Glasgow riot punk outfit Brat Coven wasted no time with new music after the success of their single ‘White Noise’ in late February, with an excellent brand new self-titled EP.
A 90’s punk influence is portrayed straight from the beginning with the opening track, ‘Not Ur Girl’, displaying the outfits vocal versatility for an in-your-face abrasive chorus. The track takes the listener back in time to the new wave of punk/ grunge genre in the early 1990’s with a length of 1 minute and 44 seconds, accomplishing everything a track of this sound should within the short timeframe.
The three piece punks define their genre as ‘Riot Grrrl’ which is an underground feminist punk movement, beginning in the early 1990’s within America. Acts such as Bikini Kill and Bratmobile were the pioneers of this movement at the time.
The EP lyrically explores some of the pressures women face, such as outfit standards and worrying about safety when walking alone in public- more so in the EP’s final track, “97”, which further explains the shallow advice usually given to women regarding these topics. Brat Coven successfully convey the frustration women face when being told to ‘be careful’ rather than men accepting they need to ‘behave’.
“No respect because my skirt’s too high”
“I just wanna walk home, I wanna feel safe on my own”
“Don’t tell me to be careful, tell men to behave”
The final track, “97”, shows Brat Coven’s ability to convey a message through the emotion created in punk music. The tune begins with an isolated guitar riff and steady vocals, before climaxing to a much more mean and riotous chorus. Make sure to check out the band’s social media using the links below, and why not catch them performing at the Endless Summer In The Hug and Pint later this year!