by FTA Staff | Apr 21, 2023
Hi! Hello! Here we are with some bite sized goodies and a taste of a some new things that we dug that came out in the last two weeks (ish), quick fire responses to some great new music we think you should check out. Chantal [CW], Kate B [KB], Kate H [KH], Kevin [KM] and Mike [MB] weighed in on some killer songs and have the scoop on plenty of new tunes, give ’em a listen!
Angel Olsen– Forever Means. The title track from Angel Olsen’s brand new EP is a delicate song, featuring her classic lovely voice over a strummed, echoing, electric guitar. Olsen calls the song a “nod to George Harrison” and says the EP comes from questions like “What does forever really mean? What are the things Iʼm seeking in friendship or love, and how can forever be attainable if weʼre always changing?” Forever Means is out now via Jagjaguwar; Olsen will be appearing with The Strokes at Forest Hills Stadium on August 19th. [CW]
Bar Italia– Punkt. This is a seductive and slightly creepy track from the London-based indie rock trio of Nina Cristante, Jezmi Tarik Fehmi, and Sam Fenton. The song features vocals from all three of them, and it’s almost as if we’re hearing three perspectives on a love triangle (or that’s my interpretation at least). The music itself here is infectiously simple and slinky: repeated chiming guitar hook, an undulating bass line, steady mid-tempo drums. “Punkt” is the second single off Bar Italia’s forthcoming LP, Tracey Denim, out on Matador on May 19. The trio will be playing their first US shows in May as well. You can catch them in NYC at TV Eye on May 13, or at Mercury Lounge on May 15. [KB]
Bully– Hard to Love. The third single from Alicia Bognanno’s Bully is out now and sees the artist getting vulnerable. Built around a big dirty bassline, it pushes the song as the rest of the instruments settle in on top, rocketing things to a soaring alt rock banger. Lyrically, it explores some deeply personal subject matter and Bognanno, who also directed the video, shares:
Growing up never fitting into society’s constructed gender stereotypes and expectations, I often felt as though different equals bad or wrong. I was confused about my place in the world, not fully identifying with any one particular gender or sexuality. I was ashamed, and I blamed myself. Though I’m still in the process of understanding and accepting my identity, I’m glad to be surrounded by people who love and accept me for who I am regardless of the clothes I wear and the labels others use to define me.
Lucky For You releases in full on 6/2 via SubPop. Bully will be in NYC at Racket on 6/6. [KH]
C.O.F.F.I.N– Cut You Off. The long running, hard rocking punk n rollers from Down Under have a brand new single—their first release for Goner Records—as well as a new album on the way (release date tba). The song finds them in the brash and brawny sonic territory they are known for with singer/drummer Ben Portnoy’s signature growl trading off the spotlight with red hot lead guitar licks. Portnoy also directed the video. The band will appear at Goner Fest 20 in Memphis this September; I may or may not be currently saving up for a plane ticket. [KH]
Cosmic Kitten– Songbird. The latest single from Laugh of A Lifetime (their fourth LP, not counting cover albums) is a mid-tempo, thoughtful track, which according to the band is about the struggle of expressing emotions and using art as a medium to communicate. Cosmic Kitten are well known for their harder grunge tunes, but this song shows they are adept at taking it a bit easy as well and ends in a gorgeous melodic guitar solo. Laugh of A Lifetime will be self-released on May 5th. [CW]
cumgirl8– cicciolina. The NYC based post punk quartet has been making waves both on the music scene and in the fashion world over the last few years, along with hosting their own talk show, and have now signed to 4AD, releasing their first single for the venerable indie label this week. Paying tribute to Italian porn star turned politician, Ilona Staller aka Cicciolina, the band shares:
Cicciolina is an Italian icon, porn star and former politician that was elected to parliament in the 90s. She advocated for human rights and the eradication of nuclear weapons. Cicciolina said “make sex not war” and used her divine power of femininity to troll the status quo while disrupting it from the inside. We feel her ideals are foundational to the cumgirl8 philosophy of subversive change, peace, and strength in vulnerability. We hope she loves our song, we love her very much. Cicciolina is cumgirl1.
