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Bi/Mental
Studio album by
Le Butcherettes
ReleasedFebruary 1, 2019
GenreGarage rock, punk rock, garage punk, indie rock, art punk[1]
Length49:13
LabelRise
ProducerJerry Harrison[2]
Le Butcherettes chronology
A Raw Youth
(2015) 		Bi/Mental
(2019)
Singles from Le Butcherettes
  1. "spider/WAVES"
    Released: 6 April 2018
  2. "struggle/STRUGGLE"
    Released: 11 May 2018
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Drowned in Sound9/10[4]
Hysteria Mag9/10[1]
Slug Magfavorable[5]

Bi/Mental (stylized as bi/MENTAL) is the fourth studio album by Mexican-American band Le Butcherettes, and is the band's label debut for Rise Records. The album's lyrics address personal themes, such as mental illness, and is strongly inspired by the band's family and domestic circumstances, particularly that of frontwoman Teri Gender Bender.[5] The album was released upwards of three years and four months after its predecessor A Raw Youth, marking the band's longest gap between the release of full-length albums.

Background

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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.

– Teri Gender Bender[6]

Much of the material was inspired by Teri Gender Bender's relationship with her mother, who was previously living with her in El Paso. According to an interview The Guardian, Teri and her mother had not spoken for over a year after a violent domestic dispute. Teri's mother had since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[7]

The album's title and songs discard conventional English and Spanish grammar standards, instead favoring a fully-lowercased first word, followed by a slash, with all preceding words in full capitals. In contrast, the concluding track, whose title is one word long, is stylized as "/BREATH", placing its only word in full capitals after the slash. All songs are sung in English, except for "la/SANDÍA", which is in Spanish and features vocals from Chilean pop musician Mon Laferte.

On the album cover and layout, and in many of the respective music videos, Teri Gender Bender poses in traditional warring garb of the Chichimeca peoples, in honor of her grandmother.[8]

Release and promotion

[edit]

On April 6, 2018, a music video for "spider/WAVES" was released, serving as the band's first released material after having signed to Rise Records[8][9]

On May 11, 2018, an flexi disc EP titled struggle/STRUGGLE (bi) was released, which featured three versions of the titular song.[10][11]

During this promotion cycle, the band played eight dates with Hot Snakes in May 2018, a solitary show at the Taste of Chicago in Chicago on July 14, and seven dates with the Flaming Lips in August 2018.[12][9]

The band posted via Youtube a live video for "father/ELOHIM" on November 26, 2018.[13]

On February 1, 2019, the album was released in CD format and digital download, alongside a run of 350 vinyl colored in a gold and mustard swirl.[14] On the same day of album release, a video of the song "give/UP" was also released. The video prominently features the band, as a trio, performing in a warehouse, alongside a mannequin with a bass guitar propped in its arms. The video briefly visualizes Gender Bender in a desert environment, visually contrasting with the sun and holding an umbrella.[15]

Between February 2 and March 8, 2019, Le Butcherettes went on a 24-date North American tour in support of the album, beginning in Mexico City and ending in Houston.[13] Alongside Le Butcherettes on this tour were Los Angeles rock band Stars at Night and Mexican electronic musician Renee Mooi.[15] Teri Gender Bender had collaborated with Mooi on the title track of Mooi's album Beetle, also released in 2019.[16]

On April 1, 2019, two months after the album's release, Le Butcherettes released a music video for "in/THE END", directed by Gus Black.[17]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."spider/WAVES" (featuring Jello Biafra)5:48
2."give/UP"3:40
3."strong/ENOUGH"4:20
4."father/ELOHIM"2:19
5."little/MOUSE"3:11
6."in/THE END"3:46
7."nothing/BUT TROUBLE"3:49
8."la/SANDÍA" (featuring Mon Laferte)2:44
9."struggle/STRUGGLE"4:14
10."dressed/IN A MATTER OF SPEECH"4:32
11."mother/HOLDS" (featuring Alice Bag)3:46
12."sand/MAN"3:41
13."/BREATH"3:25

Credits

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Personnel

[edit]

Guests

[edit]

Additional personnel

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  • Chris Common – mixing, mastering, engineering
  • Robert Cheek – engineering
  • John Debaun – engineering
  • Eric Thorngren – engineering
  • Lindsey Byrnes – cover and band photography
  • Alan Ashcraft – art direction, design and layout
  • Kevin Moore – design and layout

Source[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Jaramillo, Daniel (4 February 2019). "Le Butcherettes – Bi/Mental review". Hysteria Mag. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b Bi/Mental (CD booklet liner notes). Le Butcherettes. Rise Records. 2019. pp. 1–16. Rise 415-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Le Butcherettes – Bi/Mental review". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  4. ^ Adcock, Lee (5 February 2019). "Le Butcherettes: Bi/Mental". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b Holsten, Russ (1 February 2019). "REVIEW: LE BUTCHERETTES – BI/MENTAL". Slug Mag. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  6. ^ Schatz, Lake (26 November 2018). "Le Butcherettes announce new album, Bi/Mental, share "father/ELOHIM": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  7. ^ Fleming, Amy (31 January 2019). "Le Butcherettes: 'There was a guy hanging from a tree just down the street from my house'". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b Lindquist, Andy (6 April 2018). "Le Butcherettes Release New Video for "spider/WAVES" and Announce Signing to Rise Records". music.mxdwn.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  9. ^ a b Schatz, Lake (6 April 2018). "Le Butcherettes share intense new single "spider/WAVES" and video: Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  10. ^ Lindquist, Andy (11 May 2018). "Le Butcherettes Release struggle/STRUGGLE EP Featuring Three Versions of New Single". music.mxdwn.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  11. ^ "LE BUTCHERETTES RELEASE NEW 3 SONG 'STRUGGLE/STRUGGLE' EP". Rock Your Lyrics. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  12. ^ "LE BUTCHERETTES Release New 3 Song For Their "struggle/STRUGGLE" EP". zayzay.com. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Le Butcherettes Return with New Album 'Bi/Mental'". Exclaim!. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. ^ "BI/MENTAL LP". Rise Records at merchnow.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Bi/MENTAL – New Album & Tour By Le Butcherettes". AlterLatino Music. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  16. ^ ""Beetle" – Renee Mooi". renegado.com.mx. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  17. ^ Galván, José (1 April 2019). "Le Butcherettes Video Premiere – "in/THE END"". KCRW. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
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