South London sibling duo PUNCHBAG today announce their debut EP ‘I’m Not Your Punchbag’ out 2 May via Mute. The announcement follows last month’s buzzy debut single ‘Fuck It’ which was released alongside an eye-catching video directed by Joe Gainsborough, introducing the duo with a grand wash of entrancing synths and piercing beats. The EP’s title track, new single ‘I’m Not Your Punchbag’ is a combative cut of razor-sharp pop that offers a message of defiance.
“It comes from a ‘harmless’ small remark made to me at a dinner table once that really cut deep,” says Clara. “From this small seed, if you like, the song grew into a kind of anthem for fighting back – a refusal to let people dump their shit on you.” It was after writing it that they realised that ‘PUNCHBAG’ made a good band name too. “This song helps explain the band name and our ethos,” Clara continues. “It’s something to scream along to; a perfect therapy. ‘Don’t take it out on me, bitch!’”
Swinging between dizzying extremes, where unapologetically sugar-sweet pop hooks clash with radical leftfield production, PUNCHBAG (consisting of Clara and Anders Bach) are a compelling proposition. Whispers of PUNCHBAG’s knock-out live performances have been growing in volume since they played their first show in the spring of 2024. Colliding the raw unfiltered energy of punk with the overflowing ecstasy of pop, from the off they demonstrated an uncanny skill for commanding a crowd. “We take it seriously,” says Clara. “We’ve thought about it a lot, and it was important that from the first time we performed it was fully formed. We’re Virgos. We’re perfectionists.”
Punchbag Live Dates
March
29 Bristol, Ritual Union Festival
May
15-16 Brighton, The Great Escape Festival
24 The Hague (NL), Sniester Festival
June
14 Bergen (NO), Bergenfest
July
17 Kristiansand (NO), Ravnedalen Festival
19 Nordfjordeid (NO) Malakoff Festival
August
15-16 Trondheim (NO), Pstereo Festival
29 Tromsø (NO), Rakettnatt Festival
For more information on Punchbag please check their instagram and tiktok.
