When I was fifteen, I discovered Patti Smith and decided that I would be a woman like her when I grew up. It wasn’t so much that all of her music stuck with me. Instead, it was the effortless independence and badassery she exuded that showed my angst-ridden self what life could look like if I cared just a teensy bit less about the insignificant stuff around me. After Patti Smith came my obsessions with PJ Harvey, Courtney Love, Bikini Kill, Brody Dalle and Siouxsie Sioux. Despite the diversity of the music they made, I loved them for the same reason I first loved Patti Smith: they were women who seemed unapologetically true to themselves—rebelling against standard rules defining what women are supposed to talk, walk, look, feel and love like.
Sofi Lofi feels like the contemporary embodiment of all those women. The Norwegian project, which began as the moniker of Mette Sofie Breddam but has since evolved into a four-piece, feels dirty and earthy yet elegantly rebellious. Their new single, “Killer On the Loose”, sounds more than just a little reminiscent of the heyday of the Riot Grrrl movement; I’d even say it teeters on the edge of nostalgic over-indulgence, mostly thanks to a tongue-in-cheek simplicity within the lyrics. However, the production behind the track feels full and thoughtfully considered, and the drums echo with a near-visceral growl; as a result, the song feels very much like it belongs in 2015—without leaving behind the raw and urgent spirit of Feminist movements from decades past.
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“Killer on the Loose” follows up on a three track 7″ EP that came out in 2013 on Fat People are Harder to Kidnap Records (Baby Woodrose, Maribel). After touring for that release, the band went to Berlin and recorded their first full-lenth album called Buried. That’s going to come out in March 2016, so keep your eyes peeled for more updates.
