punk rock politix

Someone is FINALLY giving The Trucks some credit and some agency.

"A lot of “girl groups” have written songs about shitty boyfriends, but few have written songs that ask those assholes, “Why the fuck won’t you go down on me?” And of those few, an even smaller percentage have made sex-positive feminism as fucking fun as the Trucks. Brassy, raunchy, and absurd, the Trucks are electro-punk that’s irreverent but never irrelevant."

Christopher Hong's blurb gives them credit where other Stranger writers have not. In May, Megan Seling of The Stranger dismissed the band, recommending them only "if you're into that pseudo-feminist sex kitten à la Peaches sort of thing, which I am not."

Like Megan Seling, a lot of people seem to be really unsettled by how sexual the Trucks are. Folks keep acting like the Trucks are just dumb breezies with keyboards. Like they aren't conscious of what they're doing. Like they aren't all that different from the girls who enter wet t-shirt contests.

But yo! When are gals allowed to be performers who are both female and sexual without being treated like dupes? Yeah, it's not easy to pull off- most people probably won't understand your intent, and they might still treat you like you're just a pair of tits and an ass. But! How is this fearful regulating of any non-P.C. forms of female sexuality a positive thing? If the Trucks can't do their thing without accusations of "pseudo-feminism" being levelled against them, then what does feminist sexuality look like?

As far as I'm concerned, The Trucks are pretty fucking feminist.

a.They avoid male masturbation instruments like electric guitars; instead, they glorify that most-girly-of-instuments, the keyboard.

b. Instead of buying into the cult of the single male genius of most male bands throughout rock history, they play more communally- taking turns singing, singing all together, etc.

c.Also! They rock it Slits-style (or Ramones-style, if you prefer)- disregarding expertise at their instruments in favor of just making their voices heard.

While their music may not be timeless, I'm glad they're making it. This is true ecriture feminine. Hellza punk rock. Hellza feminist.