The song itself is a hazy post punk romp, a style the band has perfected well over the last few years in dingy DIY spots and dive bars around Brooklyn. The video sees the various band members dancing in some scenes, portraying Cicciolina herself as a “video game version” of the iconic figure in others, wreaking havoc on parliamentary proceedings. The band will soon embark on a tour of the UK and Europe before joining Le Tigre for a few dates on their summer tour in the US. [KH]
Elisapie– Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time cover). The Inuk artist, Elisapie, recently released a stunning version of the Blondie classic “Heart of Glass,” taking it from its original disco roots to a contemplative folk song, singing the lyrics entirely in the Indigenous language, Inuktitut. A full covers album, Inuktitut, has now been revealed with the artist sharing on Bandcamp:
Inuktitut is Elisapie’s fourth solo effort. It’s a covers album that sprouted in the artist’s mind in the winter of 2021, when songs by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica, Queen, and Cyndi Lauper, whose music once took over the community radio airwaves throughout Nunavik, Northern Quebec, triggered a flood of tears. Many of these songs were an escape as the community and cultural references were being challenged by colonization. Elisapie began a mental archaeological process: finding songs associated with emotional memories and people from her past. She followed that with a second, more prosaic quest. She sought the permission of the original artists to translate and adapt the songs that are now on this album.
Elisapie reinvigorates the poetry of these 10 songs thanks to the raw sounds of the thousand-year-old Inuit language and gives each track a unique and deeply personal quality. The tracks range from rock & roll and pop classics from the 1960’s to the 90’s. Every song is linked to a loved one or an intimate story that has shaped the person Elisapie is today. Through this act of cultural reappropriation, she tells her story, offers these songs as a gift to her community, and makes her language and culture resonate beyond the Inuit territory.
Like the previous single, this version of the Cyndi Lauper classic transforms the era defining new wave song into Elisapie’s own, both musically and lyrically, and has again revealed an entirely new way of listening to a song I thought I knew so well. The album releases in full on 9/15 and she will tour extensively in Canada throughout 2023 into 2024. Pre-orders are available now via Bonsound. [KH]
Josie Cotton– Painting In Blood. Inspired by iconic film composer Ennio Morricone – particularly his work in Giallo movies – “Painting In Blood” evokes those films with a go-go club beat, organs, and surfy guitar, not to mention lyrics like “the naked truth is she’s in stranger danger / he’s a murderer / she’s overacting / the room is spinning / the knife is glinting.” Cotton’s new album Day Of The Gun will be out May 2nd on Kitten Robot Records. [CW]
Joudy– Tail End. NYC heavy psych-grunge outfit, Joudy (pronounced “Howdy”) just dropped the lead single off their forthcoming release and US debut Destroy all Monsters (out via Trash Casual June 2023). Hailing originally from the mountains of Los Andes, Venezuela, cousins Diego Ramirez (Vocals/Guitar), Gabriel Gavidia (Bass) and Hulrich Navas (Drums) are known for their wildly volatile live-stage performances. Though much of that storm often exists tamped down to simmer just below the surface. Reminiscent at times of early Highly Suspect, “Tail End” shows that expertly controlled restraint as its beat ambles and lumbers at a slow chop beneath wonderfully ugly guitar lines that build around a densely focused and soaring lyrical delivery.
The band, displaced by political unrest in their home country, tells Wonderland Magazine that the new record “marries their history with the impossible challenges they’ve overcome both personally and professionally.” If the new single is any indicator, we will be clenching our fists and grinding our teeth in seething anticipation of this summer release. [MB]
Junior Bill– Teeth. Earlier this year, the UK based project of Welsh songwriter Robert Nichols released the insanely catchy “Boys From Jungle” (read our thoughts) and now are back with a more laid back offering, a groovy dub soaked track that tells the tale of a “lonely, isolated society where sugar passes for joy and life stays stagnant around a tiny cul-de-sac in post-Brexit Britain.” The song comes paired with a video that compliments the song nicely, hitting the mood and feel of the track, giant lips and teeth framing various scenes of vintage every day life footage, stop motion animation and more to weave the narrative of the song into a visual reality. This is the third single from the upcoming debut album, Youth Club! due out later this year. [KH]
