Le Butcherettesbi/MENTAL

Le Butcherettes made a name for themselves back in 2011 releasing their minimal and edgy debut album Sin Sin Sin and after almost a decade the art punk outfit have grown from a trio to a quartet with a few line up changes along the way and some relentless touring. Unafraid to be daring, vulnerable or confronting in her performance, charismatic front woman Terry Gender Bender is the driving force behind the band.

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Le Butcherettes are set to release their fourth album bi/MENTAL a very personal creation about mental illness and family. The band employed Talking Heads guitarist and renowned producer Jerry Harrison to work his magic on the record and it is clear at first listen that his blueprint has made the LP a real gem. This is Le Butcherettes sounding at times funkier and more accessible whilst never straying far from their punk rock roots.

Opening song Spider/WAVES features Dead Kennedy’s Jello Biafra contributing a spoken word piece about the pitfalls of the music industry and other guests on the album include Chilean singer/actress Mon Laferte and punk rocker/author Alice Bag. The songs juxtapose between subtlety and abrasiveness hence why the titles are all in caps with small font prefixes. Stand out song little/MOUSE resembles the fluently funky rhythm of Talking Head’s Psycho Killer without the band losing their trademark hard-edged sound.

bi/MENTAL is a sonic evolution for Le Butcherettes and is the first album without Omar Rodriguez Lopez of At The Drive In mentoring the group’s musical journey. This is an album for listeners who appreciate art rock at its best; if you like heavy rock guitars punctuated with Beatle inspired psychedelic keyboards or song writing that idiosyncratically encapsulates the every day struggles of life this is a record well worth investing in.

STANDOUT TRACKS: strong/ENOUGH, little/MOUSE, sand/MAN
STICK THIS NEXT TO: The Vines, The Mars Volta, Talking Heads