Music/Album Reviews

How do you convince people to listen to your problems for a moment when the world is going through a dark time? Well, maybe more people than you think are actually going through the same things as you. Spurred by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion access in 2022, NOBRO singer/bassist Kathryn McCaughey declared at a show, “This next song is dedicated to setting our vaginas free!”

That sentiment led to the song Set That Pussy Free, the grungy, autobiographical anthem that evinces a punk Hokey Pokey-esque dance instruction, makes an unexpected reference to Fergie’s hit song Glamorous, and leads a chant: N-O-B-R-O! It sets the tone for the rest of the album. Set Your Pussy Free is a little bit political, rhythmically raucous and outright silly at times.

The camaraderie of the four women of NOBRO really shines throughout the album. Recording live off the floor, you can hear how tuned in they are with one another, mistakes included. They’ve released two EPs previously, in 2020 and 2022, but Set Your Pussy Free is exactly how the band wants to introduce themselves as NOBRO — they’re four musicians who don’t take themselves too seriously and want to have fun.

To take a sample of the album, there’s the relatable and hilarious track Delete, Delete, Delete for the regretfully online people, the sarcastic sing-talking I Don’t Feel Like It and the admittedly offensive Let’s Do Drugs. Sometimes, you just have to blindly go for it without worrying about the potential backlash, they explain when they join a casual video call from their practice space in Montreal.

“My mom hates Let’s Do Drugs,” says percussion and keys player Lisandre Bourdages. “But I personally love that song.”

What’s more punk than doing whatever the fuck you want and not caring what anyone thinks? So why not take inspiration from pop icons like Fergie and Beyoncé? Perhaps there will be some negative feedback about some of their music, but McCaughey points to the Beyoncé lyric from Formation, “You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation.”

For the band, music and good humour are some of the things that keep their spirits up during dark times. In the midst of all the seemingly relentless despair of world news, it can be jarring to promote your music and to keep forging on.

“We’re definitely acutely aware of just the ever-changing world that we live in. But, at the same time, you have to keep pushing forward and doing what you believe in and being passionate because it’s like if you’re stripped of your ability to do that, then it does become even more hopeless and even more depressing,” says McCaughey. “You’re releasing music at a very dark time in history and you’re asking people like, ‘Hey I know you have problems but come listen to us sing about ours.’”

“I don’t know. How do you escape?” drummer Sarah Dion adds. “You can’t just stop doing things for fun because everything is going to shit. What’s my purpose, who am I helping? I don’t have the answers, that’s just sometimes how I feel.”

They might be writing self-deprecating songs about partying and being losers, but the members of NOBRO keep their heads up in the real world.

“I think that you do have to have a point of view, especially when you’re an artist and you’re making music,” says McCaughey. “It’s so integral to what you do as artists — you have to stand for something, you have to have a voice. I would say we are political in our own way, but we have a shared sense of values and what we think is right — and especially on matters of equality.”

Equality is part of how the band started in the first place — McCaughey details the band’s humble beginnings in the song Where My Girls At. It was a response to feelings of inadequacy and being known just as someone’s girlfriend. That’s why it was important to build an all-female band where sexism isn’t a factor.

“It feels more like a safe space,” explains Dion. “We play in other bands with guys and the dynamic is just different, and I feel safer all around giving my opinion [in an all-female band].”

“And there’s no shame in talking about your period while you’re on tour!” guitarist Karolane Carbonneau chimes in.

Now 10 years in the making, NOBRO have undoubtedly proven those ex-boyfriends wrong about their value as artists. They’ve been touring the world and holding their own playing alongside bands like PUP, The OBGMs and blink-182. NOBRO may not have the answers to the world’s problems, but for 29 minutes and 18 seconds, they want to help you forget about life and join in the party.