
The mid-1990s saw no shortage of era-defining British rock bands that sneered and jangled their way through America. Inspired by their favorite punk and New Wave bands, Elastica burned quickly yet brightly, becoming an MTV staple in 1995 with their self-titled debut.
While the lead single “Connection”, with its indelible guitar riff and earworm vocal melody, remains an album highlight, it’s one of many hook-laden tracks that makes the album a defining monument of the Britpop era. “Ultimately, everything we do is always going to be defined by our [punk-pop] aesthetic,” perpetually cool frontwoman Justine Frischmann told Rolling Stone in 1996. To this day, the album remains a critical favorite.