Sisterly Scots punks BRATAKUS have signed to Venn Records and unveiled their first single under the deal.
Promoted with a video inspired by the classic 70s horror Carrie, 'Final Girls' was recorded and produced at Sweden's Studio Gröndahl with The Hives' bass player Johan Gustafsson, and is a taster for a new full-length album due next year.
"'Final Girls' is a song about the horror movie trope of the 'Final Girl' and all the rules they have to follow in order to survive the movie," says guitarist/vocalist Brèagha Cuinn. "The song talks about how the rules and standards that these characters have to abide by reflect the unspoken rules that society puts in place for women. Women are taught that we have to behave in a certain way, present ourselves in a certain way and deny ourselves certain things in order to stay safe or be treated with respect. This song is calling that out. We should not live in fear for simply existing in the way that we choose. The narrative needs to change around these situations. People need to stop putting the onus on women and girls and holding us to very outdated standards.”
Formed a decade ago by Brèagha and her sister Onnagh (bass/vocals) outside the village of Tomintoul in the Cairngorms, Bratakus have up 'til now released their own records via their Screaming Babies label and shared stages with the likes of The Hives, Discharge, Propagandhi and Bis, taking them as far as Japan.
If you're heading to Manchester Punk Festival this weekend, you can catch Bratakus in The Bread Shed at 17.50pm on Saturday.
Pic by Lee Lewis