Bi/MENTAL - New Album & Tour By Le Butcherettes
Le Butcherettes deliver their highly-anticipated fourth full-length studio album, bi/MENTAL today on Rise Records. The album is the bands most personal album to date and an ode to frontwoman, Teri Gender Bender's mother. bi/MENTAL was exclusively premiered yesterday with Noisey Español before its release today.
"Essentially, this record was inspired by the death of a living mother but none of that matters anymore. A disconnection in itself is so ravage so confusing it leaves one feeling incomplete... is there hope? Is there light? Maybe it all isn't so black and white. in the end there is a Duality in All. Life is a cycle, the moon, the sun, the ocean waves transcending into sand. It will be okay” states Teri Gender Bender (Teresa Suárez Cosío) about new album.
The album was produced by iconic Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison (No Doubt, Violent Femmes, KD Lang) and recorded at his home studio in Northern California. Harrison brought a new creative environment and another dimension to the band’s sound and lyrics in the new album. "I was going through a lot, but I felt like I had a family during this time. "I was able to be vulnerable and in-your-face at the same time. With all of his wisdom, it’s as if Jerry fathered the record. I think my dad would’ve liked him," comments Teri.
The band dissect the meaning of family on bi/MENTAL and first album on Rise Records. Themes of internal and familial strife hang over the opener and first single spider/WAVES (feat. Jello Biafra). The song is a ticking timebomb of riffs, clicks and clacks as Teresa Suárez howls falsetto swings towards a searing screech punctuated by spoken word from the Dead Kennedys frontman, Jello Biafra.
The schizophrenic barrage of “mother/HOLDS” [feat. Alice Bag] unites two generations of disruptive goddesses as Alice Bag and Teri formally meet on a recording. Chilean superstar and “ultra girl crush” Mon Laferte lends her massive vocals to the Latin-tinged “la/SANDIA.” Everything concludes on the abrupt catharsis of “/BREATH.” It’s the ultimate emotional exorcism conjured by theatrical delivery, rock ‘n’ roll ambition, and punked-out psychedelic provocation.
“We all have two extremities,” exclaims Teri. “Black and white are on opposite sides. When I was little, I had a family. Now that I’m older, it’s fallen apart by conflict, emotional corruption, blackmail, and sickness. What does that mean? What does it do to us? We’re always battling with, what I like to call, ‘The Other’. When things aren’t right with your roots, you feel like you’re on the edge of disconnection. You start doubting yourself. They were the roots of my everything…but I’m not that little girl anymore. I have to start making room for myself. I can’t let this torment me. The pendulum swings back and forth. Reason will be lost and gained again. That’s bi/MENTAL. Now that I think about all of this, it makes sense I came up with the name in the shower,” comments Teri.
bi/MENTAL is also a personal story about mental health told by frontwoman, Teri Gender Bender who is also a mental health advocate. The album is filled with equal parts cerebral poetry, art assault, and primal punk cacophony. The album includes 13 tracks that represent the Guadalajara-born and El Paso-LA based group.
The video "give/UP" was released on Feb 1st, just ahead of the bi/MENTAL tour in support of the new album also released on February 1st on Rise Records. The band will immediately kick-off tour February 2nd in México City at Versalles 64 and announced today special guests for this show that will include LA based femme rock band, Stars at Night and Mexican singer-songwriter, Renee Mooi who recentely collaborated with frontwoman Teri Gender Bender on her new single, Beetle feat. Teri Gender Bender.
“give/UP" is an ode to letting go of a loved one that has never believed in you and made it very difficult to the self to be free. Sometimes it is okay to move on after years of pleading for a change. If they don’t fight for you why continue fighting for them? Using that energy for a positive change instead.” – Teresa Suárez Cosío (Teri Gender Bender)
The video was shot in Los Angeles, CA in an abandoned warehouse in DTLA and directed by Gus Black (Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, The Used, Deftones) who has directed the last four videos for the new album.
Le Butcherettes deliver a strong and emotional performance in this video. "Performing in a humongous and empty warehouse like this represents the feeling of being isolated as mental health makes us feel. Marfred's mannequin represents when depression takes hold of someone," comments Teri.
Le Butcherettes Tour Dates 2019
February
02 Mexico City, MX – Versalles 64
05 Tustin, CA - Marty’s On Newport
06 Sacramento, CA – Holy River
08 Portland, OR – Star Theatre
09 Seattle, WA – The Sunset
11 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of The Hill
12 Los Angeles, CA – Morrocan Lounge
14 Las Vegas, NV – The Bunkhouse Saloon
15 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court Gallery
16 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
18 Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
19 Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
20 Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
22 Toronto, ON – The Underground – Drake
23 Detroit, MI – El Club
24 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre
26 Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
27 Brooklyn, NY – Zone One at Elsewhere
March
01 Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
02 Washington, DC – DC9
04 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Purgatory
06 Birmingham, AL – Saturn
07 New Orleans, LA – Parish at HOB
08 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live – Studio
Press release courtesy of Rocio Gutierrez PR