G.L.O.S.S.

Demo (2015)

AnarchoPunk

G.L.O.S.S. hail from Olympia, Washington although a few of the members spent time in Boston and got their legs in local outfits like Parasol, Peeple Watchin’, and Baja Blatz. But, most importantly they are femme, they are queer, they are trans and they are pissed.

I’m not one to overreach in my statements, but this may be one of the best Punk Demos of the year, right outta’ the gate. This five song EP is expectedly a bit one note, but that single note is filled with raw emotion that adds so much grit and realism that your face will be melting a few seconds into the first song. This group has it’s act together in a way that you don’t see in most demos, especially in the hardcore category.

If you were to close your eyes and just listen to the music without paying attention to the words, you would think this was an ordinary thrash/hardcore punk act. However, the real beauty of the album comes to the forefront when you throw the lyrics on top of the shredding guitars and tight D-Beats, you get a whole new experience. The anger and contentiousness that are embedded within the lyrics can only come from years of being ridiculed and looked down on for having the audacity to not compromise your sense of self. This recurring theme is most prevalent in the final track, “Targets of Men” with the lyrics, "You follow me around/Catcall from behind, see my face and cut me down/’Tranny’ /’Shemale’/’Faggot’/’Whore’/But I'm a flawless bitch and you're a fucking bore."

Another vitally important take away from this thirty minute debut offering is that it’s genuine, not gimmicky as other trans bands are accused of being. At no point did I feel like I was being preached to, just unfiltered, white knuckled honesty. My favorite song on the album is “Lined Lips and Spiked Bats” which not only is a kick ass song title, but also illustrates the brutal honesty perfectly, "They told us to die but We chose to live/Straight America you won't ruin me!/Sick American Dream/Combating the crap/Bad girls have each other’s backs/Lined lips/Spiked bats/Gotta take femininity back." Even if you don’t identify directly with their specific plight, the belligerent nature in which it is packaged and presented will resonate with most of the hardcore crowd.

If there is a silver lining to all of the focused hate and discrimination that comes with being part of any group labeled as societal pariahs, it’s that every once in awhile, a small cell within that faction comes to its collective senses and decides to fight back. When they do, it’s usually a splendid eruption of aggressive, indignant rage that’s been caged up for years. This demo is that eruption and these ladies may just be the harbinger of more explosions waiting in the wings. They beckon their more pusillanimous comrades to take up the mantle alongside them with their anthem “Outcast Stomp”: "This is for the outcasts/Rejects/Girls and the Queers/For the downtrodden women who have shed their last tears." One can only hope that their battle cry is not ignored and that more suppressed talent gains the confidence to step up and join G.L.O.S.S. on the front lines in the war against inequality and hate.