The Menstrual Cramps Sign To Alcopop! Records & Release New Single “Body Politics”

Bristol, UK based punk band The Menstrual Cramps have announced that they have signed to Alcopop! Records and have today revealed their storming new single, Body Politics. The single is paired with an evocative throwback video filmed at Dixon Road Studios that conjures up vocalist Emilia Elfrida‘s experiences of growing up in the early 2000s. It’s a look at the gender stereotypes that were rife at that time in our magazines, TV, books, advertising, schooling systems, clothes, parents and peers.

Based on American philosopher Judith Butler‘s idea of gender performativity from her book Gender Trouble, Elfrida explains that the song is about “how gender constructs are forced upon us all, how capitalism reinforces gender stereotypes to benefit the patriarchal structure that thrives under it, and the need for true gender liberation in society. It’s also more personally about my own journey and relationship with my gender being very fluid. The list could go on! I wanted the video to be a kind of letter to my younger self, who didn’t have the vocabulary to express everything they felt in their messy teenage brain at the time, and had minimal queer people in the media to look up to. The music video is a loop, so the end of the music video is also the start of the music video my younger self watches when turning on the TV in the bedroom. Metaphorically, it’s letting myself become who I wanted to be, or finally being happy with who I am—being inspired by myself to relive my younger years with that expressive freedom. It was important for us to keep this video a personal project, but we invited three other queer people from our local scene to help us with the music video,” say the band, crediting Executive Assistant, Cheri Clouds (she/they), Videographer and Editor, Dory Valentine (they/them), and Stylist, Laurie Cousins (he/him).