DON'T BLEED

Album review

With their fourth album, 2019's monstrous bi/Mental, genre-warping punk band Le Butcherettes went through the emotional wringer investigating mental illness, inter-generational trauma, and family strife. Led by the explosive presence of vocalist/guitarist/band founder Teri Gender Bender, the group wavered stylistically on that album between shadowy electronic/rock hybrids and all-out arena rock ragers. The seven-song EP Don't Bleed pushes Le Butcherettes' restless muse even further, getting into new sonic territory on almost every track while connecting the material with loose themes of womanhood, shame, and revenge. The project opens with a lo-fi, demo-like snippet called "Wounds Belong to Me." Consisting of only vocals and a spare guitar riff, the brief song recalls the same jittery energy of Patti Smith's best work. The shabby recording offers a contrast for what follows, with the huge drums, synth touches, and blasting power chords of songs like "Tunisia" and "Out for You" sounding like outtakes from bi/Mental. Le Butcherettes use other songs on the EP to explore different production approaches. The anxious and slippery "Don't Bleed, You're in the Middle of the Forest" stacks layers of vocal overdubs on top of a sinister groove, creating an ominous atmosphere as Gender Bender sings of a metaphorical hunt taking unexpected turns. "Love Someone" and "Boom" are both primarily electronic tracks, moving away from the band's more spirited rock impulses to a more reserved, almost pop approach. "Boom" in particular sounds worlds away from almost any Le Butcherettes material that preceded it, with Gender Bender's crystalline vocals alone with a hissy, minimal electronic beat. Don't Bleed continues the tireless creative development Le Butcherettes have been chasing since their formation. By the end of the EP, they've touched on everything from spare blues to Portishead-styled electronic melancholia. Any of these tracks could be hinting at what the group's next album will sound like, but if their discography up until this point is any indication, it will probably sound completely different from anything they've done before.

© Fred Thomas /TiVo