Perky Punk icons from Southern California, Nerf Herder -- named for a put-down delivered by Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back -- recently made good when they were tapped to provide the instrumental theme for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But the band has a history extending all the way back to 1996, around the time that their tongue-in-cheek single "Van Halen" beguiled alt-radio fans and landed the group a major-label record deal. Their sound is classic: anthemic, cheeky Punk full of driving guitars, snot-nosed lyricism and caffeine-fed beats. Nerf Herder continue in their quest to refine the formula: How To Meet Girls (2000) is yet another clear-voiced, three-chord lesson in how to rock with wit, enthusiasm and deftly controlled manic energy.