Weekly Release Spotlight: The Coathangers

Posted on 5/24/2009

The Coathangers

Scramble

[Suicide Squeeze]

It sounds like a familiar scenario – four friends decide to start a band on a whim, quickly learn their instruments, play a few shows and record an album. But this is only where Atlanta-based four-piece The Coathangers’ story begins. These ladies (Julia Kugel, Stephanie Luke, Candice Jones and Meredith Franco - better known as Crook Kid, Minnie, Rusty and Bebe Coathanger) consider themselves an unbreakable unit. Cliché as it may sound, they are a sisterhood. No travelling pants here; just an unwavering loyalty and dedication to their art - and to each other.

Pinpointing the sound of their debut full-length, Scramble, is difficult. There’s a temptation to automatically lump them in with other all-female bands, the Bikini Kills and Sleater-Kinneys of the world. You could judge them all you want on their tattoos and piercings, but these women will still refuse to fit nicely into anyone’s “four girls who can actually play their instruments” box. The Coathangers go beyond these easy reference points to create a genre-defying sound all their own. They combine jagged rhythms, sometimes sloppy guitar work, movie samples and vocals that range from raspy to screaming to squeaky. Call-and-response style lyrics, especially on “Bury Me” and “Time Passing,” evoke another Riot Grrrl touchstone band, Huggy Bear. Some songs, like “Sonic You,” are actually quite pretty and even border on ethereal.

Scramble definitely lives up to its name. The songs are haphazard and spontaneous, and vary tremendously. Kugel has even said, “Every song is an art project, a starting over, a Scramble.” It’s a refreshing sound, and one that has an enormous amount of potential. What else can we expect from The Coathangers? The future looks promising.

Stream: The Coathangers - Stop Stomp Stompin'

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The Coathangers are playing at Big V's on Monday, June 22nd, with The Vignettes. They’ll also be performing LIVE on Radio K June 22 at 4:00p

Written by Dana Raidt, Radio K volunteer.