If It's Too Loud...

The Julie Ruin is back with the first single from their upcoming album, Hit Reset. I don't remember even hearing that they were working on an album, so this is the most welcome kind of surprises. "I Decide" doesn't quite have the raw ferocity of Bikini Kill, or the danceability of Le Tigre or even The Julie Ruin's previous album, Run Fast. While it still has a distinctive groove and Kathleen Hanna's distinctive sing-song vocals, "I Decide" feels more indie rock than Hanna's previous projects. The song has a haunting quality that's leaving me very intrigued. Hit Reset will be out July 8 on Hardly Art. You can pre-order the album here . The band's website appears to be under construction currently but will hopefully be up soon. You can watch the video (which features Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee wandering around South By Southwest) for "I Decide" below.

I've been dying to see The Julie Ruin ever since the band announced they existed, so when they're tour finally came to New England, I knew I had to go. Unfortunately, their Boston date didn't work with my schedule, but luckily they were starting the tour in Easthampton, MA, so I headed west for the show. The Flywheel is an odd, yet cool venue. It's an "arts collective" that is housed in the former town hall. They have a bunch of art classes offered, and I'm pretty sure the room bands play in is used as a daycare during the day. There are even bins filled with blocks and kids' toys in the corner. It's an all ages venue, which means the crowd was young. Really young. Luckily, there were enough solo middle aged guys like myself milling about to keep the creepy old guy factor down to a minimum. Plus, it really was an all ages show. At one point I found myself between a 60 year old woman and a 10 year old girl. Not the usual club gig. Screaming Fe...

The beauty of the debut album from Kathleen Hanna's new band, The Julie Ruin, is how unexpected it is. The opening track of Run Fast, "Oh Come On," is exactly what I expected and wanted it to be: It combines the punk rock edge of Bikini Kill with the groove of Le Tigre. From there it takes a turn and is much more than I expected. This is a fun album. It's obvious that Kathleen Hanna's having a blast now that she's back to making music after her recent health scare, and that almost makes this a party album. Song titles like "Party City" and "Cookie Rd." give off that vibe. "Goodnight Goodbye" is actually just a really pretty little song. "Girls Like Us" shows what a Beastie Boys/Le Tigre mash up would sound like. Keyboad player/background vocalist Kenny Mellman takes over lead vocals on "South Coast Plaza" which comes across like a more drunken The Hold Steady. "Stop Stop" is my personal favorite...

Today The Julie Ruin announced they were giving away a new song off of the 1997 solo project by Kathleen Hanna, The Julie Ruin. Back then it was a solo project, now it's a full band. This album is nearly impossible to find, so grab this free mp3 while you can. The best news is they will be doing this every Monday until their new album, Run Fast , comes out on September 3rd! So keep checking back every week, and go to The Julie Ruin's website here .

Kathleen Hanna’s return to music is well on its way with the release of her new band’s, The Julie Ruin, first video for “Oh Come On.” It’s been 9 long years since Le Tigre released an album (17 for Bikini Kill, but who’s counting) which was caused by Hanna’s struggle with Lyme disease. For The Julie Ruin, Hanna reunites with Bikini Kill bassist Kathi Wilcox, which sets the tone for the album. That’s not to say you should expect the in your face edge of “Rebel Girl.” The Julie Ruin perfectly combine both Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. In other words, they sound like Bikini Kill reimagined as a party band. Hanna is extremely expressive with her vocals and is having a blast with her comeback. Run Fast is quickly rocketing to the top of my must buy records in an already stacked September. Check out The Julie Ruin’s website here . Run Fast is due out on September 3 on the band’s own TJR Records label, with distribution by Dischord. They have some tour dates coming up, so check them out...