GO BETTY GO:  “Reboot”
With their new 6 song  EP Reboot, the always exceptional Latina quartet Go Betty Go emphatically re-establish themselves as one of punk rock’s most exciting forces.  A gloriously rough and tumble recording bristling with the band’s characteristic elegant, melodic aggression, it’s potent showcase for Betty Cisneros’ big, roaring guitar, singer Nicolette Vilar’s soulful, siren call and the momentous urgency of Michelle Rangel’s bass and Aixa Vilar’s tumultuous drumming. 
It has all the classic Go Betty Go impact, but songs like “Cemetery Stone” and “It Haunts You Now” are drawn from a deeper, far more shadowy territory. They have created an even richer and more engaging sound, loaded with lush atmosphere and, at times, an underlying sense of the foreboding, yet still ably uphold the banging, high impact GBG sound. A deliciously kicking en Español cover of Elastica’s “Stutter” maintains their signature bilingual approach, and every song on this disc rings with the band’s consistently passionate authority.
“We wanted it to be raw and rockin’, not sound too produced and with a darker edge.” Aixa said. “We’ve always been intrigued with darker things, what people are capable of. It’s a curiosity all of us share.”
The new material’s more penetrating emotional statements reflect their singularly unusual shared history. Formed in 2000 when they were all attending high school in Glendale California, Go Betty Go swiftly ascended from local shows to a standing room only weeknight residency at Los Angeles dive Mr. T Bowl’s to a national reputation via reams of critical acclaim and non-stop gigging.  Go Betty Go surged through two lengthy Warped tours, frequent appearances in Mexico, an attention getting invasion of South by Southwest and seemingly had it made. With the release of 2005’s Nothing is More, their first full length album, set out a coast to coast tour with MxPx. They never finished it—Nicolette, exhausted, unhappy and burned out, suddenly quit. She walked away and the group completely fell apart.
Aixa and Betty drafted singer Emily Wynne-Hughes and bassist Phil Buckman and continued gigging but the creative momentum was gone, and at one point they quit performing for over two years. Miraculously, after a friend suggested a one off 2012 gig all four original members found themselves reunited on stage. As if the band had a life of its own, Go Betty Go was back as suddenly as they had split.
“I was not anticipating what I felt that night,” Nicolette said, “because it went from being really fun to not fun at all, but I knew if we didn’t do it then, it’d never happen again. And when I got onstage, I felt so happy, like I’d found a lost friend that I really missed. It’s bigger than me, and I can’t wait to get started again. I’m really excited.”
That renewal and excitement crackles through Reboot like a high voltage jolt of electricity, and Go Betty go are poised to reclaim their rightful prominence as some of the brightest, boldest women in punk rock. “I never thought we would ever do another record.” Aixa said. “When we came back together to start writing, it felt really good, so we’re just going to go out, play it, take it from there and see what happens. Life is full of the unexpected.”


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