After the year women around the world experienced in 2018, we are in desperate need of hardcore punk feminist anthems, and the Klackers’ self-titled album brings us exactly that.
It’s the type of album that one can listen to while wearing combat boots and riding on fast motorcycles. And it’s the type of album one listens to while smashing the patriarchy and/or the glass ceiling…your choice.
The five-member, all-women band based in Moncton, New Brunswick and composed of Shannon Goguen, Sammy Klacker, Julie Daigle, Dylan Hackett and Emily Wiliston brings powerful energy to the shortest days of the year. Released on December 28th, their debut album is filled with powerful feminine rock and roll.
The first thirty seconds of the album start slow, but from then on it’s full steam ahead with in-your-face anthems. The Klackers ask, “Will you be my ride or die?” in their first track, and should we accept their offer, they take us on a journey through past lovers and even pregnancy with gusto.
The aesthetic is purely garage punk rock, driven forward by fast-paced drum beats, aggressive electric guitar and simple keyboard melodies.
But even though the melodies are simple, they will be in your head for hours. It’s a throwback to that edgy punk phase many went through during those teen years.
The album sings of topics that are all too real for many women today. It speaks about the struggle of men mistaking human decency for flirting, of the apathy of some boyfriends and boys who think they’re too cool.
The album even features a song titled “No Means No,” their own response to the #MeToo movement. But it also speaks of a rocker girl’s life, partying late and traveling the road in “Ride or Die” and “Jeanie B. Rockin’.”
“It’s kind of taking leftover teenage angst and transforming it into something that can be exciting for people to listen to,” says Shannon Goguen, the lead singer of the group.
“It’s music to trash your ex’s apartment to or even eat some doughnuts.”
Either way, gather the women in your life for this album.