The Linda Lindas– Too Many Things. The teenage powerhouses strike again with yet another incredibly catchy power pop song with a punk aesthetic. You’ll want to jump around to the chugging guitar riffs as the girls lament about the many overwhelming emotions that are a part of coming of age (perhaps especially when you’re going through adolescence as a rock star). The lyrics reflect the longing to stay a kid while all the shifts of growing up are happening so fast: “What would happen if we all stayed the same / now I’ve changed but everything’s still out of place.” This is the first single released by The Linda Lindas since their much-lauded full-length debut record in 2022, Growing Up (Epitaph Records) and they celebrated by rocking Coachella. They plan to tour extensively through the summer, you know, after school’s out. [KB]
Mandy, Indiana– Peach Fuzz. The singles from Mandy, Indiana’s i’ve seen a way continue to surprise and befuddle me in the best way. You can dance to this music, but you could also contemplate it alone in the dark in your bedroom. Even the visualizer video for “Peach Fuzz” is hypnotic—what is that strange little tentacle thing that keeps appearing at the bottom of the screen? “We are told yes, we are told no / They take us for idiots / We go around in circles.” Valentine Caulfield sings (albeit in French.) Layers, man. The new album will be out on Fire Talk Records May 19th. [CW]
Miranda and The Beat– Concrete. The video (featuring an intro from the 1959 version of House On Haunted Hill) may be more suited to Halloween, but this upbeat dance-punk offering from Cali-turned-Brooklyn rockers is primed and ready for summer, and serves as counterpoint to the more soulful first single “Sweat.” Their s/t debut (produced by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s) is out on King Khan’s Khannibalism and Ernest Jenning Record Co. on May 26th. [CW]
Monarch– No Vacancy. Leave it to a band of punks from the Hudson Valley to bring sultry lounge cool back to NYC. They just dropped new live track single “No Vacancy,” and it’s got all the chops of a jazz ensemble sidled by an indie-pop smoothness that you’re probably not quite ready to handle. Donning dapper colors and immersed in a velvet elegance, the quartet led by Sarah Hartstein’s powerful pipes, plays straight to Nick Pappalardo’s masterful guitar work settled against the rhythmic foundation laid by Alex Alfaro (drums) and Oswalt Jenters (bass). Think Fiona Apple meets Amy Winehouse, and you’d be getting warm. They’ve been packing dark clubs more and more all over the city so make sure you’re keeping up and don’t sleep on getting to a show. [MB]
The Murlocs– Undone and Unashamed. The tireless Aussie group return this week with the latest single from their upcoming album Calm Ya Farm (out 5/19 ATO Records). Hot on the heels of the first album single “Initiative,” “Undone” finds Ambrose Kenny-Smith and the gang rockin’ out to an upbeat honky-tonk jammer. The track, written by keyboardist Tim Karmouche, not only sports some great guitar work but also a sax solo from Kenny-Smith. And check out the gravity defying video with a down on his luck couch potato who’s clearly undone and unashamed. [KM]
Panchiko– Portraits. “Portraits” is a math rock song turned on its head, becoming a soft, glitchy, fuzzy tune that glides along while also throwing angles into the mix. The band says the track is “based around the thought that each of us is the culmination of the generations that precedes us. Every experience and encounter shapes us and adds to our story,” and the accompanying video from animator Shunsaku Hayashi completes the picture. Panchiko will be in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on May 30th (sold out) and May 31st; Failed At Maths will be out May 5th. [CW]
Snõõper– Pod. Snõõper blend garage rock and art punk into a fast paced mix on this lead single from their upcoming debut LP, Super Snõõper. Singer Blair Tramel notes the track stems from the anxieties of forming “‘pods” during the pandemic, and it certainly is a nervous feeling song, with high energy guitar and frenetic vocals, proving in a bit less than two minutes their claim they are a band who “in a 33 ⅓ RPM world, make 45 RPM music they play at 78 RPM.” Super Snõõper will be out via Third Man Records on July 14th and has already earned advance praise from none other than Henry Rollins who said “Speaking selfishly, I want Snõõper to hurry up and make another album. Super Snõõper is a really cool record.” [CW]
Squid– Undergrowth. This week, Squid released their latest single “Undergrowth” from their upcoming sophomore album, Monolith (Warp). The follow up to “Swing (In A Dream)”, “Undergrowth” finds the guys in Squid contemplating reincarnation but as an inanimate object such as a bedside table and what a colossal disappointment that would be. The track, which was accompanied by a video game release, is a heady mix of dub bass over mid-tempo beats, Ollie Judge’s sing-speak delivery, plucky guitars, blasts of brass and synths, all of which culminate in a bell ringing, orchestral ending. [KM]
