Washington, D.C.’s Priests deliver a packed punch (seven tracks in 17 minutes) of aggressive yet catchy-as-fuck tunes on their debut EP Bodies and Control and Money and Power. The EP dropped on June 3 on Don Giovanni Records/Sister Polygon and was recorded at Inner Ear Studio (Arlington, VA) and Fancy Time Studio (Philly, PA). The quartet’s battering ram of fast, inquisitive punk and alt-grunge sounds are so powerful that with a huff-and-a-puff they could easily blow your house down. And if anything’s got you down, angsty, perplexed or pissed off — then this is the soundtrack to confronting those emotions and releasing your inner beast.
Why We Dig Them:
The band took the DIY road and co-released their EP on their very own label, Sister Polygon. The label features and promotes releases from a handful of other artists such as Carni Klirs, Shady Hawkins, Downtown Boys and more. They also have the Subversive Pleasure radio show broadcast, hosted by Katie Alice Greer (Priests vocalist), that you can stream if you feel like trippin’ on a handsomely eclectic set of songs.
Best Songs on the EP:
Seven seconds of feedback rings out before Priests dive in to “Design Within Reach” a song so fearless and forward that it almost feels more like a statement than a song. The driving bass line, unabashed vocals, brash guitar and drums, allow it to push itself to the edge of its own boundaries. It’s the kind of song that definitely leads to circle pit convulsions and primal dance moves.
“Doctors” is a playful and pounding, noise-punk number that won’t just be ingrained in your memory but it will be burned in it. Listen to it even just once, and tell me that the chorus (“You put your fingers in other people’s mouths all day, don’t you doctor?”) isn’t stuck in your head.
The band slows their roll with the grunge-pop “Right Wing”. It’s a pleasant chance to cool down after the frenzy of the previous tracks. When the vocals and harmonies simultaneously chime and drone “Everything everything, so right wing…I’m not trying to be, anything” you may find yourself pondering your political outlook and lusting for the heyday of the likes of Veruca Salt, Nirvana and Bikini Kill.
Interesting Tidbit:
Priests’ drummer Daniele dishes on how the band chose their name and what concerts she missed while on tour, resulting in the shedding of some possibly very salty emo tears:
On the backstory of choosing the name PRIESTS…” We thought it sounded cool, and we liked that at first a lot of people mistook us for a metal band. Who knows maybe that’s our next move? Katie’s been buggin me about getting a double-kick pedal, and she certainly has the hair (wig) to give members of Mötley Crüe a run for their money.”
On the best concerts that they didn’t get to see because they were on tour… “One of Priests’ favorite bands, Palberta, came through DC while we were away and played at the record store that all our friends work at where we always put on shows (CD Cellar). They played with a new project by three friends of mine called People’s Drug (It was their first show, and I missed it, wahhhhh!!!), and the immensely talented Eva Moolchan’s solo-project, Sneaks. I’m still crying over missing that show.”
Three Words To Describe Priests: Snarling — Raging — Ferocious
Upcoming Shows: Priests rocked Pehrspace last month and have just wrapped their current North American tour. We hope they come back to Los Angeles ASAP.
Words: Emily Saex
