#MWE August #3 Petrol Girls - Baby

#MWE August #3

Petrol Girls - Baby


You know I feel a very similar way about this album as I did with Joy As An Act of Resistance by Idles back in 2018, in terms of how right-on-time it feels. Petrol Girls seems to have just captured a zeitgeist in such a precise way combined with strong punk hooks, that I haven't heard since Idles' sophomore. And Petrol Girls do capture it so thoroughly and unapologetically that it's hard not to fall head over heels for this album. It blazes with red hot anger over the the current state of the world, and then aiming whatever exhausted anger that comes through  it has left at these systems keeping women down, and how unapologetically feminist (and I do appreciate the explicitness in including trans, non-white and sex workers women too). But I do think the lyrics are very Idle-y in how direct and online they are. As for songs, Baby, I Had An Abortion stands out because of the title and I love it especially with how heavy and hard it goes, and the song stretches to the sonic limits to try and contain it before sinking back into a more non-chalant attitude. Clowns has that amazing little guitar hook that I love, especially when it speeds up into more of a panicked riff on the chorus. Those are probably my 2 favourite songs from the album.

But I think it may suffer from similar problems as Joy has in the years to come (probably will hold up longer than Joy), mostly that it will be stuck in 2022, but like Joy is still great and Baby is also great and one I'll revisit throughout the year.

Favourite tracks: Preachers; Baby, I Had An Abortion; Clowns; Violent By Design; Sick & Tired
Least favourite track: Unsettle probably