Cardiff-based youthful noisepop five-piece Joanna Gruesome will be releasing their awaited debut album Weird Sister via Fortuna POP! (Europe) and Slumberland (USA) in September. This album sees their first foray away from recording in a living room to a proper studio under the guidance of producer MJ of the much lauded Hookworms. Listen to the rather marvelous lead single ‘Secret Surprise’ below.
Awash with nods to mental illness and the dark recesses of the mind, the record is littered with references to the devil or zombies and allusions to comic books. “Secret Surprise” is a song where mental illness takes a physical form and is fought using razor blades.
“Kicking it against sexism and homophobia, nothing is off-limits, drawing inspiration from DIY scenes such as Riot Grrrl/noisepop/C86 /K-Records as well as post hardcore like Drive Like Jehu/Converge and the art rock of The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine, Joanna Gruesome offer a staggeringly diverse album, unexpectedly quiet and surprisingly loud.”