The Dog Indiana– LOAF. The Vancouver based band recently released a new album, Burnt Ends, which I loved and included on my April Bandcamp Friday picks. A video has now been released for the lead single, “LOAF,” and it’s got a really trippy, psychedelic feel (and maybe some UFOs along the way). Read our review of the album and watch the vid below. [KH]
Tinariwen– Kek Alghalm. This latest single and opening track from the upcoming Amatssou is both meditative and upbeat, buoyed by a simple yet bouncy bassline. But it’s not all smiles here: the song is a plea for unity among the Tuareg tribes: “Why so much silence, all over the world / Only spilt blood / Only brave men killed.” A live favorite, the recorded version here features Wes Corbett on banjo. Catch Tinariwen yourself at Webster Hall on June 5th. [CW]
Ugli– Crybabi. As if we needed yet another reason to love Philadelphia’s Ugli, they just released the first single from their forthcoming EP girldick. It’s the first new music from the band in what seems like forever so we couldn’t be more excited for it to drop just in time for this warm weather weekend. The Philly alt-grunge quartet, fronted by Dylyn Durante and grown out of the DIY punk ethos of the Philadelphia house scene, delivers the “type of song that made you fall in love with bands like Weezer and The Pixies. It’s hook after hook and it never lets up.” Durante’s powerful voice lands somewhere between Kim Shattuck and Justin Hawkins, and the band’s perfect execution of loud-quiet-loud harkens backs to the type of authentic quirky dissonance and controlled chaos guitar-pop that hasn’t been heard since the days of The Muffs and Presidents of the United States of America. In less than three short minutes, “Crybabi” will swaddle you up in it’s ragged edges, blow out your speakers, and leave you screaming it’s always Ugli in Philadelphia.
by FTA Staff | Feb 10, 2023
Hi! Hello! Here we are with some bite sized goodies and a taste of a some new things that we dug that came out in the last week (ish), quick fire responses to some great new music we think you should check out. This week Chantal, Kate and Mike weighed in on some killer songs— give ’em a listen!
Algiers– 73%. The third single from the upcoming album, SHOOK, is as lithe as it is intense. You never quite know what you’re going to get from one song to the next with Algiers—each single from the album released so far has had a different feel/vibe—and I mean this as a supreme compliment as it is a direct reflection of their strength and skill as musicians and songwriters. Rare is the band that can do so much without getting lost along the way and be so impactful in the process. SHOOK is out 2/24 via Matador. They will next play NYC at Racket on 4/6. [KH]
Bartees Strange– Tisched Off/Keekee’in. feat. Daniel Kleederman. For Sub Pop’s singles series, the indie power house has released a pair of songs that deftly show the range of his songwriting. These songs come as a mini follow up of sorts to his second lauded second album, Farm To Table. On “Tisched Off” he shares: “As an up and coming musician, there’s a very special pain that comes with realizing a huge chunk of the artists you’re competing with have way more money and resources than you. This song takes little digs at them. It’s cute. Tisch is like the fashion school at NYU. When I was living in BK I ran into a bunch of young punk bands and experimental acts that rose quickly from that school. I remember feeling like damn—how do you compete with people like that? They’ve got some very real resources. Anywho—it’s just me making fun.” (Having known Strange since his DIY days and time in BK, and having dealt with many of the very same issues in the BK music community, I couldn’t help but chuckle—and agree!)
As for “Keekee’in” he shares “This song is extremely special to me. During our tour with Car Seat Headrest the band had Covid. I was bunkered down with my guitarist Dan at his family’s house in the basement. I figured it would be cool to write something using only the tools we had. All of the instrumentation was done with stuff from that room. Matchsticks, pillows for drums, very random keyboards, etc. I wrote this song to get some feelings out I had about some business people I was considering working with—they ended up being shady and I was feeling very betrayed. I was thinking about how valuable it is to have people you can really trust. And how few those people are.” [KH]
Bruise Control– Dead on Arrival. A nice slice of gritty, dancey post punk from the Manchester group who were one of our recent Bandcamp Friday picks. Their debut album, Useless For Something, will arrive this spring via TNS Records. [KH]
Cheater Slicks– Fear. This venerable band is in their 4th decade and still ripping tunes. We love to see punks keep at it! “Fear” features their classic garagey sound, still as immediate as ever, with a percussive trudge behind buzzing guitars. Their album Ill-Fated Cusses is out now on In the Red Records. [CW]
