Back in the 80s, there was something called "modern rock." Soon enough, this morphed into "alternative," another amorphous and semantically-challenged genre title. But the idea behind both names was the same: This is music that is recognizable but doesn't necessarily respect old boundaries.

Illuminati Hotties Kiss Yr Frenemies (Tiny Engines)

Of course, what was "alternative" then is moribund now. So we need new moderns, new alternatives. Illuminati Hotties (or Sarah Tudzin, as she is pretty much everything here) collect(s) all of the best noises of the past 40 years (raucous punk, laptop chilldown, sugary power pop and a willingness to go places most won't) and churn(s) those ideas into a surprisingly wide-ranging debut.

So there's a banger about debt ("Paying Off the Happiness") because, well, of course. It might even be the catchiest piece here. Tudzin doesn't worry too much about the hooks. There's also a lot of serious ramble throughout, so much that I wonder if a bit of an edit might have been in order.

Call it modern, alternative or simply the culmination of four decades of rock ferment and decline. Anyone who can show an obvious debt to Big Star, LCD Soundsystem and Joy Division in one song (and then completely shifting gears the next) has ambition worth hearing. Here's to hoping Illuminati Hotties is just beginning.

Jon Worley