Be Your own Pet - ‘Mommy’ review
Be Your Own Pet
Be Your Own Pet’s newest album Mommy picks from a variety of alternative genres to create a raging symphony of protest. They explore frustrations with many issues such as mental health, ageing and public image, in a raw and exposing fashion.
Mommy cover art
The album begins with the song “Worship The Whip” – a loud, punchy criticism of complacency in politics. This track stands out for its daring lyrics and exhilarating chorus, in which Jemina Pearl’s vocals echo the song’s title and Jonas Stein plays heavy guitar chords. The band shows a sadomasochistic take on those who accept a capitalist life as it is, with lines such as ‘you live for the punishment and you can’t see that the boots pressing down on your neck pray at the altar in your temple of pain’, and ‘yes, daddy, punish me’. This introduction solidifies the band as punk in both sound and ideas, with Pearl moderating between singing and shouting, and a focus on anarchism.
The second track “Goodtime!” boasts quick, forceful note changes, and has interesting spoken lyrics. This opens a dialogue with the listener, expanding ideas of punk beyond those of not caring what others think, and showing that these two mindsets of protest and concern for self-image and wellbeing can exist together. There is, in fact, a need for these two to coincide, as being able to survive within such a society comes with the necessity of ‘growing up’. The lyrics show this battle between youthful punk ideology and the need to partake in a society that contrasts this ideology as we grow older.
“Erotomania”, the third track, presents feminist ideas through the perspective of a stalker, in a similar fashion to Blondie’s “One Way Or Another”. There is a strong bassline, played by bassist Nathan Vasquez, and the doo-wop style ‘ooh-la-la’s in the background vocals add a fun aspect to the track. Lyrics such as ‘it’s not aggression, here’s my confession, you’re my obsession’ show the warped thinking of the stalker, and the excuses made by people such as this to remove an individual’s right to choose.
The following track “Bad Mood Rising” changes the tone, with Pearl singing in a lower register, creating the idea of a clouded mind. This track, alongside “Never Again”, create a tumultuous middle of the album. Many of the lyrics in the track are poignantly emotional, for example ‘you can’t touch me ever again, ever again’ in the midst of furious guitar and drums; a simple and final renouncing of a relationship, sung with such pain and regret. These two tracks show a falling into, and then a frustration with, being a victim, even progressing into a desire to be the perpetrator to avoid this pain; ‘I wanna be the one who hurt you’.
The next track “Pleasure Seeker” looks into the craving for synthetic happiness. The vocals are softer, and the guitar is powerful and distorted, symbolising this alteration and dulling of reality. The line ‘I feel good, I feel ripe’ explodes into ‘peel off my flesh, come and take a bite’, giving a feeling of manic, careless ecstasy. There is a great contrast to the previous two tracks, with some lyrics portraying grandiose self-esteem. To go along with these psychedelic premises in the lyrics, the bridge references psychedelic rock with dreamy, muted harmonies. There is also some discussion of the process of becoming famous – ‘I’m on TV, baby and I feel fine’ – which is continued in the next track, “Rubberist”. Pearl sings over the buzzing guitar, ‘I’ll shine for you, I wanna shine for you… please let me shine for you’. This shows a contorted view of the self, and how fame comes with the pressure to accept it readily and positively, as not to be unappreciative.
The eighth track, “Big Trouble”, brings back feminist notions, beginning with a build-up of sirens and riveting off beat drums played by John Eatherly. Pearl sings of being valued only for her looks, and a burst of cymbals highlight the lyrics ‘I want wages for housework, I want childcare for free’. This track kicks off the discarding of the victim label, which is solidified in the next song “Hand Grenade”. The lyrics are bold; ‘I’m not your victim, I’m my own person’, and the male backing vocals ‘I’m not afraid’ give the idea of the whole band coming together to press this idea.
The last two tracks, “Drive” and “Teenage Heaven”, wind the album down into a lighter feel, providing an effective round-up of the strong emotions of the previous songs. Drive puts the bassline at the forefront, and has an air of exhaustion – ‘I don’t know where I’ll go, but all I wanna do is drive round and round’. But, “Teenage Heaven” lifts this exhaustion into acceptance and a fresh perspective, with indie-style bass and guitar and soft drums and vocals. High chords on the synth play behind the lyrics ‘I know a place we can be young again, forget our worries, wash away every sin, do you wanna go to teenage heaven tonight?’. The struggles with youth and ageing discussed earlier in the album reach a resolution here, as youth and the ability to have fun are recognised as a mindset rather than a trait that depletes with age.
Among all of the troubles and anger, Be Your Own Pet show that there is still love and lightness.
Mommy from Be Your Own Pet is out now via Third Man Records and available on all good streaming platforms. Catch Be Your Own Pet on tour in the US this autumn.