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| L-R: Ali, Madeline, Meghan, and Hanna |
Without a doubt one of my favorite bands, Tomboy has finally released their full-length EP. It is called Sweetie, and it features the title track which has been on their bandcamp since November of 2013, and a killer re-recording of the most powerful and classic "I'm In the Fucking Band" off of their other January 2013 6 song release of the same name. Everyone has been patiently awaiting another Tomboy release since the success and general love of their first EP. It was probably hard to get together, because even though Boston is Tomboy's home, these ladies live in Boston, D.C, and Canada. And these girls are busy, they all play in other bands and Madeline is an actress.
So sassy, so fierce. Tomboy is definitely made up of some of the coolest girls on the scene. Every song on their EP, I’m In the Fucking Band, is fantastic and catchy. Tomboy is the modern embodiment of the riot grrrls, and they are doing it right. As someone who deeply admires the riot grrls of the 90's, having someone right in front of me that has that same spirit is very inspiring. Their songs are so relevant to the challenges faced by today’s feminist. “I’m In the Fucking Band” is about their struggle of being at a show and everyone there thinking that they are just the girlfriends of some guy in a band, but Tomboy won’t take that. They are IN the FUCKING band and deserve your respect. Their garage rock has purpose. They take what makes them angry and turn it into something to dance to.
On Sweetie they tackle and conquer cat-callers, assholes, and relationships with dominance, grace, and wit. The sound of this album is just so strong, the fierceness and determination of Madeline's vocals carries the songs messages and themes. The rowdy drums and fuzz-strong guitar give them a sound similar to all of the strong female-lead rock bands of the nineties. These feminist are inspiring. On "Sweetie" they are calling some unknown figure out for treating them like some 2-D toy object. After they call him out and say "No!!" that is not what they are or what they are there for, they assert this with wicked lyrics such as "You call me sweetie/ but that's not what you mean/ 'look pretty with that smile'/ well, I think you're fucking vile." The songs may have some anger in them, but it's an anger that makes you dance, then when you are dancing you have fun, so the joke is really on any asshole that has ever wronged Tomboy. They are sort of an angry-pop that makes you have the time of your life. Then there is "Blue", the closing track that is perfectly swift and slower paced. It's beautifully written and simple, the smooth track ends album in impeccable standing. Every girl in the world should listen to Tomboy.
Check out my interview with Tomboy: https://bostonhassle.com/2014/11/interview-tomboy/
Also check out this awesome Tomboy artwork on Le Sigh: http://www.thelesigh.com/2015/04/stream-tomboy-sweetie.html
Buy the album through Ride the Snake: http://www.ridethesnakerecords.com/bark/tomboy-lp/
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