Panic Shack – Jiu Jits You (Brace Yourself Records)
Cardiff quintet of punks Panic Shack continue a blistering beginning with their second single Jiu Jits You – this ones been out since the end of May but we kept returning to it so couldn’t resist a little write up.
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Artist: Panic Shack
Track: Jiu Jits You
Label: Brace Yourself Records
Released: 21 May 2020
Find it: Spotify
Sometimes, when someone walks into a room they come in on an undercurrent of intent, riding a wave of potential aggression and wearing a fake smile over predatory behaviour. And so the bass line to this song goes: bouncing in, but with something ominous lurking in each note. It sets the scene perfectly for this tale of unwanted advances and male entitlement.
A half-spoken tale full of frustration, tedium, and ultimately – brilliantly – fierceness. All set to punk stabs, and that quick-footed bass line it’s an anthem for any of us who’ve wanted to take a stand and be allowed to exist without being expected to acquiesce to any attention thrown our way.
‘These thighs do more than look nice / lock round your neck like a vice / Sound fun? / You better think twice’
Vocalist Sarah Harvey recalls how the track is based on a real life experience in the early days of the band. She said, “On one of our first band outings to a bar, we were scribbling lyrics and ideas onto a paper plate when a group of guys kept barging into our conversation to chat us up, they were buying us cocktails we hadn’t asked for and we had to politely decline… they were interrupting our creative flow.
“Ems and Romi had been to a jiu jitsu class the week before so when we came up with jiu jits-YOU it was essentially a stroke of genius, we found it hilarious. The whole way home that evening we were free-styling lyrics based off the new found jiu jitsu theme and our uncomfortable interaction with the men from the bar… we had started something special.”
The band committed fully – ordering jiu jitsu suits, dying them pink so they looked both fierce and very much the part they’d brilliantly crafted through the track. As only the second single from the band it’s a blistering start for the Cardiff punks.
Find Panic Shack: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
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Sarah Lay
A long-standing music journalist she's also co-founder of independent record label Reckless Yes, an author of novels, and when not messing around with words and music, a digital strategist.
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