Rejoice! Kathleen Hanna and The Julie Ruin Release First Single and Video!
Guys. It is like Christmas morning with a unicorn over here. Riot Grrrl and feminist icon Kathleen Hanna, formerly of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre and hero of lady music, has graced us with new music! With her band The Julie Ruin (a re-purposing of her solo project name), Hanna has released the first single and accompanying video, titled "Oh Come On." And yup, that sounds like a Kathleen Hanna song title.
Hanna has taken some time off from music in recent years due to an unfortunate struggle with late-stage Lyme disease, as revealed in the powerful documentary The Punk Singer, which Meredith and I totally fell in love with at this year's SXSW. Meredith got to interview Hanna and director Sini Anderson, who talked more in-depth about feminism and Hanna's struggles.
But now Hanna has triumphantly returned, as promised, with The Julie Ruin! "Oh Come On" features the raw, raging valley girl sound of Hanna's voice and a catchy, poppy beat -- it's just exactly what we want and expect from Hanna, but there's an extra dimension with a full band behind her and the occasional male vocal. It sounds both fresh and classic at the same time, kicking you in the nostalgia balls while also feeding you a tasty scoop of ice cream. How does it taste? DELICIOUS.
Hanna is taking The Julie Ruin on tour this fall, and one of their stops will be in Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest. How important is Kathleen Hanna to me? I would plop down money for this festival just to see her. The woman is a damn hero and a revolutionary, and she just happens to make some of the most powerful, meaningful music in the world. And it's also catchy and poppy. It's like a protest you can dance to.
