Rambling preamble
Growing up in the 90s, and particularly as a fan of alt-rock, it was easy to form a skewed view of gender roles in the music scene. The third wave of feminism had gained prominence through the arrival of the Riot Grrrl movement which, spearheaded by Bikini Kill, coincided with both a greater number of bands featuring prominent female musicians in their ranks (Sonic Youth, Swans, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt, L7, the Breeders, Belly, Pixies, Elastica, etc.), as well as male artists who openly discussed feminist issues and misogyny – including Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder. From the outside, it was easy to believe that change was coming.
Unfortunately, as the recent report into sexism in the music industry demonstrated, the seedy underbelly of any commercial activity can tolerate a remarkable amount of opposition, while barely making any changes beyond the surface. The 90s are now as far away from the present generation as the 60s were from gen X, and it makes harrowing reading to discover that in 2024, women in the industry still face “limitations in opportunity, a lack of support, gender discrimination and sexual harassment and assault as well as the persistent issue of unequal pay in a sector dominated by self-employment and gendered power imbalances”.
Naively, you wonder how it’s possible; but of course, the same structures – hell, the same people – still hold sway in an industry that was always set up to be top-heavy. Which is absolutely not to diminish the very real achievements of trailblazing artists such as Kim Gordon, Lydia Lunch, and Jarboe – they kicked down doors as far as the industry of the time allowed, and faced incredible opposition as they did it.
The reason for these musings is the arrival of The Baby Seals’ debut album, Chaos. A feminist punk band, The Baby Seals are devastatingly honest, brutally articulate, and musically ferocious. For sure, you can simply slam the record on the deck and feel the adrenalin rush of a great band firing on all cylinders. However, given the sometimes uncomfortable narrative that emerges from the brilliantly on-point lyrics (in particular Mild Misogynist and album closer It’s Not About The Money, Honey), it is difficult not to contemplate the climate in which the band has emerged.
Versions
Trapped Animal (the same label responsible for the recent and brilliant Headswim live album) have a done a great job of bringing The Baby Seals to the world. Ignoring the download (because digital editions just aren’t fun), you can opt for a CD digi pack, red vinyl (reviewed here), a deluxe neon version, which is also signed, and even a superfan bundle, featuring CD, Vinyl, t shirt, and postcard. For our money, the vinyl is the way to go, partly because it includes the lyrics, but also because the album just feels made for the format, even benefitting for a touch of crackle, although it should be noted that the red pressing is absolutely clean and crackle free in the first instance.
TLDR? Here’s the review…
The Baby Seals have a remarkable gift for roaming across the shocking, the mundane, and the piercingly observational in their lyrics – sometimes all within the same song. While their songs have a point to make, they’re also open, honest, and often very funny (see: vibrator). The album kicks off with Yawn Porn, a devastating riposte to the overly sexualised lyrics of the pop world, highlighting the banality of pornography’s ultimate goal, while skewering any attempts to beautify it. Short, sharp, and with a satirical eyebrow raised, it’s one hell of an introduction to both the album and the band, drawing inspiration from the garage punk of The Hives, the melodic nous of The Undertones, and the tightly wound indie-punk of Elastica’s still-untouchable debut. Next up, the Buzzcocks rush of Id’d At Aldi finds Kerry contemplating the spark of joy that comes from being ID’d, despite the emerging grey hairs and unfortunate selection of medication lining her cabinet. It’s a juxtaposition to which few would admit, and a perfect example of how the band engage the everyday in order to make their point. Conversely, Vibrator latches on to the mundanity of sex found in the world of Arab Strap, only with self-loathing supplanted by joy, as the song celebrates masturbation in all its forms.
As much as the band’s high energy is engaging, what sets the album apart are gems like the title track, a slow-paced mini epic built around a dusty riff that recalls the beauty of Bee and Flower, before layering some brilliantly skronky art rock noise over it all. It’s something of a masterpiece, and it leaves the listener mesmerised as the first side spins to a halt.
The Baby Seals open side B with the overloaded amp hum and tribal toms of Invisible Woman, the dirtiest and hardest track yet, which the band deliver with raw firepower. It’s followed by the gloriously titled My Labia’s Lopsided But I Don’t Mind, which offers a cheery wave in the direction of the Ramones, as the band somehow carve the title into one of the catchiest choruses the album has to offer. With its predecessor devolving into screaming amp noise, Mild Misogynist is a straight up garage rocker with dizzying lyrics that sound like they’re pulled straight from Kerry’s diary. Drawing from the same well of inspiration as ID’d At Aldi, Nipple Hair is another briskly-sketched observation, before the band wrap it all up with the slow, reflective It’s Not About The Money, Honey. Similar to Chaos, it takes its time to build, providing the album with a memorable closer, both musically, and with the stinging final lyric: “It’s not about the money, honey, we just want the same”, which rings out just as the guitars trail away in one last defiant squall of feedback.
Really, you skipped all the way to the end?
There have been a spate of releases sent in SonicAbuse’s direction recently that hark back to both punk and grunge, and you have to wonder if, in this era of autotune and placing everything on the grid, people aren’t starting to crave an authenticity that has been slowly airbrushed out of the mainstream. Whatever the reason, it’s awesome, and The Baby Seals are a perfect example of a band who have put their hearts and souls into making an album that has musical and emotional resonance. Built around the hardcore creed that, if you’ve got something to say, you need to scream it, this is an album with a powerful message, and plenty of musical muscle to back it up. Don’t hesitate – grab a copy of Chaos now – you can thank me later. 9.5/10
