If you have something to say, SAY IT LOUD! Bristol’s IDestroy have plenty to say on their debut album We Are Girls and they are not afraid to shout it from the rooftops! These girls are an angry three piece punk outfit and, more than many of the first generation of punk bands of 40 years ago, they can play. Bloody well!
Bec Jevons (vocals), Nicola Wilton-Baker (bass, backing vocals), and Jenn Hills (drums) are a real power trio in the classic sense, fusing NYC proto punk, 90s riot grrrl, and the sloganeering of The Clash and The Sex Pistols with an injection of fresh contemporary energy.
All this is the medium that drives along the sharp commentary in the album’s ten spiky songs, from the “hands-off” warning of Petting Zoo to the title track’s ire at the obstacles faced by female musicians. Just a handful of new songs had been aired at gigs before the pandemic brought a halt to IDestroy’s live gigs, including the glam-rock stomp Sick Friend, about Bec’s hypochondria. The only “old” song is live favourite Lemons, which has been re-recorded.
G.O.D. is the album’s snarling opener, about a falling out Bec had with a friend, which sets the fast-paced template for an album that lasts little over half an hour, but packs in a lot. Cheap Monday is part ode to the now defunct clothing brand, part dig at Bec’s own sloppy dressing. SWIM captures the chaos of lives in turmoil, The Young and Wasted explores squandered opportunities and Death Party celebrates living life to the full, with a group of mates on mass backing vocals. While the subject matter bounces back and forth from serious to silly, the energy never drops.
Some of the early punk bands were notoriously poor musicians, but not IDestroy. Turn up the volume and We Are Girls will blow away the cobwebs with all the energy that the band put into their live shows.
Read our interview with IDestroy here