ALBUM: The Menstrual Cramps – ‘Free Bleedin’

Raw, righteous, and a rallying cry against pervasive capitalist and patriarchal oppression: The Menstrual Cramps‘ sophomore album Free Bleedin’ drips with irrepressible anarchy and wit. Following 2017’s excellently named debut We’re Not Ovaryacting, the four-piece have returned with fourteen new tracks that systematically strip away the hateful forces that threaten to hold these riot grrrls back.

Front-woman Emilia has a vocal range that ricochets between dangerous, disinterested, screeching and savage. From opening track ‘Boycott The Lot’, she begins calling out corporations including The Sun, Amazon, and the dairy industry; whilst urging listeners to avoid all interaction with these dishonest establishments. She’s backed by the formidable Cooper Rose on guitar, as well as the equally formidable rhythm section comprised of drummer Beth and bassist Robyn.

Intelligence and piss-taking combine in memorable style on second track ‘The Smash’, which calls for a political and personal revolution amidst lyrics such as “Theresa May don’t even masturbate”. The girls continue their take down on following track ‘Neo Nazi’, which acts as a warning and a defiant middle finger to any fans of punk music who confuse the genre with outdated, fascist ideals. As Emilia so aptly says: “Nazi cunts need to disappear” – and we couldn’t agree more.

Up next on The Menstrual Cramps’ “bullshit we shouldn’t have to address, but will do anyway” list is toxic masculinity. On ‘Boyz Will Be Boyz’, the girls urge men to take responsibility for sexual assault and “do something about it”, instead of hiding behind the all-to-familiar saying and remaining complacent. What follows is an unorthodox and unexpected ode to long-haired, liberal lads and lasses. On the pop-ier sounding ‘Long Haired Babe’, Emilia delightfully declares “guys with long hair make me scream, guys with long hair make me cream”. That’s the great thing about this record: one minute you want to punch a hole through a patriarchal wall, and the next you just want to lay back and show yourself some sweet self-love.

Cue next track, ‘Mutual Masturbation’. It’s as fabulous and filthy as it sounds; celebratory (guitar) strums and raucous percussion combine with Emilia’s lyrics about defying shame and spending some time on yourself. The girls dial up the sarcasm on ‘I Like That Top’, a track which laments the comments made by dull housemates who insist on making passive aggressive remarks about your lifestyle and fashion sense. The band switch back to full on assault mode on ‘Idols’, calling out the inadequacies of the biggest icons in the industry and stripping them of their God-like status. It’s eye-opening and entertaining in equal measure, with trademark Menstrual Cramps bite.

Guitarist Cooper takes lead vocals on the seemingly tender-sounding ‘Tinder Girl’ which tackles a very modern dating dilemma: “I don’t want nothing serious, but I think I want more than this”, before the self-explanatory ‘Tory Scum’ kicks in. It’s a punishing anthem about the policies crippling the working class under Theresa May’s Government. It bleeds in to the aptly named ‘Killin Us’, which shouts back against poor mental health services that have inevitably been affected by Tory budget cuts to the NHS. Things get a bit Orwellian on ‘Phone Hack’, but the severity of the message is made more palatable by a garage-pop-esque rhythm.

Penultimate track ‘No Means No’ challenges male entitlement and bodily autonomy. Emilia’s spoken word style lyrics about consent, rape, and sexual assault make things crystal clear here, and her vicious and wailing delivery of “Nooooooo!” towards the close of the song leaves no room for interpretation. Body positivity is promoted on closing track ‘Bush’ which champions natural hair growth with the simple lyric “let my bush be free!”. Bleedin’ furious, Bleedin’ funny, and Bleedin’ eye opening; The Menstrual Cramps latest record provides the perfect soundtrack for any feminist activist to rage and recover to.

You can listen to Free Bleedin’ on Spotify

Follow The Menstrual Cramps on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Camp Cope – ‘How To Socialise & Make Friends’

A deeply personal record channeling frustration, disappointment & fear into a creative, cathartic force for change, Aussie rockers Camp Cope have released their highly anticipated second album How To Socialise & Make Friends via Run For Cover.

The album was recorded over two days at Holes and Corners in South Melbourne with Sam Johnson in October 2017 and has been met with as much excitement and acclaim as their self-titled debut, which was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. They sold out two shows at Sydney Opera House, headlined Melbourne’s Weekender Fest 2017 and toured the US for the first time in  2017 with Worriers. Now, they’re back with How To Socialise & Make Friendss, nine tracks that prove Georgia Maq (vocals/guitar), Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich’s (bass) and Sarah Thompson’s (drums) songwriting has been strengthened through experience and sounds as fresh, observant and witty as ever.

‘The Opener’ is a sarcastic, spot-on aural record of the pervasive misogyny female bands encounter in the music industry. “It’s another man telling us to book a smaller venue,” sings Georgia – daring her antagonist with the line “Tell me again how there just aren’t that many girls in the music scene” – before her aggressive Aussie intonation shows man-splainers exactly where they can take their opinions.

It breezes into the eponymous ‘How To Socialise & Make Friends’, which ruminates on personal lessons, unnecessary apologies and making more room for yourself, with Georgia’a image of riding a bike whilst “waving goodbye” resonating throughout. ‘The Face Of God’ is a raw account of sexual assault and the shame and isolation that follows such a traumatic experience. Lyrics like “I had to say ‘no’ and ‘stop’ more than once” and “I slept in the middle of the bed / in the comfort of my own choices” ring out with a simultaneous sadness and strength. The band have turned a sharp and unfair lesson into a brave, independent statement here.

Following track ‘Anna’ is a tune about sisterhood and female friendship and an excuse to “get it all out, put it in a song”, whilst ‘Sagan-Indiana’ is an ode to the peace you find in your interactions with kind strangers. ‘The Omen’ is a mature vow not to hurt the people we need the most, with the reflective and guilty line “we’ve all made our Mother cry,” whilst ‘Animal & Real’ is another tune about much needed self-acceptance.

The retrospective ‘UFO Lighter’ is apologetic – “I said I was sorry about that line / I only wrote it ‘cos it rhymed,” but defiant, “he expected that I was gonna fail and run back / well, fuck that” and precedes the emotional, stripped back album closer, ‘I’ve Got You’. Georgia sings of her late father’s battle with cancer here and how their separation has ultimately strengthened the bond between them.

Listening to Camp Cope’s How To Socialise & Make Friends is a rewarding, entertaining experience that’ll have you manically fluctuating between laughter, rage, grief and joy. It’s a record that feels entirely authentic and most importantly, one that shows all girls that you can break free from whatever, or whoever is holding you back.

How To Socialise & Make Friends here. Follow Camp Cope on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Breakfast Muff – ‘Clam’

If you’re looking for “a cacophony of anxiety, celebration and creativity” look no further than Glasgow’s Breakfast Muff. The band have shared their latest single ‘Clam’, accompanied by a Super-8-style new video that you can watch below.

Breakfast Muff consists of Eilidh McMillan (Rapid Tan, Joanna Gruesome), Simone Wilson (Hairband, Mary Column) and Cal Donnelly (Spinning Coin, Rapid Tan), who all switch between guitar, bass and drums to create their songs about “sexuality, feminism and feelings.”

“‘Clam’ is about someone who lashes out at other people because they are scared of being themselves or being exposed in some way,” explains McMillan. The track is featured on the band’s recent album Eurgh! (available now via Amour Foo) which was nominated for The Skinny’s Albums of the Year and was included in the Rough Trade Album Club.

Listen to ‘Clam’ below.

You can order a copy of Eurgh! here. Follow Breakfast Muff on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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