Bad Copy

I am so tired of having my heart broken when I see a feminine band name only to discover it is made up of all male members. Whether the intent behind the band name is irony or misogyny, the outcome remains the same. I am filled with a sensation of pride, lust, and power every time I witness a femme punk rocker perform. I cherish the fact that a lot of folks put thought into creating diverse lineups for shows. This may seem trivial to some, but seeing women portrayed as equals in punk rock, or any genre of music, is important. When an all-male band misgenders their band name, it is at the very least disappointing and at its worst degrading. This was my initial reaction to New York-based, all-male band Atomic Girl, and it didn’t get much better from there.

Atomic Girl released their debut album The Future Is So Bright on July 14, 2017. I gave the album a listen in its entirety a few times on separate occasions to ensure I was giving it a fair shot. Each time I thought it sounded like a poor imitation of the Postal Service. For a band that describes themselves as a “punk garage pop rock n roll band,” I found it to fall short in each category. The singer’s voice is whiny and nasally. The lyrics are boring. A lot of the songs sound basically the same. The track “Fucking Jersey” stands out as the best track on the album, and has a lot of potential. However, a lot of the power the song brings in the beginning with the strong vocals gets lost with the synth and the slow breakdown towards the end.

Overall, I’d give this album 1/5 tampons.