A Raw Youth is the third album by Mexican band Le Butcherettes, released on September 18, 2015 via Ipecac Recordings[2]

A Raw Youth
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2015
Recorded2015
GenrePunk rock, indie rock
Length41:18
LabelRodriguez Lopez Productions, Ipecac[1]
ProducerOmar Rodríguez-López
Le Butcherettes chronology
Cry Is for the Flies
(2014)
A Raw Youth
(2015)
bi/MENTAL
(2019)
Singles from A Raw Youth
  1. "Shave the Pride"
    Released: October 30, 2015[2]

Lyrics and themes

edit

The album examines themes of personal and social oppression.[3]

"Shave the Pride" originated as a diatribe against Gender Bender's bearded lover hiding behind "masses of hair". After rewrites, the song's "outrage and frustration" became directed against society's "unwillingess to view all perceptions of [a] story... hiding behind the mass media."[4]

"La Uva” uses a symbol of a grape to represent "a fragile being that can be stepped on. But, the ink from its body stains and is seen by other people."[3] It was originally recorded by Bosnian Rainbows, but remained unreleased. The studio version by Le Butcherettes samples the Bosnian Rainbows version.[5]

"Sold Less Than Gold" was partially inspired by Gender Bender's trip to Iran. According to her, "the song was written with women from the Middle East in mind - women that were being sold from their family to strangers. Being raped and mutilated."[3] It's about "women (...) sold into marriages or into sex slavery and how resilient their spirits are.”[6]

"The Hitch Hiker" plays out a call-and-response between a hitchhiker and the man who picks her up. The situation escalates into kidnapping and murder.[6]

"My Half" deals with "finding closure with the loss of an unjust death."[7]

Reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Consequence of SoundB−[6]

A Raw Youth received generally favorable reviews.[8]

Consequence of Sound's Karen Gwee wrote that the album "marks Le Butcherettes’ triumphant entrance to the mainstream rock arena, accomplished with no compromise to their identity."[6]

Track listing

edit

All music and lyrics written by Teri Gender Bender.

No.TitleLength
1."Shave the Pride"2:37
2."My Mallely"3:37
3."Reason to Die Young"3:41
4."La Uva" (feat. Iggy Pop)3:34
5."Sold Less Than Gold"2:01
6."Stab My Back"4:09
7."They Fuck You Over"2:19
8."Witchless C Spot"3:58
9."The Hitch Hiker"2:48
10."Lonely & Drunk"3:44
11."Oil the Shoe If the Critter Knew Any Better"4:11
12."My Half" (feat. John Frusciante)4:39
Total length:41:18

Personnel

edit

Le Butcherettes[10]

  • Teri Gender Bender - vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Chris Common - drums
  • Jamie Aaron Aux - bass

Additional musicians[10]

Production[10]

  • Omar Rodríguez-López - producer
  • Jon DeBaun, Joe Galdo & Hart Gunter - engineering
  • Chris Common - engineering, mixing and mastering
  • Mackie Osborne - design and layout

References

edit
  1. ^ Young, Alex (June 15, 2015). "Le Butcherettes team with John Frusciante and Iggy Pop for new album". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Ipecac Artists: Le Butcherettes". Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c John Gentile. "Le Butcherettes Turn Oppression And Pain Into Mosh-Worthy Songs". MTV. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  4. ^ Katie Presley. "Song Premiere: Le Butcherettes, 'Shave The Pride'". NPR. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Bosnian Rainbows - LP2 Leaked Tracks (FULL ALBUM)" – via www.youtube.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Karen Gwee. "Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  7. ^ Carlos Dennis. "Interview: Le Butcherettes". Retrieved 9 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ a b "A Raw Youth by Le Butcherettes". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  9. ^ Thom Jurek. "Le Butcherettes A Raw Youth". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "Le Butcherettes A Raw Youth Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 December 2015.