Taxi Girls- ‘Rainy’
Montreal’s punk quartet (previously a trio) Taxi Girls give us a little sample of what might be to come when they release their debut album next year. For now, we need to make the most of their new single ‘Rainy‘- a retro sounding, rawk-riffed tale of having dirt on someone who has wronged you- and biding your time before you exact revenge. The band summarise the sound as “blending post-grunge and dark synth-pop influences” and the video certainly combines those two vibes- a triumph from videographer David Don’t. This is the first Taxi Girls single I’ve heard and if that’s the same for you, go back and check out their debut EP ‘Coming Up Roses‘ which came out last year. You can stream and purchase their music HERE.
Red Bastards- ‘Good Old Days‘
From Taxi Girls to Red Bastards now, our favourite raucous party punks from Cymru are back with their last single of 2024- ‘Good Old Days‘. The band are putting together their next album, the follow up to 2022’s self titled LP which managed to combine a hefty dose of gruff drinking, innuendoes and camaraderie with more serious social observations. This is a combo the band do expertly, as demonstrated by their previous single ‘White Lines‘ which was all tongue in cheek teasing of the guy at the pub who takes things too far. New track ‘Good Old Days‘ tells a rather sorry tale of someone who fully accepts their status as the ‘fuck up guy‘ who will make a mess of your life but on the flipside would be willing to ‘take care of your wife‘ so you know…not all bad. The track is pure Red Bastards- hard, fast and satisfying (ok, now everything is sounding like an innuendo. Enough). Stream or purchase HERE.
Pink Shift- ‘One Nation‘
It’s good to see more bands tackling the general horrendous state of the world and Baltimore’s Pink Shift have laid it all out on the table with their new incendiary track ‘One Nation‘. Tackling the intertwining issues of systemic racism, capitalist exploitation, imperialism and authoritarian attacks on freedom, the track cautions the oppressors that a new generation of citizens and activists are seeing through the propaganda and state sanctioned violence: “this kingdom’s rotting at its roots/Our generation…we don’t believe in you“. Pink Shift- consisting of lead vocalist Ashrita Kumar, guitarist Paul Vallejo, and drummer Myron Houngbedji- give a heavy message against an absolutely rocking soundtrack that has more than its fair share of melody so you can sing along WHILST fighting the system. Get your listening and buying options HERE.
Yeastie Girlz- ‘You Suck‘
Time for some feminist fury now, Yeastie Girlz are NOT mucking around, mincing words or sparing fragile male feelings when it comes to critiquing men’s skills in the bedroom- or lack thereof. This song’s message could not be plainer- there is a lack of equity when it comes to giving and receiving oral sex with men being the ultimate beneficiaries of this skewed ratio and this is something the Yeastie Girlz find unacceptable: “I think it’s time you learned how to use your tongue” and this track is just over a minute and a half of instructional information on how to get started. Not all heroes wear capes. Now if you’re thinking ‘this isn’t a new release? I’ve heard this before’ then you’re not wrong. But what IS NEW is that the live version of this song has been put on streaming for the first time so you can get the raw, unfiltered version of a classic feminist track from a band who first formed in 1987 and whose music is STILL radical and relevant today. Read more about the band HERE.
Gallus- ‘Depressed Beyond Tablets‘
We finish this week with a song that WILL be in your head all weekend courtesy of Scottish indie punks Gallus. It is a hook-laden relentlessly paced bit of swirling indie punk that doesn’t pause for breath for it’s whole 2 and a half minutes playing time. This little slice of post-punk underscores the crushing realisation that life’s more profound problems can’t be masked by temporary fixes or pills. And inspiration for the track came from a slightly unlikely source-Chris Morris’ satirical news show ‘Brass Eye‘: “‘Depressed Beyond Tablets’ came from a line Eamon and I found funny in Brass Eye,” jokes vocalist Barry Dolan. “We were inspired to explore the feeling of finding yourself beyond the tolerable limits of the world and not having anything within your control. It’s almost like realising there’s no point in trying to right the wrongs in your life with medicine or self-help and wanting to experience actual change—treating the cause, not the symptom.” The band are touring with Dead Pony across the UK in December. Find your listening and streaming options for ‘Depressed Beyond Tablets‘ HERE.
That’s it for this week punks! Next time we will be well into December so it will be all Christmas songs, all the time!