The Sewer Cats aren’t mucking about in their new album ‘Obnoxious’. Aptly named, this release wears the label with pride- it’s loud, brash, challenging and in yer face. So yeah, OBNOXIOUS.
And all of the above is meant in a good way- a very good way. Because if there’s one thing this band do well, it is creating some raucous punk noise that assaults your senses but not without some substance behind it… Laying just over that clamour are some well-observed and skilfully delivered commentary on misogyny, hustle culture, politics, toxic masculinity and empowerment.
Punk Rock Philosophy had a sit down with the two cats of the hour- Josh and Cass- and were even joined by a THIRD cat (an actual cat)..the cover star of previous album ‘Cute Aggression’ (2022)! Things got fluffy…
With the impending release of the punk duo’s second album ‘Obnoxious’ just around the corner, anticipation, excitement and a teensy amount of nerves are understandable. The album has been about 18 months in the making- the original idea being to record an EP- but with too many good songs floating around, a full LP seemed inevitable:
Cass: “It’s great to see the project you have been working on for so long, come to fruition so everyone can actually see what you’ve been doing! It feels like you sit on these things for such a long time.”
Josh: “We did the first load of songs about a year and half ago. We were gonna do an EP and then we released ‘Get It’ from that bunch, but in January we wrote a load more and we thought ‘oh we’ve got an album!”
And what an album it is. The intention was to make something raw-er and more combative whilst simultaneously exploring lyrical themes of a more intimate and personal nature:
Cass: “With each release, lyrically I try and put myself into more of a vulnerable space of each time and that comes with a feeling of nerves. You’re putting yourself and your emotions out there and essentially offering up these very personal nuggets and being like ‘hey come and have a look at this’! There’s a lot of personal stuff on the album. The whole concept is to push things into the red in all aspects. Sonically we made stuff more dirty, more heavy, more screechy! Any woman that has been told you’re a ‘bit much’, we are reclaiming that muchness and being like ‘yeah I am too much… and here’s some more!’”
Calling the album ‘Obnoxious’ is a tongue in cheek way of reclaiming the word and saying “if this is what obnoxious is- being outspoken, uncompromising and assertive- then so be it. Sign me up and tattoo obnoxious on my forehead”.
This pursuit of unabashed obnoxiousness has resulted in 12 tracks that demonstrate that despite only being a 2 piece, there’s enough fury and energy to fuel a battalion of punks. There’s visceral energy throughout, but don’t pass over the smart lyrics and varied musicality that bring together a pretty good representation of what Sewer Cats are about.
Cass’s powerful roar is undoubtedly the centrepiece of the sound, piercing through the cacophony of noise. It suits the subject matter of the album well- a lot of anger, social commentary, sarcastic send ups, and of course, rage. But as Cass points out, there’s moments of vulnerability too.
The first line of the entire release is “Proud to be a Crazy Bitch” from opener ‘Boo Hoo’ (released as a single in July 2024), a song that tells those who bemoan efforts to diversify the male dominated music industry to go cry in a corner somewhere in an effort to shield yourself from Cass’s BPE- Big Pussy Energy. It’s non apologetic and a musical one finger salute- you may as well start as you mean to go on.
So why are you so fragile? 50/50 is all we want/ I’m not sorry, cos it’s your fault!
Cass: “That first line, I just thought why not? Your criticism of me is I’m too feral, well I really don’t care, I will wear that as a badge.
I was desperate to get the phrase ‘big pussy energy’ into a song! And definitely that idea was inspired by things that are going on in pop music that I am excited by. There are artists that are reclaiming the word pussy and using it in their songs and this ‘out there’ sexuality and ‘out there’ demanding of attention and confidence that is kind of going on in pop music. Punk should go further than that really shouldn’t it? And should be more challenging than I think it currently is. It is often actually, fairly safe.”
Josh: “What is the most common phrase you hear now? Fuck the Tories, that’s it. Over and over again”.
The band do tackle geopolitics in their music, not least in ‘90 Seconds to Midnight’ which talks of WW3 and ‘Oppenhiemer in Real time‘. The track has a real 70s punk throwback vibe with Cass’ vocals suitably snarling. The title of the track references the Doomsday clock that represents the likelihood of a human-made global catastrophe. Cass included a reference to a statement from the former Secretary of State for Defence, Grant Shapps, that “the pre-war era has begun”. Oh goody.
‘Tell Me Something True‘ is good ol’ thigh slapping fun, suitable for a breakneck speed hoe down! This early on in the album we get to see that there’s a lot more to the band than pure energy and propulsion- the details in this track and the musical breakdowns signal the Sewer Cats can add a bit of musical complexity.
