Even as someone who has been dutifully following their career, it still comes as a surprise that the original video which drew attention to the Linda Lindas – the one where they’re shredding in a library while their 11-year-old vocalist decries a “Racist, Sexist Boy” – was only released in 2021. It feels like the band has lived lifetimes since then, transforming their viral fame into a Coachella performance, a well-received debut album, a spot on the Inside Out 2 soundtrack and opening slots for The Rolling Stones, Green Day and Paramore. Oh yeah, and they’re also doing all of this while three of their four members are still enrolled in school like any other normal kids: the band’s age range still maxes out at only 20, their youngest member being 14.

Although there’s still a good helping of that delectable punk snarl, there’s an underlying current of the kind of musical beauty that you often can’t find anywhere but through a familial connection. The band’s guitarist and drummer are sisters, while their cousin picks up the bass and their father takes up production duties. The quartet unleash rage that sometimes borders on harsh, metal-inspired vocal work at anyone who doesn’t allow space for them to be their authentic selves, but balance it out with sweet, early-2000s harmonies and compelling pop songwriting and melodies.

Still, though, the album’s title reveals why it feels like The Linda Lindas have a little more edge than your typical pop-punk outfit. It refers to a title track where the band refuse to conform to any expectations – “You’d like me better if I grew out my hair / You’d like me better if I put on a dress” – and they approach their music with the same kind of reckless abandon, unleashing their messy emotions without much regard for how they’re perceived. There’s even a Weird Al guest spot on “Yo Me Estreso,” playing the accordion on a track that offers a wild blend of punk and regional Mexican music. One of music’s most surprising acts is keeping those surprises coming.