Since 2013's Hell Bent, Potty Mouth has slimmed down from a four-piece to a trio, but their hooky punk songs are actually bigger-sounding than ever. The textural upgrade is at least partly related to their time spent in Seattle with Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney engineer John Goodmanson, who helped record Potty Mouth, a new five-song EP that comes out August 21st via the girls' own imprint, Planet Whatever Records. On first listen, "Cherry Picking," which happens to share its name with one of my favorite songs of the year, the guitars are heavier and the vocals are brighter. Abby Weems brooding snarl is intact, as are the smartly written lyrics about her day-to-day existence; according to the singer, the idea for "Cherry Picking" came after watching comedian Chelsea Peretti's Netflix special "for like the 5th time."
“She has this bit about internet stalking people and wondering if her life would be better if parts of it were more like other people's lives, which I think is a really interesting thing these days with so much debate about authenticity, especially with artists," Weems told The FADER over email. "I think people put a lot of stake in the legitimacy of bands as a collective, and project a singular image/brand on them. Some people are really good at that, they've totally got their shit down and it works, but I know for me personally that's been a weird struggle because people expected our band to fit into this riot grrl revival type thing, and that's just not us at all."
Potty Mouth EP track listing:
1. “Cherry Picking”
2. “Creeper Weed”
3. “The Bomb”
4. “Long Haul”
5. “Truman Show”
Tour dates:
9/21/15 - Allston [Boston], MA @ Great Scott
9/22/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
9/23/15 - New Haven, CT @ BAR
9/24/15 - Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium
For more, read The FADER's GEN F profile on Potty Mouth.