Babe Punch – Glitter (self-released)
Hinting that there is more news to come Nottingham/Derby four-piece Babe Punch have surprise dropped their latest single Glitter.
Artist: Babe Punch
Track: Glitter
Label: self-released
Released: 4 February 2021
Find it: Spotify
Babe Punch are a prowling tiger of a band. Stalking you, playing with you, and ultimately fizzing with the menacing confidence they are the stronger force.
First covering this band in 2016 for Louder Than War I wrote of their sound: “Their blend of alt-rock, punk and Riot Grrrl results in a multi-layered sound of dissonant but complex riffs, tumbling drum fills and vocals that have as much in common with all-girl ’60’s pop as ’90’s grunge.” This holds true here, although on Glitter they are perhaps more heavily drawing on the ’90s sound, tilting for more straightforward alt-rock, and muting their vibrancy just ever so slightly before blasting forth with big riffs and bigger vocals.
It follows 2020 single Wildfire, equally filled with menace, and darkly keening guitar lines. There’s a sense of Americana about the track, evoked by the space and the relentless riffs, and it says much for the band that they are building depths which can summon strong emotional imagery while staying fairly steady across the surface of their catalogue.
‘Trust in us / we don’t need luck / just don’t get in my way’
Most bands formed as teenagers burn bright but stutter out fast, sometimes leaving a legacy but more often living on as a fading memory only with their direct circle. Not so with Babe Punch who over the last few years have built in confidence and delivered consistently on their vision. Their influences still echo strong here, their politics wrapping subtly but resolutely around their music, and an energy which continues to simmer with the promise of breaking beyond the confines of their hometown sometime soon.
Glitter by Babe Punch is out now digitally.
Find Babe Punch: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp
Image: James Robert Birtwhistle
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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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