The Coathangers have shared a poignant and fiery new single “F The NRA” from their forthcoming album The Devil You Know, out March 8 on Suicide Squeeze. The song was written by guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel, who felt compelled to make a political statement in the face of potential backlash in part because she is a refugee from Belarus, a country with limited freedom of speech and press. She’s expanded upon her motivations to speak out in an essay published at The Talkhouse, replete with contributions and advice from Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Brendan Canty (Fugazi/The Messthetics) and Dennis Lyxzen (Refused, International Noise Conspiracy).
From Julia Kugel: “I do not take the freedom of expression that all U.S. citizens are granted lightly. The band was confident that we wanted to put ‘F the NRA’ on the record. It provided a personal catharsis and a sense of empowerment in the wake of the immense feeling of helplessness that was weighing heavily on us as we coped with continuous reports of mass shootings. It was not until those around us started warning us of the repercussions we could face, did we realize the risk involved in yelling at the giant. My ingrained fear of speaking out came back to me. Yet the reason I am a musician is because of a need to express my truth, personal or political. I began to question everything: the rights of an artist, the responsibility of being political, the fear of backlash, and the desire to be heard.”
In their thirteen years of existence, Atlanta’s tireless garage punks The Coathangers have cranked out five full-lengths and well over a dozen singles, splits, and EPs. Considering the band’s initial aspirations to merely hang out and play a few house parties, their relentless touring schedule is perhaps the greatest testament to the lasting power of their scrappy hook-laden records and the infectious energy radiating from their live shows. And while every Coathangers record has captured their buoyant turbulence and jagged euphoria, there is always some degree of magic that inevitably gets lost when bands go into the studio. Perhaps it’s the energy transference from the audience that’s missing or maybe it’s the push-and-pull of the musicians playing together in a volatile environment. Whatever the source of that inexplicable magic, The Coathangers have always wrangled a rowdy replication of that sweaty and sticky live feeling, but the time had come to properly document it.
Their quest for enchantment prompted The Coathangers: 2 Nights of Magic, a free two-night stand at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach, California replete with magicians, tarot card readings, burlesque dancers, palm readers, and a giant paper mache rabbit for photo-ops. And out of those shows came LIVE, the first Coathangers release to document the band in their natural habitat. “It’s kinda trippy, this record,” says guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel. “It’s like our anthology… our entire career in 38 minutes.” Sure enough, LIVE spans everything from the slow-burn pop of “Captain’s Dead” off last year’s Parasite EP to the rabblerousing rocker “Tonya Harding” off their self-titled debut. The boisterous magic was captured by Dylan Ely and front-of-house engineer Eric Huff, with Kugel’s husband Scott Montoya handling the mixing in their new home studio. “I love the way it sounds,” Kugel says of the record. “It’s pumped me up for the next record! It sounds how we’ve never been able to sound on our studio albums… LIVE! Our live shows are who we really are so this is kind of our first record.”
Sure enough, LIVE captures the playful fervor of The Coathangers at their finest. “Gettin’ Mad and Pumpin’ Iron” sounds even more gloriously unhinged here than when it first appeared on Scramble back in 2009. Fan favorites like “Adderall” sound increasingly ragged and desperate as drummer Stephanie Luke belts out the verses and choruses on an adrenaline rush. Recent songs like bassist Meredith Franco’s Nosebleed Weekend highlight “Burn Me” feel injected with a manic urgency that pushes the tightly wound post-punk number into an unruly anthem. The Coathangers successfully captured the magic of their concerts, and now Suicide Squeeze is proud to offer LIVE to the world on June 1st 2018 via digital formats, cassette, and a limited first-edition pressing of 1500 copies on tri-color vinyl.
