I meant to write this review last night but ended up working late and falling asleep on the couch. I worked late again today, but this time I am determined to power through.
Disc 1456 is…. Self-Titled
Artist: Thunderpussy
Year of Release: 2018
What’s up with the Cover? Rock and roll, that’s what. Giant snakes, an aggressive band logo and a band looking its audience dead in eye and shouting defiance. Like I said: rock and roll.
How I Came To Know It: I saw a video for “Speed Queen” and it got me intrigued. Then I saw an amazing live performance on KEXP and I was hooked.
How It Stacks Up: This is my only Thunderpussy album, so it can’t stack up against anything.
Ratings: 4 stars
Twee indie bands, please quake in your boots, for Thunderpussy has arrived to remind you that rock and roll is far from dead. The all-woman quartet from Seattle’s first full length album is a visceral shot across the bow, full of guitar riffs, big bold vocals, and (as the band name suggests) a boatload of sexual imagery.
The album’s opening track, “Speed Queen” sets the immediate tone. Starting with a couple bars of a lone foreboding drum (with plenty of high hat) and the sound of a powerful car engine rolling past, it tells you something exciting is about to happen. Then Whitney Petty’s guitars kick in and that promise is fulfilled. This is a song for taking corners too fast and giving your number to a stranger in a dive bar. It is rock and roll personified, from the sultry power of Molly Sides vocals all the way down to the gratuitous use of cowbell.
However, for all the Camaro rock power of Thunderpussy, they also have the ability to slow it down and deliver atmospheric blues numbers that are almost liquid in their easy flow. “Torpedo Love” is a languid number, meandering its way with an absent-minded power. There is still plenty of reverb guitar going on, but the song has moments reminiscent of the slow symphonic rise of a movie score. Molly Sides also shows her other side, trading in the growl of the open road, for a smooth croon. It is still 100% rock and roll, but now its rock and roll that takes its time.
This dichotomy is present throughout the record, often showing up within a single song. Whichever style they are playing in, Thunderpussy is always sexy as hell. On the title track, peaches get ripe, and lines like “come take a ride in my slide ‘n’ slide” leave little room for confusion. Sides can be rough and playful with her delivery in one moment, and then just stare you down and drop catcalls in the next. It is all very sex positive, but not for the bashful listener.
Right after this song they go right back to the warm bath of rock sound, with “Young & Pure” to close out the record. This features some of Sides’ best vocals, as she shows off a surprising sweetness, reminding you that we were all young and pure once, even unabashed rock goddesses like her.
In terms of sound, I can’t decide what side of the band I like the best, but fortunately I don’t have to choose. I can drift along on the slower numbers just as happily as I can headbang to the crunchier tunes. They have range to spare and fear no experiment. They do a rock take on a tango (“Utero Tango”) and even employ a theremin on the record somewhere, although I didn’t catch it on this listen. And while they play around with musical styles and tempos, they always tie it back to a core of hard rock.
The record has a consistent and visceral energy that signals how great they would be live (go check out the aforementioned KEXP show for living proof). Listening I felt a pang of regret having never seen them in concert despite their being based just across the water from me. When the pandemic subsides, Thunderpussy is one of the first bands I’ll be searching concert dates for. Until then, I’ve got the record to give me my fix.
Best tracks: Speed Queen, Fever, Torpedo Love, Velvet Noose, Thunderpussy, Young & Pure
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