The Dog Indiana– Hydroxydramaqueen/Loaf. This noisy, sludgy stoner-ish noise trio from Vancouver recently came to my attention and I was immediately drawn to the pair of singles that have been released from their upcoming album, Burnt Ends. With heavy grunge overtones, these are two very solid noise punk rippers in the vein of some UK faves, Dead Arms and USA Nails. I loved what I heard and absolutely can’t wait for the album to release in full in April. In the meantime, I’ll be digging into their previous releases, 2018’s full length Fractured, Murky and Liquid (which based on its description on Bandcamp may or may not be a cheeky concept album, I still have to find out!), and the handful of singles they put out in 2020. Pre-orders for Burnt Ends are up now. [KH]
Drahla– Lip Sync. The UK post punk band has released a new single, which follows last year’s “Under the Glass” and their 2019 debut full length, Useless Coordinates. No word yet if this is a stand alone or part of a larger body of work to come but the band shares the song “is a biographical social deflection. It explores the idea of syncing to social norms, conversation and expressions to converse without being fully present – taking on a converged guise to fit different interactions. Inspired by Bruce Nauman‘s ‘Lip Sync,’ 1969.” [KH]
Dream Wife– Hot (Don’t Date A Musician). The London grunge pop trio are set to release their third album in June, Social Lubrication, and have shared the second single which is a snarky and hilarious cautionary tale about dating musicians. Singer Rakel Mjöll minces no words when she says: “Dating musicians is a nightmare,” and goes on to say the song is about “Evoking imagery of late night make-outs with fuckboy/girl/ambiguously-gendered musicians on their mattress after being seduced by song-writing chat. The roles being equally reversed. Having a laugh together and being able to poke fun at ourselves is very much at the heart of this band. This song encapsulates our shared sense of humour. Sonically it is the lovechild of CSS and Motorhead. It has our hard, live, rock edge combined with cheeky and playful vocals.” [KH]
FACS– When You Say. The Chicago post-punk art rockers have announced their 5th album, Still Life In Decay, and released the driving, hypnotic first single “When You Say.” Read more here. [KH]
Godcaster– Vivian Heck. The latest single from the NYC band’s upcoming self titled album is an “ecstatic and hypnotic vision of romance, passion, and heartthrob.” As intense as it is indeed hypnotic, it hits an explosive high as the crescendo of the song kicks in just before the four minute mark. The album releases in full on 3/10. The band will soon embark on a tour to support the album and will play a release show at Union Pool on 4/1 with Venus Twins and Dirt Buyer. [KH]
Miss Grit– Nothing’s Wrong. The final single from the upcoming album Follow The Cyborg (out 2/24 on Mute) is a slow, steady tune that builds consistently to the end under Margaret Sohn’s lilting voice and twining synths as they sing “it’s been too long / I’ll normalize what’s going on / so I won’t have to make things right / I’ll sing that song I didn’t write / nothing’s wrong.” Miss Grit will be at Baby’s All Right on Feb 22. [CW]
Newski– Chemicals feat. Matthew Caws (Nada Surf). The opening scene of the accompanying music video for this song features footage of the day Ronald Reagan was shot which immediately grabbed my attention (I’ll let readers take a guess on my personal feelings about Ol Ronny Raygun) and the rest of the video continues on with vintage footage with the band playfully inserted overtop in a very comical way. The song itself is a bubbly indie pop rock song, complete with saccharine harmonies, fun sing-along “da da da da’s” throughout the first half of the song and features a guest appearance from Matthew Caws of Nada Surf. This is a catchy first taste of the new album, Friend Rock due out 4/7, and I’m ready for more. [KH]
Pile– Lowered Rainbow. The final single from the upcoming album, All Fiction, is a departure for the band, less a wall of noise and more an ethereal, delicate jazz fueled sound exploration. The album releases in full on 2/17 via Exploding In Sound and the band will play a pair of shows at TV Eye on 3/1 and 3/2. [KH]
Poison Ruïn– Härvest. The lead single from Poison Ruïn’s upcoming album is also the title track, and it’s a hard-hitting noisy tale of a peasant revolt, juxtaposing the timeless story of workers rising up against a fantasy backdrop, with member Mac Kennedy saying “I’m all for protest songs, but with this band I’ve found that sometimes your message can reach a greater audience if you imbue it with a certain interactive, almost magical realist element.” Härvest is out on Relapse Records on April 14th. [CW]
Samiam– Crystalized. Having been going strong as a band since 1988, Samiam is still swinging for the fences as the quintet continues to pump out melodic guitar driven bangers that faultlessly toe that line between emo and pop punk. Their latest single “Crystallized,” released ahead of their first album in 12 years and ninth overall, Stowaway (due out next month), is the perfect track to blast while showing your kids you can still kickflip with the best of them. [MB]
