With the release of the Kathleen Hanna movie, “The Punk Singer”, I’ve been revisiting some of the classics, including the wonderful and often ignored Frumpies. The Frumpies existed at the same time as Hanna’s Bikini Kill, included Billy, Tobi, and Kathi of Bikini Kill, but didn’t feature Hanna. There was a second on this record that I thought I was listening to an Ian Svenonius band, and then I realized that the almighty Michelle Mae plays bass on this record! So this band is members of Bikini Kill, The Make Up, and Bratmobile, came out in 1993, and are on Kill Rock Stars. Do you really need me to tell you what it sounds like?
This record surprisingly sounds much more like a sloppy garage band than it does Bikini Kill. It’s very punk, but the vocals are layered in reverb and aren’t nearly as direct as anything Bikini Kill did. The riffs are just as stripped down, and at points I actually thing I heard a Bratmobile lick. The recording quality is pretty good, sans the vocals that sound like they were recorded straight into a boombox in a cave. I actually really like the songs on this record, especially the very proto-punk sounding “Bo Good”. “What’s His Name Heart’s The Frumpies” is a motor-city rock’n’roll jam that is only grounded by the poor-mix. It could have easily been a song in a Toy Machine video had they not completely botched how high the vocals are in the mix. It’s a shame because this record is still a ripper, I can only imagine how great it would have been had it been produced properly.
I guess that’s the price you pay for being punk?
“Intertube Tomorrow” is the best track on this record. The vocals are relaxed and the songs drips of attitude. It even starts out with the classic lyric “East coast west coast, I think I hate them both…” Solid record, solid band, and a good time to sit down and listen to the Frumpies.
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