Album Review: Petrol Girls – 'Cut & Stitch'
Petrol Girls release their highly ambitious sophomore album Cut & Stitch.
The first thing that comes to mind when listening to Catch & Stitch is that Petrol Girls have approached their album with a high amount of ambition. And I believe they have pulled it off. There is the emo/hardcore punk influence that was popular in the 00s, however this does not seem outdated or silly. Petrol Girls have more in common in with Gallows than Paramore. Holy shit can vocalist Ren scream! She will put any male vocalist to the shame in a scream-off, and I think Frank Carter would be impressed by her ability.
But the Gallows vibe doesn’t end there. Cut & Stitch could very well be the Grey Britain of now. Petrol Girls have created a piece of art here for three reasons: each song on the album flow into one another perfectly; the inclusion of an intro track and three interlude tracks; and Petrol Girls beyond just writing some songs – they include spoken word/poetry parts. All the songs are about modern society and how we interact and deal with it. Cut & Stitch is a concept album in that sense.
Cut & Stitch is a fine album. The singles that have previously been released (‘The Sound’ and ‘Big Mouth’) and the music video release of ‘Weather Warning’ will give you an idea as to what Petrol Girls are about. But you will have to listen to the album to truly appreciate their craftsmanship. Stand out track ‘No Love for a Nation’ features a cool and guitar solo. It’s probably the most radio-friendly song you would hear from them. Well, maybe until the screams!
Words by Matthew Brocklehurst
PETROL GIRLS ON TOUR:
MAY
27 - Rough Trade Instore, Nottingham
28 - Rough Trade Instore, Bristol
29 - Rough Trade Instore, London East
31 - New Cross Inn, London (w/ War on Women)
JUN
01 - Hell Hath No Fury Fest, Manchester
03 - Autonomour Space, Glasgow (w/ War on Women)
04 - Red Rum, Stafford (w/ War on Women)
05 - The Cavern, Exeter (w/ War on Women)
07 - Magasin 4, Brussels BE (w/ War on Women)
09 - Booze Cruise, Hamburg DE
10 - Bei Chez Heinz, Hannover DE (w/ War on Women)
11 - Underdogs, Prague CR (w/ War on Women)
12 - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden DE (w/ War on Women)
13 - AJZ Bahndamm, Wermelskirchen DE (w/ War on Women)
14 - Jugendhaus West, Stuttgart DE (w/ War on Women)
15 - Gibus Club, Paris FR (w/ War on Women)
16 - Le Farmer, Lyon FR (w/ War on Women)
18 - Dynamo Werk 21, Zurich CH (w/ War on Women)
19 - EKH, Vienna AT (w/ War on Women)
20 - Kapu, Linz AT (w/ War on Women)
21 - Glockenbachwerkstatt (w/ War on Women)
22 - Bollwerk 107, Moers (w/ War on Women)
28 - Trabendo - Paris, France (w/ La Dispute)
29 - Carlswerk Victoria - Cologne, Germany (w/ La Dispute)
30 - Gorilla - Manchester, United Kingdom (w/ La Dispute)
JUL
01 - Saint Luke's - Glasgow, United Kingdom (w/ La Dispute)
02 - Electric Brixton - London, United Kingdom (w/ La Dispute)
05 - Astra - Berlin - Berlin, Germany (w/ La Dispute)
06 - Roskilde Festival
07 - Conne Island - Leipzig, Germany (w/ La Dispute)
08 - Schlachthof - Wiesbaden, Germany (w/ La Dispute)
09 - Legend Club - Milan, Italy (w/ La Dispute)
11 - 2000Trees Festival, Cheltenham UK
13 - Kliko Fest, Haarlem, NL