Girl at the Rock Shows

Seeing and hearing young bands is one of my favorite things. They have so much to prove and nothing to lose, leading to rawer performances and more heart-on-sleeve styled songs. When Petrichor reached out to me and mentioned that the members of this band ranged in age from 13 to 15, my heart fluttered. Although they gave me a description of their overall sound, I didn’t pay attention to it. I already knew I didn’t care what kind of music they played; I was in love, if only because these young kids were out there and doing it. They were going through the grind, trudging through the trenches of DIY life, and I was just honored to be a small part of it by reviewing the release.

The opening track, “Chip,” as suspected, instantly won over my heart. It instantly screams Bikini Kill angst with a childlike wonder behind it. That childlike wonder element is only amplified when you catch onto the fact that this song is about Neverland. Okay, it’s not really about Neverland but more about “Exploring the lure and false promises of Neverland” (their words, not mine). I love how that brings a sense of innocence to this song, but how the overall style of this track and the rawness of the recording really drive home the idea of the “false promises of Neverland.” Although the recording is a bit rough, it just adds to the charm, and I honestly hope it’s something that remains throughout this entire EP.

“PPP” is a bit more dark and twisty than “Chip,” which I feel shows that, although made up of legit children, Petrichor has seen enough in their young lives to have some real angst to put into wax. They call this song a “Horror Pop stream of consciousness,” and, although I couldn’t understand all of the words of this song, the overall feeling of this four-minute-long track matches that sentiment. This song booms and crashes in all of the right ways while deep vocals string you along a tale of menacing times. I know it goes without saying, but kids who are teenagers right now have been through the gamut already, what with the pandemic and the state of politics, and I like how we get a raw look at what that has done to an entire generation through this song.

“A Post-Capitalist Retelling of the Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe” is just that, A late-Capitalist retelling of “The Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe,” and it’s perfect. How this band picked this nursery rhyme to reinterpret is beyond me, but it fits so well. It makes for the perfect retelling, the perfect story that is as relatable as it is bizarre, but oddly fits the times we live in. This track is only two and a half minutes long, so it’s a quickie, but I love that the band is able to put a whole story into this track, along with continuing to lay out their no-frills, DIY punk sound and style.

Okay, I feel bad that I keep stealing the band’s own descriptions of their songs, but when it comes to “X Marks the Spot,” the final track on this quick EP, I can’t resist. As they put it, this final song is about “Reveling in the excesses of Grey’s Anatomy plotlines because in this geopolitical climate, why not?” I mean, they’re right… Why not? As a former Grey’s Anatomy junkie, I couldn’t help but laugh at this whole idea of a song and wonder if it’s really the backstory on this track, but as the song played through, I didn’t care anymore. All I cared about was getting more of Petrichor’s signature sound. The punk angst with a DIY vibe and a very whimsical sound that told me this band has everything to prove, nothing to lose, but, at the same time, really doesn’t care what you think about them. Petrichor is doing music on their terms with their resources and their heart, and that’s all that matters.

Tl;dr: This self-titled EP from Petrichor is as charming as it is playful. Although there’s a whimsical feeling behind this entire release (especially when you figure out that the members are so dang young), there’s also a fierce statement behind this piece of art. Petrichor may just be getting started and may have a lot to learn out there, but between this EP and the fact that they just finished a small DIY-styled tour, I think it’s safe to say that this band is going to age like a very, very fine wine.

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