Austrian noise rock/punk band Musheen are boldly unapologetic, raw, and incisive in both their sound and lyrics, taking on the patriarchy and empowering women with their fearless and fresh punk numbers and attitude.
Musheen are releasing their fierce and fiery, and even fun, debut album ETAT today, May 29th, available on cassette via Vienna-based label Numavi Records.
Rebel Noise is super-stoked to host the premiere of ETAT in all its raging and relevant glory.
Julia Vogt (vocals), Eva Teissl (guitar, loops), and Linda Greuter (drums) all live in Leonding, a small town neighboring Linz (Upper Austrian capital). Before forming Musheen, the three (Vogt and Teissl are both art school graduates; Greuter is a law school graduate) were loosely connected through their local art university and common friends.
Teissl and Greuter were already active in the music scene with former groups Postman and Post Period, while Vogt came on board as a band member for the first time.
The resulting album runs rampant with blunt and explicit lyrics, all written by Vogt, that tackle timely issues, including physical abuse (“Asshole”), cheating in a relationship (“Knife”), stereotypes of female bands (“Tits ‘n’ Cunts”), being excluded for being a girl (“Peter”), humanity’s penchant for self-destruction (“Gift”), and xenophobia (“Oblivion”).
While the subject matter is serious, Musheen manage to balance the darkness with a whip-smart smart aleck appeal. After all, their band name is a brazen amalgam of a play on the German word for “pussy” (“muschi”) and the word “machine.”
Renowned Riot Grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna had this to say about Musheen: "Your band is fucking awesome… You sing like the B-52s, like Kate Pierson.”
Teissl utilizes a loop machine to layer on the post-punk guitar lines, while Greuter pummels her drumkit with decisive force. Vogt wails away with an exuberant abandon, conjuring up the bouncy screams of the legendary Poly Styrene (X-Ray Spex), the righteous indignation of Kathleen Hanna, and yes, a bit of Kate Pierson’s carefree joy.
Candid and trenchant lyrics, potent sonics, tuneful songwriting, and unbridled vocal power all come together on an album that is both rebellious and empowering.
