Personnel: Jimmy Abegg (computer).

Audio Mixer: Joe Chiccarelli.

Recording information: Alex The Great Studios, Nashville, TN.

On sophomore outing GET AWKWARD, Nashville's straight-out-of-high-school quartet, Be Your Own Pet, attempts the difficult trick of maturing and, at the same time, rekindling the excitement that followed the band's much-hyped arrival in 2006. As on the debut, BE YOUR OWN PET, singer Jemina Pearl dominates the proceedings with her Gwen-Stefani-meets-Karen O. shriek, reeling off a series of yarns concerning all things teenage, with an emphasis on deviance, melodrama, and angst. As before, guitarist Jonas Stein and drummer Jamin Orrall churn out a raucous musical backdrop recalling the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their most unhinged. With titles such as "Bitches Leave" and "Food Fight," BYOP would have you believe they haven't grown up a bit, but a close listen reveals an increased sense of craft and a new weariness beneath Pearl's yelp.