THE TOTAL BETTYS “This Is Paradise” (self-released)


The Total Bettys are a total throwback – to the 1990s, that is. Falling somewhere between the Kill Rock Stars roster and every late-decade almost-breakthrough (that dog., Letters to Cleo, Juliana Hatfield), the San Fran quartet make super catchy, super crunchy, and super likable pop punk that would’ve dotted the Alternative Nation playlist. It’s a nostalgia trip to a scene I haven’t thought about probably since Alternative Nation went off the air in 1997. “This Is Paradise” is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Maybe the doctor’s ordered a full-scale examination of my head complete with accompanying MRI, because I feel like jumping up and down a lot while listening to the Total Bettys. Remember when Laura Ballance used to spend every Superchunk show pogoing around the stage with her bass? That’s all I can picture right now. I’m going to join her in my imagination.



--Ryan