t have many more perfect purveyors than Josephine, and for her latest, and first for Lolipop Records, she brings some of her most outsized hooks in years. The band has long been rounded out with members of Brower (of which Josephine has been an of and on member), but here she reconnects with another name that might be familiar to those with an eye on NYC’s pop history. The album is produced and mixed by Ryan Howe (Punks on Mars,) Josephine’s former Velveteen Rabbit bandmate, and the pairing rekindles an electricity that coursed through their previous pairings.

Surrounding herself with friends and foils only takes you so far, though, and credit is due to Josephine for stitching together one of the most infectious, towering records in years. From its first moments the record rolls through the bedrock of glam-scented power pop, capturing the coy elasticity of Sweet, the rock candy whimsy of Milk n’ Cookies, and boundless energy of Colors. The best power pop always has a ripple of vulnerability running through it. Try to tough it out and things skew too close to Kiss, but pull the punches and pine until the palpitations hit, and sensitive hearts humble bravado any day. This quality is what makes Hooked one for the ages, a quicksilver slice of pop heaven that only digs its barbs deeper with each spin around the needle.

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