If It's Too Loud...

I've been loving Mary Bell, the French feminist punk band named after a British child murderer. Mary Bell's guitarist Victoria is also in another band that just released their first album. Catisfaction has a lot of the edge that makes us love Mary Bell, but they are quite different bands. When I first put on Kill 'em all , the first song made me think of Le Tigre. It makes sense if you're going to compare Mary Bell to Bikini Kill, then Kathleen Hanna's more dance friendly project is an easy comparison for Catisfaction. But the more you listen to Kill 'em all  the less you're going to think of Le Tigre. The songs are just too raw and heavy for that comparison. Catisfaction are still punk and edgy, but it's still groovy as hell. If anything this would land on the heavier side and dancier side of post punk. You can listen to "Beware the witches" below. Kill 'em all is available for the "name your price" option on Bandcamp with physi...

It's been about two and a half years, but our favorite French feminist punk band named after a notorious child killer (a killer who was a child, not someone that killed children (although her victims were children...)) is back with new music! Mary Bell recently released "Sacrificed." At under two minutes long, it definitely fits in with the rest of the band's previous discography. It's fast and filled with an insane amount of attitude. Sure, it's hard enough to be considered punk, but it's the kind of punk that's more likely to mock you into submission than kick you in the teeth. In other words, my favorite kind. You can listen to "Sacrificed" below. Bellatrix Boadicea is due out in April via Destructure. You can pre-order a physical copy here . For digital, head over to Bandcamp . For more on Mary Bell, check them out on Facebook .

Last time we heard from Paris, France's Mary Bell was the 48 second "Band-aid Baby." By that measure, their new single is an epic at just under three minutes. While still thrashy and noisy punk rock, "Be a mom" has a New Wave groove that can't be missed. This new song is no less intense than we want (or need) from a Mary Bell song. Far from it. Despite the groove "Be a mom" still delivers the attitude and aggression that have become Mary Bell's trademark in the short time we've been aware of them. You'll hear this particularly towards the end as the groove begins to fall apart. Instead of ramping up the noise and chaos like you'd expect, the song just kind of stutters out in the best way possible. You can listen to "Be a mom" below. HISTRION , the new album from Mary Bell, will be available October 1. You can pre-order it now via Bandcamp . For more on Mary Bell, check out their website . HISTRION (PRE-ORDER) by Mary ...

Last year we discovered that there was a punk band out of Paris named after English child murderer Mary Bell. (By child murderer we mean a child who murders, not someone who murders children, although her victims were also children...) They are about to release a six song EP, HISTRION, in October. The first song off the new EP is currently available to listen to. "Band-aid Baby" might be the best 48 second punk song you ever hear. Somehow they manage to cram an entire song into such a short time frame. "Band-aid Baby" brings the same fury and noise that we loved from their previous release, LP , but it's a little more fun. There is still darkness and anger, but almost as if they are channeling it into mockery more than aggression.  You can listen to "Band-aid Baby" below. HISTRION, the new EP from Mary Bell, will be out in October. You can pre-order it via Bandcamp . For more on Mary Bell, check out their website . HISTRION (PRE-ORDER) by Mary Bel...

Back on May, 25 1968, Mary Bell strangled a four year old boy to death in Scotswood, England. It was the day before her eleventh birthday. In July, she convinced a friend to help her strangle another boy. He was three. She spent twelve years in prison for the murders because of her incredibly young age, and has lived the rest of her life under a new name. If you'd like to learn more about Mary Bell, My Favorite Murder did a great episode about her. It's episode Twenty Six Six Six . Now, Mary Bell is the name of a punk band out of Paris, France. (I guess if the name isn't being used...) Mary Bell, the band, is punk AF. Their new album, Mary Bell LP , is this incredibly noisy, loud, and ferocious mix. It combines the vocal discord of Bikini Kill, the raw guitars of The Melvins, and the raw energy of early Ramones. Plus, vocally, there is just a hint of Joan Jett in there. Every track on this album is as in your face as it could be, even a song like "The plague" ...