Indie-pop punks FRESH release Merch Girl EP via Specialist Subject
US tour dates coming up
“Atop a brightly fuzzed-out guitar loop, she lets her frustrations loose”
Stereogum
“It's as fun and catchy as it is biting and vicious.”
Brooklyn Vegan
“FRESH has been one of punk’s best-kept secrets for a few years now, securing their place within England’s world of cheeky and scrappy emo-adjacent pop punk outfits”
Under The Radar
London indie-pop punks Fresh have release their new EP, Merch Girl, today via Specialist Subject Records. Last month, the four-piece shared the EP’s title-track. Of the single, lead singer Kathryn Woods (Cheerbleederz) said:
"Merch girl is about living in that space between wanting something and achieving something. It’s kind of a character song, about somebody that is involved in music - but not in the way that they want to be, and they’re frustrated by that. At the beginning of the song, they’re watching from the sidelines, but as the song progresses they make the decision to create their own art. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, drawing from clichés of the wallflower, the sidekick, but ultimately it’s empowering and a reflection on the ways that we come into our own as women artists."
The band’s new EP features 'Merch Girl' plus a couple of stripped back B-sides, ‘Easy’ and a cover of ‘Long Long Time’, originally performed by Linda Ronstadt. Of ‘Easy’, Woods says:
“Easy is about getting too far in your own head to make things simple for yourself. You’ve built up a load of defences and they might have helped at the time, but now they’re getting in the way. You’re kind of at an impasse. "
FRESH have been an unwavering fixture of the UK punk scene since they released their first record in 2017. The band have toured with the likes of The Beths, PUP, Adult Mom, Jeff Rosenstock and more, releasing three albums, an EP and amassing a devoted fan base following appearances at Fest, Manchester Punk Festival and 2000 Trees amongst others. For a band that has existed for a relatively short period of time, the four-piece have already released a hefty catalogue of work – prolific, ever evolving and always fresh (in every sense of the word).
To celebrate the release, the band are heading to the US in June for a string of headline shows as well as dates supporting Los Campesinos!, see below.
FRESH Tour Dates:
24/06 - The Crocodile, Seattle ^
25/06 - Aladdin Theatre, Portland ^
27/06 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco ^
28/06 - The Belasco, Los Angeles ^
29/06 - Cloudland Theatre, Minneapolis
30/06 - Anodyne Coffee, Milwaukee
01/07 - Beat Kitchen, Chicago
03/07 - Lager House, Detroit
05/07 - Rockwood Music Hall, Boston
06/07 - Zone One, New York
07/07 - Ortlieb's, Philadelphia
09/07 - Quarry House Tavern, Washington DC
^ supporting Los Campesinos!
FRESH Online:
