As summer winds down (I can’t believe it’s almost September), I’ve been feeling the need for change. I’m ready for jackets, pumpkin spice frappuccinos and a new television season. And, on top of that, I’ve been in the mood for some new music. I’m tired of summer’s hip-hop beats, and in the mood for something funkier, both for working out and passing time in the car as I commute to class.

And I think I’ve found exactly what I want: Cobra Starship’s Hot Mess. Full of writhing electronic punk beats, this CD just makes your toes tap as it veers from the electronic-Brian Setzer-ish “Nice Guys Finish Last” to the hard beats of “Good Girls Go Bad,” (my favorite) featuring a surprisingly capable Leighton Meester (of Gossip Girl fame) to the Warren G shout-out “Wet Hot American Summer.” On “The Scene is Dead; Long Live the Scene,” lead singer Gabe Saporta references his own pretty face, which is indeed good-looking. This fun CD from an entertaining band should take me nicely through the Fall.

Gabe probably could make me go bad. If I had ever been good in the first place. Check it out: