Girl Tones have a sentimental reason for calling their debut album Precious, but don’t mistake the title for an indication that they plan to handle anything gently. The Kentucky sisters bring distorted guitars, pounding drums, and a stubborn independent streak to a record that makes room for both raising hell and letting your guard down.

Behind the noise are vocalist and guitarist Kenzie Shultz and drummer Laila Crowe, two classically trained musicians who took a considerably louder turn. Shultz traded cello for guitar, while Crowe moved from piano to drums. That musical foundation gives their stripped-down setup something substantial to build on, with melody holding its own against the fuzz and force. Comparisons to the White Stripes come naturally, but the sisters’ connection gives Girl Tones its own combustible chemistry.

Produced by Cage the Elephant guitarist Brad Shultz Precious brings together early favorites including “Again,” “Blame,” and “Cherry Picker.” It also delivers a pointed statement of intent with “Pretty Face,” a heavy attack on the pressure to disguise yourself for other people’s approval. Beneath its confrontational exterior is a question that runs deeper than appearances: What do you actually gain by pretending to be someone else? For Girl Tones, fitting in hardly seems worth the trouble.

The title track opens a more personal door. Written in the wake of their grandmother’s death in 2020, “Precious” takes its name from her affectionate nickname for the sisters. The handwriting on the cover comes from a card she sent Shultz. Piano, strings, and emotionally charged drums give the song space to explore grief, while her experience of beginning a relationship with her future husband adds another dimension. Saying goodbye and falling in love become part of the same story, with all the complicated feelings that suggests.

That willingness to expose something tender gives the album’s declarations of freedom greater weight. Girl Tones can push back, turn up, and take command, but they also understand the courage involved in putting something deeply personal into a song. Precious gives both instincts room to breathe, introducing a duo with plenty of firepower and something worth protecting at its heart.