Whenever I tell one of my friends about a fantastic new band called Perfect Pussy, I always find myself quickly offering an apologetic explanation. Yes, the name is a bit scandalous. Yes, I feel a little uncomfortable saying it out loud. No, the group isn't made up of a bunch of testosterone-fuelled dudes.
Rather, the Syracuse, New York-bred five-piece is fronted by Meredith Graves, who has said in interviews that the name is intended as both self-affirmation and as a way to combat the objectifying criticism that can come with being a woman in the music industry.
The moniker is difficult to ignore to say the least, and the same can be said about the outfit's music. Last year, Perfect Pussy made a surprise splash with its debut demo, I have lost all desire for feeling. A four-song whirlwind of punk fury, every note seems like it's ready to explode through your speakers, and Graves yells as if struggling to be heard above the blisteringly loud arrangements. It sounds a bit like a cassette going through a garburator, but the breathless energy and sonic violence is thrilling.
The EP was strong enough to earn Perfect Pussy a deal with Captured Tracks, and the label issued the band's debut album, Say Yes to Love, this month. In typically brash fashion, the band sold a special edition of the LP on clear vinyl infused with red streaks of Graves' menstrual blood.
This DNA-filled vinyl is a very literal embodiment of the emotional bloodletting that occurs across the collection's eight tracks. Graves has said that the songs were inspired by a breakup but, once again, the recordings are so noisy that it's difficult to make out much of what she's saying. But even if her vocals are often obscured by shrieks of feedback, the intensity is impossible to miss. Throughout the album, the guitars are maxed out, the tempos are furiously fast, and the hardcore-flavoured instrumentation is overlaid with melodic synth textures.
The only moment of comparative calm comes during the standout "Interference Fits," the guitar riff of which could have been turned into a pleasant indie rock song in different hands. Graves even lays off the screaming for a bit as a couple of cryptic phrases cut through the arrangement, and she sneers something that sounds like, "He makes me sick, it makes the water undrinkable."
Say Yes to Love is a white-knuckle roller coaster that lasts a little more than 23 minutes. By the time it's over, you're probably going to want to tell all of your friends about Perfect Pussy. Just be sure to keep your voice down when mentioning the band name in public.
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