Scowl– Opening Night. The Santa Cruz hardcore band has just announced a brand new Will Yip produced EP, Psychic Dance Routine, and shared the first single which sees the band less in hardcore territory and veering more towards a cool alt-rock indie vibe. Read more and see the album art/tracklisting here. [KH]
Shalom– Soccer Mommy. The second single from Shalom’s upcoming debut full length, Sublimation, is a emo grunge twinged rocker and she shares: “This song is about a time in my life that I used to be very upset and embarrassed about, but now I’m like, wow, I feel so much better after writing this song. It’s called ‘Soccer Mommy’ because I got my driver’s license in late 2019 and spent my first year on the road listening to Color Theory and thinking about my 20-year-old self who didn’t deserve the things that happened to her. I love Soccer Mommy. I’m terrified of driving, but I always felt brave listening to ‘Circle The Drain’ on 287 south.” Sublimation is out 3/10 via Saddle-Creek. [KH]
Shonen Knife– Mujinto Rock. The Japanese punk and roll icons have been a band for more than 40 years and continue to pound out cool jams you’ll want to pogo all night to. They have a new album out on 2/15, Our Best Place, and have shared the opening track, “Mujinto Rock,” which comes paired with a really fun stop motion video. [KH]
Squid– Swing (In A Dream). UK post punkers Squid have announced a brand new album, O Monolith, and released the first single which singer/drummer Ollie Judge says was inspired by a dream he had about the painting The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, “In my dream, I was in the painting but it was flooded and everything was floating away.” Read more and see the album art/tracklisting here. [KH]
Truth Cult– Clearskin. A little psych punk, a little post hardcore, a lot late 80s early 90s Dischord. And you know that gets two hearty thumbs up from me! From the upcoming J. Robbins produced album, Walk The Wheel, due out 3/3 via Pop Wig. [KH]
Zulu– We’re More Than This. The esteeemed powerviolence band has released the latest single from their upcoming album, A New Tomorrow, and this one is not a powerviolence song or heavy at all rather a hip-hop song which features guitarist Dez Yusuf rhyming over relaxed, nimble jazz instrumentation. Yusef shares:
“When we first started writing for the record Anaiah and I had bounced the idea of maybe doing some jazz or R&B songs and putting some raps on the record,” Yusuf commented. “I know Satchel and Anaiah had jammed out some different ideas that I hadn’t really been present for. We were actually ending our tour with Sasami when I first heard the music for ‘We’re More Than This’. We were in the van at a rest stop and Anaiah played it off a video of him and Satchel jamming. It just hit me all in an instant.
“I didn’t think much beyond the lyrics of ‘must I only share my pain,’ which is a running theme throughout the album. But it’s ironic because I go forward with sharing glimpses of pain and trauma, but that’s really the setup to show the things I’ve (we’ve) become in spite of that pain. This is really a song of resilience and encouragement. Saying that we can still be more than the tropes that are Put on us. That we are more than commodified versions of our trauma.”
The album drops in full on 3/3 via Flatspot and they will head out on tour with Show Me The Body, Jesus Piece, Scowl, and TRiPP JONES. The tour hits Brooklyn Steel on 3/24. [KH]
by Kate Hoos | Feb 8, 2023
Squid (photo by Studio UJ)
UK post punk band Squid have announced a brand new album, O Monolith, which is the follow up to their stellar 2021 debut, Bright Green Field.
The band shares that they began working on the new album while on tour almost immediately after the release of their debut: “Without that tour we wouldn’t have any of these tracks,” says singer/drummer Ollie Judge. He further elaborated that the fully seated, mid-pandemic early-return-to-live-music shows enabled the band to experiment more with the songs, saying: “People were so looking forward to seeing live music that we thought we could just play anything, even if it was unfinished. In some form or another we played about 80% of O Monolith, mostly without lyrics.”
Judge also shares that the lyrics for first single, “Swing (In A Dream)” were inspired by a dream he had about the painting The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. He says “In my dream, I was in the painting but it was flooded and everything was floating away.” Synths and horns abound throughout with the guitars taking a grittier and heavier feel to bolster the instruments in the upper registers.
Squid in 2022 (photos by Kevin McGann)
Check out our live coverage from their Music Hall of Williamsburg show in March 2022.
O Monolith was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios, and was produced by the band’s longtime collaborator Dan Carey and mixed by John McEntire (Tortoise). It will release in full on 6/9 via Warp Records.
