Violet Grohl review: Be Sweet to Me – Alternative rock hits the segment | music

‘I“I’ll eat your liver,” Violet Grohl threatens on 595, a rock-inspired alternative rock single that sounds like it was made for MTV in the ’90s. The deadpan verses give way to a big, sombre, deliberately sleazy chorus, ending with blown guitar and raucous feedback: part Veruca Salt, part Stone Age Queens. Despite only being 20 years old, Grohl has the rock ‘n’ roll credentials for her bouncing sound. Violet, the eldest daughter of Foo Fighters’ Dave, had a rare encounter with Nirvana at just 13 years old – her solemn, solemn vocals making her more symbolic than just a family favor.

While it’s true that her father hooked her up with producer Justin Raisin (Kim Gordon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sky Ferreira) on that first album, and his grungy tracks weren’t road-tested in the gooey dive bars that music typically requires, Grohl is admirably frank about her junk status. “Decide for yourself whether I’m worth it,” she told the forty-five.

Cool Buzz, loud and snotty, makes a compelling case. Flashes of ska-inspired guitar on “No Doubt” collide with thumping, carousel-worthy drums as Grohl rails against the parochialism. Slow-burning centerpiece “Others” is often angry, sour and groovy, while Mobile Star has a Lynchian eeriness that showcases a softer, more terrifying edge to Grohl’s voice. But too often, Be Sweet to Me’s nostalgia is too reverential, too predictable: the flawed guitar on Last Day I Loved You and the tape fizz on Plastic Couch appear like stage makeup, rather than real war paint. Grohl has real talent, but her hungry threats need sharper fangs.