This band is probably my favorite music discovery for 2014.
As soon as I saw MANNEQUIN PUSSY on Twitter, I clicked on their profile. Maybe I’m weird for being intrigued by the words “mannequin” & “pussy” but whatever, it happened. I didn’t even read their bio or any tweets before I hit the follow button but eventually, after stalking them, I learned that they’re a band.
Then I went to SoundCloud & I learned that they’re a really cool band (-:
Mannequin Pussy is made up of 2 pussies & 1 man: Marisa, Kaleen, & Thanasi. Marisa is the band’s vocalist and plays guitar alongside Thanasi while Kaleen kicks ass on drums.
When I first was in search of Mannequin Pussy’s music I looked them up on SoundCloud. At the time I was only really able to find live performances & I completely loved it. I’m a huge fan of Marisa’s voice, her voice is ultimately what made me decide to keep listening. I love female vocals in ~”alternative”~ music & I’m really happy that this has become more common within punk. I personally love really grungy & rough voices, something more garage punk rather than like pop punk. *SIDENOTE* I hate labeling genres because some asshole who thinks they’re a professional at classifying genres always wants to come & make an argument out of it. Like shut up, you’re annoying, I don’t care, shut up. Ultimately we listen to sounds we like, if you lock yourself in genre boxes then I don’t know. I’m sorry you do that to yourself.
Anyways, I love Mannequin Pussy. Simple sounds, simple lyrics, it’s what my idea of Punk is. A lot of people don’t give Punk credit just because the lyrics aren’t “meaningful” or because it’s not composed of ornate piano riffs. Punk music is kinda mindless & that’s one of the best things about it. In my opinion, Punk is self expression in the simplest & rawest forms as far as music goes. As far as Punk and Mannequin Pussy, they nailed it. Marisa is completely fearless with her vocals, I love every yell & whisper that comes out of my speaker. Thanasi fills the room with classic Punk sounds on the guitar and other sounds that seem like they could’ve possibly been inspired from surf music. Then there’s Kaleen who I envy. If I could play any instrument it would definitely be the drums so I have a lot of respect for female drummers & Kaleen. I had mentioned earlier that female vocals in Punk has become more of a common thing. However, girls on drums are still pretty rare I feel. So yeah, Kaleen is pretty kick ass. I have tons of respect for Mannequin Pussy, I love what they’re doing. Their following is expanding & I can’t wait to see what will happen to them in the near future. I definitely plan on seeing them the first chance I get.
“Terror, No!” & “Pissdrinker” are my favs off of the Gypsy Pervert LP. I also really love the guitar in “Clit Eastwood”. Mannequin Pussy is with Tiny Engines & Rarebit Records. You can find Gypsy Pervert, their first LP, on their BandCamp along with demos and a compilation.
P U S S Y P O W E R
Mannequin Pussy’s BandCamp – Tiny Engines SoundCloud
Mannequin Pussy’s Facebook – Mannequin Pussy’s Twitter
Featured images thanks to Walter Wlodarczyk & Mannequin Pussy’s BandCamp.