Punk three-piece Penny Rich explore notion of political correctness and offer a glimpse into their live energy with latest single ‘PC’

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25 Nov

Punk three-piece Penny Rich explore notion of political correctness – and offer a glimpse into their live energy – with latest single ‘PC’

Cardiff punk/noise outfit Penny Rich return with their upcoming single ‘PC’, due for release 24 November 2023. Taken from their debut album ‘If Everyone’s An Expert…’, the 2-track single includes a live version of the song, performed at Kings Road Studios, Cardiff. As part of this campaign, the band will be releasing their first ever live video, showcasing the manic energy which, up until now, could only be experienced live.

Penny Rich were born from a shared passion for 90’s grunge and noise and a need for cathartic expression, their evocative melodies and introspective lyrics speaking to the insecurities inside all of us.

Since forming in 2021, the band have been energising audiences across South Wales and the South West, sharing the stage with the likes of James and the Cold Gun, Death Cult Electric, Whores, Faim, Italia 90 and False Advertising.

Scenes from Penny Rich’s last hometown headliner, April 2023.

Speaking in 2022 after airing the band’s single ‘Stolen Goods’, BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton perhaps summed it up best: “welcome to the seethe”. Following further success with singles ‘Last Meal’ and ‘Spirals’, 2023 saw Penny Rich release their first full-length studio album ‘If Everyone’s An Expert…’. Subject to many glowing reviews across the UK and Europe, the album offers “a tasty ‘early Sub Pop Records’ vibe”, with “arrangements that make for some good examples of tension-and-release rock” (Buzz Magazine, 2023), with comparisons “from the socio-political punk of Dead Kennedys to the uncompromising belligerence of noise rock legends like Big Black” (Emerging Rock Bands Magazine, 2023).

Taken from their debut album, ‘PC’ confronts the notion of self-censorship and being politically correct in the face of ever-increasing political extremist ideology. In an era where freedom of speech is often conflated with freedom of hate speech, the song explores one’s conflicted desire to indulge their inner animal when confronted with such inflammatory rhetoric.

Speaking of the inspiration behind the single, frontman Ant explains: “The song is inspired by the troubling rise of populist tendencies within mainstream politics in the UK and beyond. You need only look at recent rhetoric surrounding the refugee crisis, serving to embolden those with outdated views on misguided sovereignty (and that’s putting it politely). PC essentially explores one’s inner monologue in trying to seek the moral high (politically correct) ground in such debates, versus indulging that inner primal desire to fight fire with fire.

To celebrate this release, the band will be performing a local headline show at Porters, Cardiff, on 30 November 2023, with support coming from This Is Wreckage and Fubelt (see poster below).

The 2-track ‘PC’ single is due for release 24 November 2023 and will be available on all streaming platforms.