Siblings Clara and Anders Bach, who make music as PUNCHBAG, describe their music as Aggressive Hopecore. Citing influences such as LCD Soundsystem and Björk provide further clues as to the origins of their creativity, the fruits of which can be heard on their debut EP I’m Not Your Punchbag, released on 2 May via Mute Records. Anders explains further:
“We want to be the most pop thing we can in a left-field context, and be the most left-field in a pop context. We’re constantly playing with the idea of how far we can take each direction”.
Opening track ‘Fuck it’ unequivocally throws down a statement of intent. The electronic opening gives way to Clara’s vocal which is strong and on point. Thematically she sings of a life buffeted by anxiety and the fear of wasting time“as I try to figure who I am”. The intro gives way to an explosion of energy, a burst of dynamic positivity as she exclaims:“We might as well just say go fuck it!”. This sentiment is followed by a shot of perspective, don’t sweat the small stuff: “’Cos we’re all gonna die, die, die!” . Clara expands on the lyrical content: “it’s not nihilistic. It’s more like, we only have so much time, so do the thing you want to do. Kiss the person you want to kiss, say that thing you want to say.” This is patently obvious in the utter bouncing joy of the track, and there’s no doubt there is a catharsis in yelling “We might as well just say go fuck it” at the top of your voice.
Title track ‘I’m Not Your Punchbag’ grew from a remark made to Clara at a dinner table. Indeed it also goes some way to explain the band name and ethos. The quality of Clara’s vocal cannot be over stated, and this message of defiance is emphatic due to her delivery. Words can be hurtful and cut deep. There is a need to hold firm when confronted with such behaviour. The pulsating beat replicates the theme and as Clara shares: “From this small seed, if you like, the song grew into a kind of anthem for fighting back – a refusal to let people dump their shit on you.” It was after writing this song they realised that PUNCHBAG was obvious as the band name.
‘Pretty Youth’ then lifts the pace, a wild combination of manic synths and guitars, and punctuated with Clara’s chants: “Scammer! Con-er! thief thief thief!” . This rapid fire assault on the senses is an anti-coming-of-age anthem. Clara explains: “We’re sold that this is the most romantic time of your life, but really a lot of it is spent in the dark suffering.” . The twitchy exuberance of youth, especially as young adulthood is looming, gives way to this realisation that the idyllic notion of youth is not realistic, but that’s ok. The all-consuming liberation in ‘Pretty Youth’ is its fire and self-belief. “I won’t stop living if nothing is happening.”
Final track ‘You Used To Be So Sexy’ reframes phone addiction through the lens of a toxic relationship. Whip smart lyrics combine with bouncing club beats end the EP on a high. It is sprinkled with beeps, bleeps, distorted vocals and a thumping undercurrent but the outro is a euphoric finish, which is entirely fitting. Overall PUNCHBAG recognise and acknowledge the challenges of reality and in their words: “we’re making music that is about people’s reactions to what’s going on. Their feelings, emotions and thoughts,” It’s an effervescent response, so beware as it will have the listener bouncing, wherever they may be!
PUNCHBAG’s first ever show was at the Brixton Windmill less than a year ago. From the off they had an infectious energy which saw the iconic venue invite the band to Rotterdam’s Left of the Dial festival, before any music releases.“We take it seriously,” says Clara. “We’ve thought about it a lot, and it was important that from the first time we performed it was fully formed. We’re Virgos. We’re perfectionists.”
There will be plenty of opportunity to see the band live over the coming months with a support slot for Zimmer90 taking them to London, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham. There are also festival dates including Brighton’s The Great Escape and Paris’s Supersonic Block Party, and a headline show at the end of May at London’s Bermondsey Social Club.
For more information on Punchbag please check their instagram and tik tok.
