Album Review: Some Thing by Petrol Girls

Feminist hardcore punks from London Petrol Girls are one of the most talked about bands in the scene right now. On February the 19th they release a brand new six-track EP (three new songs plus the original self-titled EP) called Some Thing through Bomber Music in the UK.

The opening song on Some Thing is named Slug and from the start you are hit with all of the anger and aggression that you expect from Petrol Girls. Lead singer Ren Aldridge kicks off the EP and song in a big way and has your attention from the first second. I loved the use of aggressive, shouting vocals and nice, clean singing on the track. The cleaner vocals give the song a much more accessible sound that will attract new fans for the band. The second track is titled Protagonist and is just a fantastic onslaught of punk rock aggression. There is very little let up in the song but it still manages to be extremely catchy. I can see this song being very popular live with its simple "Protagonist, Antagonist" bridge. Separated is the third of the three new songs on Some Thing. This song returns to the clean and aggressive dual vocals that worked so spectacularly on the opening track. Opening with cleaner vocal gives the song a different sound before Ren's growl makes the track explode with life. The next three songs appear on Petrol Girls debut self-titled EP that they originally self-released in 2014. Restless is a catchy hardcore track about the London Riots that happened in 2012. I've only seen Petrol Girls once live, at the Punktastic Christmas party back in 2014 at the Old Blue Last, and this is the song from the set that really stood out to me because of its chorus. Listen to it and it'll be lodged in your head for a long time. Next is a song named System, which is about asking questions of authority figures even if you know that you won't win. This song is a real grower, when I first heard it I wasn't so keen on the cleaner vocals but after a few listens my mind is changed and really think it adds so much to the song. Some Thing finishes with the song Disgrace. What I really liked about this song was the addition of guitarist Joe Yorke's vocal harmonies along with Ren's snarling vocals and the cleaner vocals. Ren's snarls really come into their own during the bridge of the song.

Petrol Girls deserve all of the praise they get. They write fantastic songs about politics, sexism, alienation, mental health and the current anti-austerity movement and put on an absolutely fantastic live show. I'm expecting a big year for Petrol Girls.

 Pre-order Some Thing here: http://bombermusic.limitedrun.com/products/565258-petrol-girls-some-thing-ep-extended-cd-version

Like Petrol Girls here: https://www.facebook.com/Petrolgirls