BRUTALLIGATORS – Still Here – LP – ‘Grassy Green’ Marbled Vinyl [NOV 21]

LP – Limited Edition ‘Grassy Green’ Marbled Vinyl in printed poly-lined inner sleeve. Only 300 copies in this pressing.

A queer indie-punk love letter to learning to accept all that life throws at you, with big sing-along choruses and heart-on-sleeve lyrics about relationships, friendship and gender. Hitchin-based indie-punk 4 piece Brutalligators are back with their 2nd album, Still Here, a powerful, cathartic, and joyously loud collection of songs about survival, identity, and moving forward. From shout-along anthems to intimate confessions, the album explores grief, friendship, queer identity, aging, and that ever-complicated feeling of simply trying to exist.

Following 2021s This House is Too Big, This House is Too Small, the new record marks a sonic and emotional evolution for the band trading heartbreak and endings for resilience, and healing, bringing the raw energy of Brutalligators debut with more melodic moments, blending the indie punk of PUP and Menzingers with the cleaner indie sound of Future Teens and Weezer. Still Here is an album with the mantra of Im still here, and Im alive says vocalist/guitarist Luke Murphy (they/them). Looking at how me and my identity hasnt been accepted in the past, and focusing on the attitude of fuck you, I am who I am, this is what makes me me.

Theres plenty of positivity on Still Here too, Safe Haven and Giving Up are both completely heart-on-sleeve love letters to the life that we have now kind of spiritual sequels to Josie from the first record whereas Wrong Words is a similar vein to November 4, 2016 from the first EP, revelling in how awesome it is to have solid friendships.

The breadth of Still Here showcases the progression of Brutalligators as artists who have been grafting in the DIY scene for the past 8 years. Still Here and Get Better are flagbearers for the typical sound of the band, blending lyrics about queer acceptance with the energy and shout-along choruses that wear their influences of bands like Los Campesinos! and Iron Chic on their collective sleeve. However, Nice Try showcases the more restrained side of Brutalligators an ode to feeling stuck, that brings in influences like The Beths and Aarron West And The Roaring Twenties. Meanwhile, Wrong Words almost feels like an old Deftones track, with soaring screamed vocals and heavy, chunky rhythms driving the song forward and closing out the album.

Still Here is a proudly DIY project, largely recorded, produced, and mixed by drummer Rhys Kirkman – a return to the homegrown feel of early EP Animals I Wish Id Seen. Rich Mandell (Happy Accidents, Me Rex) recorded Hold Fast, allowing the light and shade to shine through with lush layers of synths, piano and organ, while Whats Next was engineered by Tom Hill (Modern Rituals, Muttering), whos got a real knack for capturing the energy of a track; Tom had recorded the debut Brutalligators album.

Brutalligators are: Luke Murphy – they/them (vocals/guitar), Paul Wade – he/him (guitar/backing vocals), Simo Lee – they/them (bass/backing vocals), Rhys Kirkman – he/him (drums/backing vocals).

Brutalligators started in late 2016 when Paul and Luke met for a coffee and discovered a mutual love of 90s and 00s emo and hardcore. Having been in various hardcore and emo bands throughout the 00s and 10s, they decided to try and write some songs together and Brutalligators was born. Simo and Rhys joined soon after, before they debuted at The Good Ship in Kilburn in 2017. They self-released their first EP Animals I Wish Id Seen in 2017, following with the second EP Friends I Wish Id Had in 2019 via Real Ghost Records. Their debut album This House is Too Big, This House is Too Small was released in 2021 on Beth Shalom Records, which Noizze commented that the album presents the band in their greatest, most intimate and most cathartic form. Since releasing This House is Too Big Brutalligators have been tearing up stages across the UK and Europe, supporting bands such as Fresh, Michael Cera Palin, Dikembe, Johnny Foreigner and Martha.

Luke and Paul also run the vinyl subscription server Nothing Sounds Good, spreading the word of DIY punk and indie around the UK. Luke is also a contributor to How To Make Friends, a DIY promotion collective that runs gigs across the UK, and hosts the How To Make Friends podcast, which interviews DIY bands about what it is to be a musician today. Paul also plays in the party-metal collective Needle in the Cross, and makes award-winning short films under Wade Bros Productions. Rhys performs solo folk-punk as Rhys Kirkman. We think Simo might be a fey creature that sustains themself on glitter and multi-sided dice, but we are unsure

Tracklist:

A1) Still Here
A2) Get Better
A3) Hold Fast
A4) Train Wreck
A5) Nice Try

B1) Whats Next
B2) Cant Sleep
B3) Safe Haven
B4) Wrong Words
B5) Giving Up