‘You Cannot Be Serious‘ is another example- a gentler track heading into shoegaze territory but a reminder that Cass’ vocal ferocity can change on a dime, a shift in energy is never far away. Cass said of the track:
“I can’t elaborate more on the content, but I gave myself permission to explore more vulnerability and emotion lyrically with this one. Sitting in your feelings of vengeance can be moreish.“
The title track ‘Obnoxious‘ is one of the heavier tracks, a good reflection of the subject matter of the lyrics, a musical response to a comment that Cass’s voice was “unlistenable” and “screechy”.
Cass: “I think there is expectation of the way women should be, the things that are safe to discuss, and when women don’t conform to that idea of how we should be there is a certain amount of pushback and reaction to that both externally and within ourselves as well”.
‘Get It‘ is classic Sewer Cats- a particularly topical bit of satire on the toxic ‘hustle #girlboss’ culture that seems to be shoved down our throats at every corner of the internet; the regressive attitude that your own hardships are down to personal failings and you’re one viral Tik Tok or appearance on Love Island away from a secure financial future:
“Dream Bigger/Work Harder/Grow the Economy“.
After all, you’ve got the same 24 hours as Beyoncé so what’s your excuse?
The track was released as a single last year, accompanied by a video with a ‘spot the influencer cliché’ as vocalist Cass goes from yoga, to frappes, to selfies and then finally pumping Monopoly money out of a handheld cash cannon.
‘Lion Heart‘ feels like a crescendo to the album, a frenzied call to liberation: “how can you fly when they clip your wings”. A self-encouragement song to keep your chin up and hang on, even when everything around you seems awful.
But actually there’s a final final track as the band end a teensy bit more gently with the transcendent ‘Our Band Could Be Your Life‘ the title a reference to a lyrical feature of ‘History Lesson Part II‘ by Minutemen, a big inspiration for Josh and Cass:
Cass: “We came to punk through the US hardcore and riot grrrl scenes. And in particular, Minutemen have always been an important band to us both. The final track is the only track we have ever done where we have been affectionate to each other in it. That feels the most vulnerable- to show affection for each other in this context, but Minutemen Mike Watt and D Boon were not afraid to show their affection for each other and that made them unique. They really wrote from the heart and the head rather than it being all aggression”.
Josh: “And the DIY ethos they had is something we have been really inspired by and we have used as a blueprint”.
The punk scene is a natural home for the Sewer Cats and they are keen to use their platform and their shows to foster the values that punk should be championing- inclusion, respect, safety and solidarity:
Cass: “I think the nature of punk means it is quite open to everyone, everyone is welcome and that is our experience of the scene. When it functions well and it is at its best, that is how it feels. I think there is something in the nature of punk that creates that welcoming space but there is still loads to do. We should all be constantly reminding ourselves that we have to do the work to make those spaces safe, it is not already that way by itself, and wont always stay that way. We cant take that for granted. We have to constantly be pushing forward”.
Josh: “You do hear men say “I’ve not seen anything bad therefore it is all fine” and it is like, what sort of attitude is that”?
Cass: “We can all have our blinkers on and think ‘I haven’t seen that, therefore everything is fine’. Or for example, the moshpit gets super super violent but there’s one woman in it, therefore all women are fine with it. Or, this lineup is diverse because there is one woman on it, going on first. There’s always room for improvement, and you gotta be careful thinking ‘I have ticked the box and it is all good’- especially men. There should be a continuous reviewing of a situation to work out whether people genuinely feel included. We want to avoid tokenism”.
The punk scene doesn’t always get it right, and wider society actually seems determined to keep getting things wrong so having a collection of songs to articulate themes we might all be experiencing, is ever important. Album track ‘That Night At…‘ speaks of something many women will understand- the feeling of helplessness and vulnerability that comes from the realisation someone can overpower you and playing nice might be the only option you have.
Cass: “When we approach the lyrics and stuff we are thinking of things that are personal and also universal as well. That’s when the kind of song writing that I like, they can speak to a specific thing or event but you can relate to it because everyone has had a similar experience. I hope people can find their own empowerment; comfort or channel for their anger- that is every songwriters hope.
We sometimes need to affirm as women that it is NOT me and sometimes we have to vocalise these things and get them out in the open. We have seen this with the Me Too and similar movements, we are saying ‘no, it is not right that we have to feel unsafe or excuse abusers and blame ourselves’ we should be able to get this stuff off our chest and feels safe to do so“.
Sewer Cats are introspective but they’re not internalising. They are pointing and laying the blame where it belongs- at structural inequalities, at unjust culture, and at assholes. This is an album to listen to when you want to feel vindicated- to realise actually, it’s not you that’s the problem, it’s the system you’re living in. That it is OK to acknowledge your vulnerability in a power dynamic you didn’t ask to be part of. And above all, this is an album to listen to when you want permission to go forth and be Obnoxious!
‘Obnoxious‘ is out on September 20th via TNS Records. You can pre order HERE . You can get other listening options and band info HERE.
Pic credits, top to bottom: feature pic and first insert (Kate McCarthy), pic 3 (Hold My Pint) and pic 4 (Andi Callen).
