-Gabrielle’s Take-

The Barb Wire Dolls, a punk rock band formed in Greece, have crossed seas, taking themselves and their music to the golden laid streets of L.A. Using the publicly fueled Kickstarter campaign, the band raised over $10,000 to produce Slit, their debut album. With the help of Steve Albini, a legendary rock and roll jack of all trades, the Dolls have created a body of socially conscious songs, with smattering themes of self-motivation and bad relationships.

I decided to first try out the Barb Wire Dolls on my hour long walk to work. Instantly, they put a kick in my step. I imagined myself in ripped fishnets, my lipstick smeared and my eyelids heavy after a long night with no sleep and copious amounts of sex and substances. I dangerously bobbed my head from left to right, feeling like a bad baby in a punk rock world.

Songs like “Revolution,” “World On Fire,” and “Walking Dead” usually play to my deaf ears. They’re political, and I’m pop. However, with the fantastic hook of “Shut Up Slut,” I find myself anti-establishment and proud. They stick out their tongues and flip off the Man, likening him to a silly, money hungry whore with nothing to say.

“Wild Child Diamonds,” a track about the thrill of a one-night stand, is great. “I’m gonna get real loose so I can tie my own noose.” Lead singer Isis Queen has a voice like raw honey, cut off the comb with the razor blade it drips from. To hear her say “we’re fucking like wild child diamonds in the sky tonight” makes me feel like a fallen star walking the dirty earth. I feel glowing and free, ready to get ravaged.

“Your Escape” encourages listeners to get out of their heads and into the world; and reminds us that dwelling on the past is futile. The song sounds like a conversation you’d have with yourself. It’s an anthem, and its message is positive.

The Barb Wire Dolls draw influence from many pioneer bands of punk rock, including the Slits, who the album may possibly be named for. “Destroyer Boy” feels like an ode to Iggy and the Stooges; the song sounds like a spinoff of 1973s “Search and Destroy” from Raw Power.

Though I don’t usually mess with too much chick rock, I do like this album. It’s rough and unclean, yet somehow empowering and not profane. The Barb Wire Dolls are edgy and fan supported. They’re loud, they’re in your face, they give a fuck about what’s going on today, and they’re on a mission to rise up against whatever it is that holds you down.