ALBUM REVIEW: The Sewer Cats – Cute Aggression (TNSRecords)
The Sewer Cats are an explosive garage-punk duo from Manchester who are gaining quite a following in the DIY punk scene, and this is their debut album.
It’s only their third release, after a self-released demo in 2019 and the debut EP Zelda on Hell Hath No Fury Records the following year.
Cute Aggression is a clear step forward in terms of songwriting, musicianship and production, but there’s no let-up in their caustic delivery.
Their songs are short, sharp and to the point; only two of the 12 tracks here exceed the three-minute mark, but they pack a mean punch.
Written during lockdown, Cute Aggression sees the band fusing classic garage punk and riot grrrl with dashes of hardcore, atmospheric post-rock, and emo.
Vocalist and drummer Cass is the alpha character in The Sewer Cats, howling and yowling out her words and keeping the beat while guitarist Josh lays down riff after fuzz-drenched riff.
Their songs are short, sharp and to the point; only two of the 12 tracks here exceed the three-minute mark, but they pack a mean punch.
They add their voice to the growing women’s rights movement and having their say on the morass that Britain has sunk into under Tory rule.
Furious opener Answer The Question takes a swipe at obfuscating MPs, while Shit In Your Hands And Clap calls out the gesture politics of a weekly round of applause for the NHS rather than properly funding and staffing it.
English Spaghetti is a takedown of the sort of little Englanders who voted for Brex-shit, while the patriarchy is the target of their ire in Sausage Fest and Delia (“I’ll never be your wife, because you shut me down”).
The highpoint of the album comes midway through side two with the glorious one-two of the sarcastic Can’t Quit You Now, with its squalling guitar, and What Do I Know About Men, which pleads – no, demands, “call me by my name!”.
Elsewhere, My Dark One and Five Minutes both offer a change of pace, starting slowly, but exploding into righteous anger, and the album closes on a high with another of its standout moments, the title track.
Cute Aggression is full of changes in pace, tone and mood, and just when you think you’ve sussed what The Sewer Cats are about they throw something different into the mix, which is what makes this such an enjoyable album. 8/10.
- Cute Aggression is available on vinyl, CD and all streaming platforms. You can get it from TNSRecords HERE or Bandcamp HERE.
