Band: Petrol Girls
Album: Cut & Stitch
VÖ: 24.05.2019
Label: Hassle Records
Website: https://petrolgirls.bandcamp.com/
An introduction to ‘Cut & Stitch’ from Petrol Girls’ vocalist Ren Aldridge:
“Cut & Stitch is a patchwork of different sounds, ideas and feelings. It’s the most experimental record we’ve made so far, both musically and lyrically. Cutting and stitching is a process that can go on indefinitely - stitches are easily unpicked, new shapes can be cut, everything can be rearranged. We cut our patches off of old clothes and sew them onto something else. Continuity is an idea that underpins the record, from ‘the sound does not arrive’ to ‘we’re not finished, we never fucking will be.’ This follows on from the sentiment of our last EP, ‘The Future is Dark.’ Political change is a slow, complicated process that’s often only partly visible with hindsight. Making change is a constant collective process that never stops. Its probably impossible for us to see our place within it or to know what consequences our actions will have. It isn’t as simple or hopeless as straightforward victories and failures.
Feminism has become more of an overall approach than an obvious topic, seeping into the way we think about everything from the environment to mental health. We’ve also started to think more about what feminism means for men, given that half of the band are men, and explore the perspective of a man struggling with expressing his emotions in ‘Talk in Tongues.’
The majority of the lyrics were written in the studio. I was having a difficult time, unsure about where to live after we finished the record, and burnt out from a tough year of personal and legal challenges. Something that I’ve reluctantly allowed feminism to teach me is that we have to tend to our own wounds, and that sometimes being vulnerable is just as radical as being angry - it certainly scares me a lot more. Rage on its own isn’t sustainable. We hope this is a more honest and human record.”
‘Cut & Stitch’ will be released on May 24th via Hassle Records, and will be available on 12” vinyl and CD. There are limited indie-exclusive and official store-exclusive vinyl colourways, plus a screenprinted sleeve version of the LP and a Rough Trade Edition written by Ren, both exclusive to Bandcamp. In celebration of the album release, the band will also be performing at Rough Trade stores in London, Bristol and Nottingham during the week of album release.
Infos zur vorherigen VÖ:
Petrol Girls recently announced that their new EP ‘The Future Is Dark’ will be released via Hassle Records on 14th September - including on limited etched 12” vinyl - and now they’ve shared the intimate and emotive new single ‘Sister’, along with a music video that came into being with more than a little help from the band’s extended sisterhood network. “I’ve been wanting for us to write a song about sisterhood for a long time, because it’s these relationships that have had the biggest impact on my life and that form the heart of my feminism,” says Petrol Girls’ vocalist Ren Aldridge. “I’ve got two younger blood sisters and a few very close friends that I consider sisters, as well as our family dog Skye who passed away last summer but I loved her like a sister too. All of those relationships have taught me so much. They’ve guided me, taken care of me, made me laugh til I cry and nurtured me into better versions of myself. I think society often puts too much emphasis on sexual relationships when sisterhood is incredibly important and powerful. This song celebrates a relationship that can pose a real threat to capitalism and patriarchy because it challenges competition and is built on care and trust.”
The EP is named after a Virginia Woolf quote that writer Rebecca Solnit uses as a starting point for her essay ‘Woolf’s Darkness,’ in ‘Men Explain Things To Me.’ She writes about accepting uncertainty and not fearing the dark or the unknown because actually we don’t know what will happen next. She describes despair and optimism both as forms of certainty that create grounds for not acting, whereas hope pushes us to act and make change in whatever ways we can. “The dark, just like the future, is full of possibilities,” muses Aldridge. “It makes me think about how its only in the dark that we can see the stars and think about ourselves as just tiny parts of this cosmic system, as part of a bigger picture. I find it really grounding and inspiring to feel individually small but part of something huge.”
The EP also includes the previously-released single ‘Survivor’, which is inspired by the growing movement against sexual violence. Aldridge explains its motivation -- “The people who've spoken up so courageously about their experiences have broken the silence that has protected abusers in the past, often at massive risk to their own safety and well being. I hope that their bravery inspires the cultural shift in attitudes that is so desperately needed.” ‘Strike’ closes out the EP and is a track about political organising and how taking care, making space, reflecting and recognising our fuck ups are just as important as the direct action itself.
