The Etiquette

In 2002, The Etiquette were nicely positioning themselves as Milwaukee’s answer to The Strokes. On the strength of Ages, a hyper-catchy EP that however accidentally coincided with the era’s rock revival, The Etiquette captured the ear of music managers and promoters, and found support on college radio and at CMJ magazine, but bad business decisions and lineup changes sidelined the band. Seven years later, The Etiquette finally released their overdue debut full-length, Highly Unstable, a party record marked by gargantuan hooks, oversized twin guitars and double-tracked vocals. It’s a great rock album, even if it arrives about six years too late to earn the band a Spin magazine cover.