Listen to “Swing (In a Dream)” and check out the album art and tracklist below.
Squid O Monolith
Swing (In A Dream)
Devil’s Den
Siphon Song
Undergrowth
The Blades
After The Flash
Green Light
If You Had Seen The Bull’s Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away
by Kate Hoos | Jul 28, 2021
The Lunachicks performing at Vans Warped Tour, July 1999 (photo by Kate Hoos)
The Lunachicks recently released a book, Fallopian Rhapsody, which recounts the story of the band from its inception in the mid 1980s, through the wild times of the 90s, up to their long term hiatus beginning in the early 2000s, and their recent rebirth for the 2020s. As soon as it was announced, I placed a pre-order and immediately dove in the moment it arrived, polishing it off in a day and a half. Riotously funny, endearing, and yes even absolutely gross at times, the book tells the story of the three main members of the band- singer Theo Kogan, guitarist Gina Volpe, and bassist Sydney “Squid” Silver– meeting in their youth, forming the band as teens along with rhythm guitarist Sindi B, the shows and exploits they got up to all along the way, and how multiple drummers- Becky Wreck, Chip English, and Gus “Destroy” Morgan– moved through the band over the years. Impressively, all members who were involved in the band over the years offer insight on their time in the Lunachicks (though some significantly more than others) but the story is largely told through the eyes of Kogan, Silver, and Volpe.
The book includes chapters on each member’s childhood as well as how they came to meet one another and later start the band together. It follows through the timeline with each of the members describing- often together and in interview form- the many events that shaped the course of the band. How they broke through to play at CBGB for the first time, the irritation of working with Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore on their first album, being in Japan to record the “Sushi Ala Mode” EP (“the worst thing we ever recorded” according to Silver on the night of the book launch), misadventures on European tours, the costumes/outfits, personal struggles and personality clashes that happened throughout, and the disappointment and frustration of playing/traveling in the hyper masculine world of Warped Tour in 1999 that was the final straw leading to English’s departure and the increasingly strained band to re-consider what was next. All of these and many, many other tales craft a compelling narrative of a punk rock band on the go, moving through a world and industry that wasn’t always friendly, but that nonetheless established a strong and devoted fanbase that endures to this day.
Some of these stories I already knew from being a fan for so many years, but many I did not so it was very eye opening and often times insanely funny to think about them getting up to a lot of these hijinx on the road. I also couldn’t help but cheer for them when reading a lot of their accounts of pushing through and confronting misogyny head on, most memorably how they went ballistic on a sleazy promoter in the UK shortly after English came into the picture as a fill-in drummer for a European tour and how this incident- with them trashing the dressing room and smashing the venue’s lighting rig after catching said promoter peeping on the band changing in the dressing room via a two way mirror- cemented them as a permanent member of the band for the next several years.
In the waning pages of the book the band briefly talks about the burnout they felt at the end and the need to move on but also that they never really had a discussion about officially ending things, they just stopped booking tours and writing songs. Adjusting to life afterwards is also quickly addressed along with some of what they got up to in the intervening years. So while not as much space is devoted to the aftermath of the band ending, some of what is included- the story of Silver surviving cancer being the most heart wrenching- shows how much they truly love each other and that they were way more than just some friends who were in a band for a while together.
As for celebrating the release of the book, the pandemic put a damper on things at first so there was initially a virtual book launch that was held on June 1st, the day the book was released. As things have begun to improve since then, they were able to hold an in person event on Friday July 23rd with the three main Lunachicks on hand and joined by co-author Jeanne Fury at Powerhouse Books in Dumbo. The group answered questions and talked to a small crowd of devoted fans about the book and were delightfully engaging with everyone who wanted to talk to them during the course of the event. While I had been expecting more of a traditional book reading with anecdotes, this was the Lunachicks after all, so it instead took on a game show vibe (reminiscent of their video for “Don’t Want You”) and the band played “Lunachicks Jeopardy”- complete with the sound tech providing the classic “thinking music,” much to the amusement of both the band and the crowd. Fury quizzed the members on their adventures along the way which led to many hilarious answers and more ridiculous re-countings and further details on some of the best stories contained within the pages of the book.
