Baby

Petrol Girls

This new album from post-hardcore outfit Petrol Girls is a much needed kick in the butt. Timely too, considering it comes on the heels of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, threatening women's reproductive rights. There's also the raging culture war that tries like hell to vilify marginalized women, especially trans women. And lastly, we were witness once again to the horrifying ineptitude of police forces to protect their communities given the recent tragedy in Uvalde. Petrol Girls attacks all these issues with a fierce passion. On Preachers, the band turns the mirror on the religious right, asking how is it that those who lead the crusade for moral righteousness are often the ones hiding skeletons. Baby, I Had an Abortion mocks the 'forced birth' movement for their belief that a woman's sole purpose (it seems) is to bear children, as well as their severe callousness towards the children forced to live in truly awful conditions. There's a scathing take down of police systems on Violent By Design, where vocalist Ren Aldridge packs in one bullet-point after another: protecting property over persons, shielding the bad actors, harassing and intimidating communities, and the prevalence of domestic violence in serving officers. And we wonder why women don't report abuse to the police.

Petrol Girls present their messaging in this hybrid fashion; either employing a satirical approach that's reminiscent of hardcore pioneers Dead Kennedys, or a more direct, pissed off approach reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine. Musically, the album is quite diverse as well. Baby, I Had an Abortion has these fuzzy, detuned guitars that rumble as tight drums propel the track forward. Fight For Our Lives is this super primal protest tune with gigantic crashing cymbals, panicked guitar pads, and gurgling bass. There's a bit of Blood Brothers-esque, jarring theatricality on Feed My Fire, and prior to the punk explosion on Unsettle, there's a bit of indie-garage and dance that reminds me of bands like You Say Party. Overall, I love the different guitar tones on the record; going above and beyond what you would typically expect from a punk record. There's also a lot of rhythmic diversity in the drumming that I will be trying to wrap my head around for the next little while. There are a few songs here that pale in comparison to others, and sometimes I do prefer the more insightful lyricism rather than the more direct 'preaching-to-the-choir' protest lines. But regardless, the messaging is important, the sound and presentation is impeccable, and I don't think this record could have come at a better time.