Back in February last year, PETTYBONE‘S performance at the Camden Barfly had Punktastic spouting adjectives like ‘vicious’, ‘venomous’ and ‘vital’. Debut album, ‘From Desperate Times Comes Radical Minds’, has us doing the same.
Playing out like a war cry to the oppressed masses, the album is a mixture of fierce lyrics delivered with brutal bluntness and methodical yet impacting musicianship. On the surface PETTYBONE are simply an all-female hardcore band, but just under the surface bubbles something more.
Much of ‘From Desperate Minds…’ comes across as more methodical than your average by-the-numbers hardcore band. The band treads hard rock grounds as well as inciting a few moments of blues-esque riffage: ‘Justice Tonight’ is daunting in its doomed approach, whilst ‘Northern Line’ is almost an instrumental pause for breath.
The vocals are often delivered for just a portion of the song, making for short, sharp bursts of socio-political commentary. Guttural screams sit comfortably alongside clear and concise spoken word, adding a further tangible to matters. Vocalist Amy Bajeski manages to successfully traverse both ranges to offer one of the more intriguing sounds to be heard this year.
Closing track ‘Blues, I Got Nothing To Lose’ offers another view of the band – opening with a sample of Electric Blues legend Howlin’ Wolf, the remaining track is an instrumental that sees the quartet exploring new aural paths.
Ultimately, ‘From Desperate Times…’ is an essential debut. Its methodical approach may appear simplistic but underneath there is a hell of a lot going on. PETTYBONE‘s accomplishments across the 30 minute record deserve to be recognised on a much wider scale. So, what of those adjectives?
Vicious? Yes.
Venomous? Yes.
Vital? Definitely.
ALEX HAMBLETON