The band also answered direct questions from fans, the one I think most everyone wanted to know is “what next?” They initially announced reunion shows for 2020 at Webster Hall that were pushed back several times and which are now scheduled for November 26th and 27th, 2021 (they will also appear at Punk Rock Bowling in September 2021). But what comes after that? They so far had not made mention of any future plans beyond these shows on their website or social media, but when asked if this was it or if “they would keep playing until they were the Golden Girls.” Kogan quipped “aren’t we already the Golden Girls?” before Silver elaborated on what may happen next: “So we’re just moving through a phase and who knows what other phases we might move through together? But I’m sure that it will be one phase after the other til we all drop dead, because we really like each other a lot” (this also being said in a wonderfully sassy affected voice). Volpe chimed in and added “We’ve been busy rehearsing and doing the book and doing all this stuff so it just seems weird that we would stop. The future is unwritten but I would imagine that yeah, we have lots of shit we still have to do.” Kogan followed up her bandmates to say “I mean someday we could all walk out with walkers for all we know” before saying she hoped they would one day be sponsored by Depends and Metamucil which garnered much laughter from the audience.
While the answers were a bit coy and guarded, and delivered with the special brand of Lunachicks snark, it seems clear that the band is not done yet by any means and do plan to keep things going in some form. They were also asked about if there are any plans to record new music, a question I’m sure many fans want to know. Volpe immediately answered, excitedly addressing Silver and saying “I actually was going to send you the riff last night!” alluding to songs in the works or at least beginning of foundations and ideas for new songs, with Silver adding that it’s so easy now to say “send it right over and I’ll see what I can do with it” with the use of cell phones, concluding with “so you never know.” Again not a direct confirmation and another coy answer, but definitely something to give the fans hope that more music could be coming in the future.
Lunachicks poster featuring art by guitarist Gina Volpe hanging in FTA headquarters.
I can sit here and write for a VERY long time about the Lunachicks and tell many stories of making hand made merch and mix tapes for friends, gushing about them in my high school zine, or bashing through a crappy cover of their song “Drop Dead,” with my very first band (yes audio of that still exists, no I won’t share it here!) but suffice it to say that they were such an important band to me in my teenage into early adult years and still are today; I would not be exaggerating to use the term “life saving,” or at the very least “life affirming,” to describe their impact on me.
They came into my life at a time when I didn’t have many role models to look towards that were flying the “freak flag” without reservation; it gave me great strength to have their music to turn to at that age, particularly with just being able to be comfortable with myself at a time when most of the adults around me didn’t want me to be what I wanted to be, but rather to be in a box of what they wanted me to be- a familiar story for many weird, lonely, or queer teenagers. I was so happy to fan girl for a moment and relay that to them now, at 40 years old, just how important they were and still are to me. Theo graciously talked to me for a few moments and chuckled delightedly when I also told her that she and Squid were the very first heavily tattooed women I ever saw and I knew immediately that “I want to look like that!” Some 25 years later, I have still have some catching up to do to their work, but I’m well on my way. And more importantly than that, I’m comfortable in my own skin in a way I could have only dreamed about when I first discovered their music and I can say that in part because of them.
Reading Fallopian Rhapsody was not only a delight as a long time fan but as a musician myself. I found great joy in laughing and groaning along to the many memories and tales of the trials and tribulations of being in a band and it was nice to realize “wow everyone in a band deals with drama and bullshit too, not just me/my bands.” While there are many, many stories told in the book about the often wacky life of being in a band, it is absolutely a book about a wonderful and enduring friendship, a nearly four decade bond between women who went through their youth and early adulthood doing everything together. It is also about how those bonds were tested along the way by life on the road, drugs, relationships, stress, creative tensions and any of the other myriad issues that can and do affect working musicians. But the story also addresses how those bonds were ultimately strengthened by life changing events after the end of the band, things such as Silver’s cancer diagnosis and when she and Kogan later became mothers. In the end, those are not only the most poignant moments but the strongest part of the Lunachicks’ story.
Fallopian Rhapsody is available now from Hachette Books.
The music video for “Don’t Want You,” a true 90s classic
Playing “Lunachicks Jeopardy”
The answer when asked “Squid never ever practiced while [blank]?”
(answers included- “wearing underwear,” “pooping,” “sitting down” You can find the correct answer in the book)
The answer when asked “what is this book about?”
(all three members responded with “friendship” and “pooping” with Kogan and Silver saying “a/our band” and Volpe saying “rock n roll” and “more pooping”)
Kate Hoos and The Lunachicks, 1999 (I was 18 in this photo. I couldn’t find the original negative so scanned this from a copy of the zine I made at the time)
Kate Hoos and The Lunachicks, 2021 (definitely not still 18 in this photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)
