Over the last few years there has certainly been a riot grrl revival. Maybe that’s the wrong way to describe many of the bands, but seeing empowered women gaining more attention in the “boys club” of punk rock is a great thing. With bands like The Coathangers, Bleached, Les Butcherettes and countless others breaking out from the underground, it is hopefully starting to kill the misogyny that unfortunately lingers within the music world.
You can now add Summer Cannibals to that list. Having already released two albums, they have joined Kill Rock Stars for their latest effort, ‘Full Of It’, which is a snarling, fuzzed out punch in the face. Led by vocalist/guitarist, Jessica Boudreaux, she pushes her swaggering attitude to the forefront of Summer Cannibals, and makes them impossible to ignore.
Haling from Portland, the band have channelled 90’s grunge nostalgia with blistering punk rock on ‘Full Of It’. There are shades of Bikini Kill and Sleater Kinney, coupled with the piss and vinegar attitude of L7 and early Hole. From the jagged, angst-driven opener, ‘Go Home’, through the infectiously melodic ‘I Wanna Believe’, Summer Cannibals give it 100% at all times.
While their sound is a very familiar one, it is filled with both raw passion and gushing vitriol. While it feels somewhat lazy to draw comparisons to the aforementioned bands, as well The Breeders on ‘Say My Name’, and the more controlled moments of Sonic Youth on ‘The Lover’, Summer Cannibals are far from a carbon copy of any of them. ‘Full Of It’ is very current, and very important.
The album rarely lets up from buzzsaw guitars and jarring bass lines, but it adds to the assured urgency that is present through each track. It provides the perfect soundtrack for Boudreaux’s intoxicating vocals. Whether she is growling her way through the harsher passages of ‘Just A Little Bit’, or adding a sultry lower register to ‘Fallen’, she delivers each note with honesty.
With ‘Full Of It’ clocking in at just over half an hour long, it never outstays its welcome, and still leaves wanting more. With Summer Cannibals finding the right balance between the past and the present, they have created a thoroughly exciting and energetic album.
GLEN BUSHELL