Like you, I gravitated toward punk rock music many years ago because the anyone can do it aesthetic was so inclusive and appealing that even a dope like me could pretend to sing in a punk band.
Every now and again, however, a singer comes around whose unorthodox vocals forces you into a soul-wrenching crisis of faith, bringing you to your knees to agonizingly question every fiber and tenant of your belief in this inclusive creed.
Mary from NEONATES is just such a thought-provoker. You’ll need to spend a little quality time with her and her band in order to adjust, and I recommend you do so. This Los Angeles trio travels a backward road to 1981 Dancerteria-era New York City, where the Bush Tetras, ESG and The Contortions traversed the boundaries of funky minimalism, all punctuated by Mary’s yips and yelps and monotone delivery. The band play a spastic but effortless sort of art-thump that sounds both well-crafted and totally nonchalant, and I’d imagine that with the right sort of refreshments, they’d be a hoot live. Stream or download their new thing here.
DYNAMITE HEMORRHAGE 