Listen to Bleached's California punk-tinged track "Next Stop."

We guess blondes DO have more fun -- especially when they're Bleached -- a gritty garage-pop duo who earn their keep creating gorgeously tousled rock-and-roll riffs spiked with jagged edges. Once belonging to Los Angeles' party-punk act Mika Miko, Bleached (Jennifer and Jessie Clavin) long ago learned to pull themselves up by their combat boots, becoming regulars at underground L.A. club The Smell. The pair have since been picked up by indie label Dead Oceans (A Place To Bury Strangers, The Tallest Man On Earth), are gearing up for the April 2 release of their debut album, Ride Your Heart, and have just unveiled brand-new track "Next Stop."

Listen to Bleached's "Next Stop" after the jump.

Kicking off with a serious White Stripes "Fell In Love With A Girl" guitar-driven vibe, "Next Stop" is a melodic, hard-hitting song laced with darkened lyrics that don't quite fall in line with the cut's sunny vibe: "Next stop, waiting for the train/ Next stop, just looking in the rain/ Next stop, missing you goodbye/ Next stop, tears in your eyes." Sounds like the stuff of long-distance relationships to us, or some such melancholy theme; "Next Stop" is a bittersweet cocktail of cognitive dissonance that evokes images of other girl-backed bands like Best Coast, The Raincoats, and Sleater-Kinney. If you ask us, indie rock could always use a rabble-rousing kick in the pants by ladies who just DGAF, and we're sure Bleached will find plenty more parties to crash as their career unfolds.

+ Listen to Bleached's "Next Stop."

Photo credit: Dead Oceans