Recently I’ve felt so much rage at the world, especially with the revelations from the Epstein files unfolding while it seems like the world is just accepting the involvement of some of the richest men as if they shouldn’t be held accountable. It truly makes me despair. But one of the things that gives me a bit of relief is listening to music that echoes that same rage. Hagridden, the second album from Scottish punk sisters Bratakus, does exactly that.
This album makes a serious amount of noise, which feels like a metaphor for the collective rage of women. It’s an in-your-face, full-throttle thrash punk/metal/riot grrrl assault that takes no prisoners and refuses to apologise for it.
“Tokened” yells defiantly, “We won’t be tokened! We won’t be broken!” as it tears apart the still-persistent stereotype that female musicians are some kind of novelty. “Real Men Eat Meat” continues the crashing down of gendered expectations with the brutal line, “There’s no such thing as a real man — shut up and die!” Meanwhile, “Behave” snarls, “I am not a piece of meat, I am somebody!” as it takes aim at the way men so often treat women. Opening track “Final Girls” sets the tone perfectly, shouting, “We are not your final girls, we won’t follow all your rules,” a statement of intent that makes it clear from the first seconds that this album isn’t here to play nice.
Musically, the band remind me of The Distillers, but turned up much louder, thrashier, faster, and angrier. There’s no time for reflection here—each track hits with heavy guitar riffs and ferocious vocals, one after another, like a relentless wave. It feels urgent, raw, and completely unfiltered.
Hagridden isn’t interested in being polite or palatable. It’s pure, cathartic rage set to distortion and speed, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of noise we need.
Hagridden is released this Friday or you can pre order it now on Bandcamp
Bratakus socials: Facebook/Instagram
Review by Hayley Foster da Silva
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