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 | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, indie rock | |||
| Length | 41:18 | |||
| Label | Rodriguez Lopez Productions, Ipecac[1] | |||
| Producer | Omar Rodríguez-López | |||
| Le Butcherettes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Raw Youth | ||||
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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
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Consequence of Sound | B−[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. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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]
- Iggy Pop - guest vocals on "La Uva"
- John Frusciante - guitar & synth bass on "My Half"
- Deantoni Parks - verse drums on "La Uva"
- Marcel Rodríguez-López - percussion & bass (Moog) synth on "Stab My Back" and "Lonely & Drunk"
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
- ^ Young, Alex (June 15, 2015). "Le Butcherettes team with John Frusciante and Iggy Pop for new album". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ a b "Ipecac Artists: Le Butcherettes". Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ a b c John Gentile. "Le Butcherettes Turn Oppression And Pain Into Mosh-Worthy Songs". MTV. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ Katie Presley. "Song Premiere: Le Butcherettes, 'Shave The Pride'". NPR. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Bosnian Rainbows - LP2 Leaked Tracks (FULL ALBUM)" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ a b c d Karen Gwee. "Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ Carlos Dennis. "Interview: Le Butcherettes". Retrieved 9 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "A Raw Youth by Le Butcherettes". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ Thom Jurek. "Le Butcherettes A Raw Youth". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ a b c "Le Butcherettes A Raw Youth Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 December 2015.