Zuzu's Petals - When No One's Looking (1992)

"When No One's Looking" is the debut studio album by the American all-female indie rock trio Zuzu's Petals from Minneapolis. The album was recorded in September 1992 and released in late 1992 (in the US, on cassette and CD, at the end of the year, and in Europe for wide distribution in early 1993) on the renowned local independent label Twin/Tone Records, which had previously introduced the world to The Replacements, Soul Asylum, and Babes in Toyland.

The band's sound has often been compared to early The Breeders, The Slits, Liz Phair, and Babes in Toyland, but with a much greater penchant for the melody and structures of classic pop punk.

The album is filled with a raw yet tenacious guitar sound that sometimes explodes into crunchy overdrive and sometimes fades into soft serenades. Lindeen's riffs are dense and energetic, and her vocals balance melancholic detachment, irony, and genuine emotion. The rhythm section of Elwood and Pitmon sounds assertive and lively, creating a dynamic typical of American college rock of the time.