“I’m living in a brass bell and it’s too loud, too loud.”
Marissa Paternoster spits out the refrain from ‘Brass Bell’, the opening track of Desire Pathway, the latest album from Screaming Females, the New Brunswick, NJ three-piece rock’n’roll band. She is their guitarist and vocalist and for tonight, at least, she is living in the Brudenell and, yes, it is certainly very loud.
Joined by Jarrett Dougherty on drums and “King” Mike Abbate on bass, just as she has been for the past 18 years, Screaming Females are three songs into their set and they clearly mean business. They have already laid waste to ‘Ripe’ and ‘Foul Mouth’, the latter taken from their 2006 debut offering Baby Teeth, but it is ‘Brass Bell’‘ that signals a discernible shift in gear. The real power engages, the pace quickens, and the trio have lift off.
Three more tracks from Desire Pathway follow in relatively quick succession. ‘Desert Train’, ‘Mourning Dove’ , and a truly cathartic ‘Let You Go’ may all rise from the ashes of the ending of a relationship but they also affirm that Desire Pathway is unquestionably Screaming Females’ best album to date. Eighth in a noble line of records, it reflects the infinite wisdom of never fucking with the formula. Almost two decades back Screaming Females drew up a template for their sound, one informed by various strands of punk, rock, garage, grunge, and metal all stitched together with a DIY aesthetic. They have stayed true to this prototype over the years, making subtle changes along the way by bringing greater pop melody and finesse to their songs and playing, but the fundamental aesthetic of killer riffs and crashing rhythm still remains very much the same.
A closing salvo of three older songs, ‘End Of My Bloodline’, ‘Tell Me No’, and a truly thunderous ‘I’ll Make You Sorry’ captures just how much they have refined their technique without losing any of their unfettered sense of urgency and fearless attitude. When this year draws to a close, this show will almost certainly still be way up there as one of the best gigs of 2023.
Photos: Simon Godley
More photos from Screaming Females at Brudenell Social Club
