Fresh Shares New EP “Merch Girl”
stream the EP below, out now via Specialist Subject
April 19, 2024
Fans last heard from London indie punk outfit Fresh with their 2022 album, Raise helltheir third full-length release following their self-titled debut in 2017 and their second studio album in 2019, Withdraw. These records occupied an uneasy space, feeling by turns biting, happy, fuzzy and propulsive, bound together by edgy guitar lines and the cathartic lyrical voice of frontwoman Kathryn Woods. That formula was equally true when they returned last month with a new single, “Merch Girl.” This track was the title track for their new three-song EP, which is out everywhere today via Specialist Subject.
Of the single, Woods explains that “'Merch Girl' is about living in that space between wanting something and getting something. It's kind of a character song, about someone who's into music – but not in the way they want to be, and they're frustrated by it. At the beginning of the song, they watch from the sidelines, but as the song progresses they make the decision to create their own art. It's a bit stilted, drawing on the clichés of the wallflower, the stickler, but ultimately it's heartening and a reflection on the ways in which we come into our own as female artists.”
Along with “Merch Girl,” the EP also includes a quiet acoustic B-side, “Easy” and a cover of Linda Ronstadt's “Long Long Time.” Woods says of the former track, “'Easy' is about getting too far in your head to make things simple for yourself. You've built up a bunch of defenses, and they may have helped at the time, but now they're getting in the way. You're at a dead end.” Clocking in at just over a minute, it's a messy folk-tinged song that showcases a different kind of vulnerability than Fresh's usual punk steering. Likewise, the band's version of “Long Long Time” lets Woods' vocals spread and soar, fully embodying the emotion behind the soulful ballad.
Check out the EP below, everywhere now via Specialist Subject. The band is also embarking on a US tour this summer, headlining and performing in support of Los Campesinos! See below for upcoming dates.
| NEW tour Dates: |
| 06/24 – The Crocodile, Seattle ^ |
| 06/25 – Aladdin Theatre, Portland ^ |
| 06/27 – Great American Music Hall, San Francisco ^ |
| 28/06 – The Belasco, Los Angeles ^ |
| 06/29 – Cloudland Theater, Minneapolis |
| 06/30 – Anodyne Coffee, Milwaukee |
| 07/01 – Beat Kitchen, Chicago |
| 07/03 – Lager House, Detroit |
| 07/05 – Rockwood Music Hall, Boston |
| 07/06 – Zone One, New York |
| 07/07 – Ortlieb's, Philadelphia |
| 07/09 – Quarry House Tavern, Washington DC |
| ^ supporting Los Campesinos! |
from our partners at http://www.undertheradarmag.com/news/fresh_shares_new_ep_merch_girl
