Music Reviews

Bratmobile

Girls Get Busy

Lookout!

Yay, Bratmobile! 11 years after the explosion of the Riot Grrl movement that spawned them, Bratmobile is still the American punk band that crafts feminist-inspired music that is loud and proud.

From the first jangly riff of “I’m in the Band” to the somber “bpa bpa bpabpbabpabpa” of “Pagan Baby” and the thought-provoking “What’s Wrong With You?,” Girls Get Busy is a well-crafted 13-track odyssey that’s best listened to as a whole rather than dissected into individual pieces. Each track is a powerful or high-energy battle cry for change and action. However, underneath the fun alterna-punk-poppy feel, Bratmobile’s trademark feminism is still there and going strong. From the irony in “I’m in the Band” – “No I’m not a tortured artist/But I’ll torture you with one of my songs” to touching on the Chandra Levy case in “Shut Your Face,” Bratmobile hold women’s rights and issues in the forefront. Similar to Le Tigre, Bratmobile understands that these issues are still important and deserve to be sung about; and while doing so, Bratmobile produces some of the best American punk around.

Bratmobile: http://www.bratmobile.com


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