Bratakus – Hagridden

Not sure if this is factually correct as I’ve trawled through everything I can find or know about Bratakus, but the release of ‘Hagridden’ will only be the bands second album in 9 years, the last being their debut ‘Target Grrrl’ back in 2017. Strange as it seems I did this checking because when I first wandered into the realms of reviewing, that was one of the first albums/artists I’d had thrown at me by the then editor of Backseat Mafia, I’ll never forget just how good it felt to hear this much rage and noise from a duo who meant every single word and the thrash of a guitar and bass set up. The only thing that you might have felt a little bit cheated on was the drum machine backing, but boy you never felt that would hold them back, and yes this latest offering sets this straight, a live skin bashing to back up a slab of anarchic wonderment does wonders for your musical life that’s for sure.

So how do you even begin to bring this new album into words, with great difficulty believe me!, this album is just as of its moment as their debut, it comes in at a time when the world feels on a knife edge, a time when the women of the world need to punch back at everything that’s happening to undermine years of fight, and takes no prisoners in the process.  ‘Final Girl’ which was released as a single opens up the salvo, no points for guessing how this one thrashes the ass of those who think they will ever surrender.

I could spend all day sifting through every single song on this album and giving you some kind of moronic drivel as to how it smashes down boundaries. How it rages at the patriarchal ineptness that’s holding everything back, the way it snarls at the butchers of what it means to be human, and just how being compassionate means bringing a sledgehammer to the system that protects the wealthy few from the many. But why do this when all it takes is a set of class lines like “We won’t be tokened! We won’t be broken!”,  “There’s no such thing as a real man — shut up and die!”, “I am not a piece of meat, I am somebody!” , and “We are not your final girls, we won’t follow all your rules,” all this within an album full of slashing guitar and bedevilled bass.  My only other word to the wise would be to get your lugs round ‘Drowning’ and tell me you weren’t fucking moved, damn that track is a thing of beautiful hell.

If you have never listened to or heard of Bratakus, then this is your moment, go grasp it and be ready for a ride you’ll never fucking forget. Hagridden is out via Venn Records on Friday 13th February, you can find Bratakus on Facebook and Bandcamp.