I woke up this morning face-down on my rug. You see, last night I discovered the new Taco Bell Cantina on Hillsborough Street (Raleigh). It’s a concept restaurant: a hyper-modern, small-scale version that serves alcohol. They stock Bacardi and Cuervo (two words: Tequila Freeze), as well as vodka, wine, and a small selection of beer. I speculated to myself as to how long it would be until someone gets kicked out of Boozy Bell. Turns out: not even as long as I thought. I was sitting at my barstool for maybe half an hour when a man walks up to the counter carrying a 12-pack over his shoulder, then, after failing to coerce the cashier into selling him a full bottle of tequila, gets angry. The manager was not amused and ushered the man out. But it’s still heaven. I will be visiting the Cantina as often as possible before its inevitable shutdown. It’s the Taco Bell that we need, but not the Taco Bell that we deserve.
Anyways, it was pointless to lay around hung over on a beautiful Sunday morning, so I walk outside for some fresh air. I go to my car, roll up the glass, roll up the grass, and prepare to relax with Fresh Cut, the debut EP by BANGZZ.
“Pretty Is A Trap” comes crashing in with Blair’s punchy percussion and Erika’s shout-from-the-rooftop vocals. It shares a few highlights of the experience of being a woman: being subject to sexist and harassing behavior simply for looking feminine, being ignored for not looking feminine, and the ages-old scenario of men only listening to you when they want sex.
I remember hearing “Big Ol’ Dicks” when I saw BANGZZ at Manifest III. Screaming along with “NO! MORE! DICKS! IN! THIS! HOUSE!!” is glorious. I’d make it my motto. I’d have it printed on a welcome mat. But in all seriousness, “Big Ol’ Dicks” is about mansplainers and how badly they need to get the heck out. The closer, “I Just Cannot”, was the standout song for me, with a snarling riff and thundering drums. Its slight grunginess is noticeably different from the preceding 5 tracks, but I’m all for it.
The EP covers topics ranging from bad boyfriends to society’s view on marriage to the meaning of consent, and BANGZZ tells it like it is. It’s worth listening to at max volume–which I did, on repeat, hangover be damned! Fresh Cut was recorded by Emily Musolino at Blue Moose Studios in Durham, NC, and mixed, mastered, and rendered by the BANGZZ duo themselves.
Featured image is Fresh Cut album cover courtesy of BANGZZ.
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