FRI APR 20 – Orlando FL, The Beacham Theatre* (TICKETS) SAT APR 21 – Atlanta GA, Center Stage* (TICKETS) SUN APR 22 – Charlotte NC, Neighborhood Theatre* (TICKETS) TUE APR 24 – Boston MA, Royale NightClub* (TICKETS) WED APR 25 – Asbury Park NJ, The Stone Pony* (TICKETS) THU APR 26 – Brooklyn NY, Warsaw* (TICKETS) FRI APR 27 – New York NY, Irving Plaza* (TICKETS) SAT APR 28 – Philadelphia PA, Electric Factory * (TICKETS) SUN APR 29 – Washington DC, Black Cat* (TICKETS) TUE MAY 1 – Buffalo NY, Town Ballroom* (TICKETS) WED MAY 2 – Cincinnati OH, Bogart’s* (TICKETS) THU MAY 3 – Pontiac MI, The Crofoot* (TICKETS) FRI MAY 4 – Chicago IL, House of Blues* (TICKETS) SAT MAY 5 – St. Louis MO, Ready Room* (TICKETS) TUE MAY 29 – New Brunswick GA, Tipsy McSway’s (TICKETS) WED MAY 30 – Jacksonville FL, Jack Rabbits (TICKETS)FRI JUN 1 – Tampa FL, Crowbar (TICKETS) SAT JUN 2 – Gainesville FL, High Dive (TICKETS) SUN JUN 3 – Pensacola FL, Vinyl Music Hall (TICKETS) TUE JUN 5 – New Orleans LA, Santos (TICKETS) WED JUN 6 – Houston TX, White Oak Music Hall (TICKETS) THU JUN 7 – Austin TX, Barracuda (TICKETS) FRI JUN 8 – San Antonio TX, Jack Rabbit SAT JUN 9 – Dallas TX, Club Dada (TICKETS) SUN JUN 10 – Oklahoma City OK, 89th Street (TICKETS) TUE JUN 12 – Kansas City MO, Record Bar (TICKETS) WED JUN 13 – Davenport IA, Raccoon Motel (TICKETS) THU JUN 14 – DeKalb IL, The House Cafe (TICKETS) FRI JUN 15 – Indianapolis IN, The Hi-Fi (TICKETS) SAT JUN 16 – Nashville TN, The Basement (TICKETS)
* with Minus the Bear
The Coathangersare heading out on tour this winter and spring, starting on the west coast, to promote an upcoming live album. Some of these dates include shows with Death Valley Girls, Dengue Fever, and Minus the Bear. Catch them if you can!
Keep your mind open.
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I love how The Coathangers’ (Julia Kugel – guitar and vocals, Meredith Franco – bass and vocals, Stephanie Luke – drums and vocals) newest record, Nosebleed Weekend, starts its first song, “Perfume,” with a drum riff that sounds like something that belongs in an Acid Girls techno floor stomper but then switches to a solid rock beat, swaggering guitars, swinging 60’s bass, and lovely harmonized vocals.
The vocals on “Dumb Baby” shout to the back wall while the music gives you a happy beating while they sing about how their sapiosexual brains can’t handle their lovers’ stupidity (“I’ll still love you, darlin’, but you’re so dumb…”).
If “Squeeki Tiki” doesn’t make you love this album, I don’t know what will. They play a squeaky toy on it…and they play it well. Who needs an expensive synthesizer when you can get the sound you want with a squeaky toy you picked up at the county fair? The song’s about a memento the singer wants to ditch because it reminds her of her ex-lover (“You can have it. I don’t want that shit. It’s just a bad memory of what I did.”).
“Excuse Me?” has some neat spaghetti western-like guitar in the slow parts it that I love and blaring, angry guitar in the fast parts that’s just as good. “Make It Right” is old school “break up punk” – a love song hidden (not subtly, if you pay attention) in a punk rock jam.
The title track is a dangerous one in which the singer pretty much tells her lover that he can fool around as much he wants as long as he knows he’s in for a knuckle sandwich when he comes back home after all that philandering. “Watch Your Back” shows off the band’s love of Buzzcocks, because it’s great pop-punk with some wicked high-hat work and crazy surf guitar to boot. “Burn Me” keeps that pop/surf-punk groove going (which shouldn’t be a surprise since this album was recorded in southern California instead of their usual hometown Atlanta digs).
“I Don’t Think So” still has a bit of a surf edge and is such a pretty break-up song that you can’t feel too sad for the singer, even with sad lyrics like “I’m tired of staring at the phone like it’s a person.” You know she’s going to get through it. “Down Down” is good power rock, and “Hiya” is more fun pop-punk as the singer sees an old flame again after a long time (“All I wanna do is hear you say, ‘Hiya.’”).
I love how the power chords and angry vocals of “Had Enough” are backed with fun and light backing vocals during the verses. It also has this quirky, neat, brief guitar solo in it that makes you think the song is going in a different direction before it yanks you back to the rock licks. “Copycat,” the closer, is sexy, a bit creepy, and even, I dare say, a bit shoegaze with its instrumentation and slightly reverbed vocals.
Every song has sharp and witty lyrics about loves lost and found, sex good and bad, and longings and kiss-offs. The Coathangers can blend surf, pop-punk, and fuzz-rock like few others can and Nosebleed Weekend is one of the best 2016 records about relationships I’ve heard so far.
Keep your mind open.
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