SCRUNCHIES - Colossal

SCRUNCHIES: Minneapolis punks (ex-Kitten Forever) announce new album "Colossal" via Learning Curve Records; new single "The Empire" streaming now

Learning Curve Records presents the August 23rd release of Colossal, the third full-length album by Scrunchies.

Pre-order the album, here: https://lcrdistro.com/products/scrunchies-colossal-copy

Stream the album's first single, “The Empire,” here: https://youtu.be/LWOGjT-55ok

From Minneapolis, Minnesota, Scrunchies consists of guitarist/vocalist Laura Larson, bassist Jeremy Warden, and drummer/vocalist Danielle Cusack. Raw, raging and tuneful, the trio fires off infectious bursts of post-riot grrrl songcraft that land in the same garage as Mannequin Pussy, Screaming Females, and Sleater-Kinney.

A 2022 review from The A.V. Club hailed Scrunchies' knack for "packing riot grrrl punk, sneering garage rock, and pummeling post-punk grooves into a singular package without skimping on earworm hooks." On new album Colossal, the band fully delivers on that promise; first single "The Empire" rips forth, urgently, raggedly, while the intertwining vocals of Larson and Cusack soar irresistibly and demand repeated plays. In Larson's own words, the song is "thrashy, poppy, and grunge-adjacent."

Grunge-adjacent indeed, Colossal was recorded by none other than Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and features the very same Veleno guitar that was used in the recording of Nirvana's In Utero. Colossal is an "AAA" production – recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely with analog gear and tape. 

"Working with Steve was amazing," recalls Larson, "not only because of the impact his work has had on us for the majority of our musical careers, but because from the minute we walked into the studio it was immediately a comfortable, honest experience. We trusted him and he trusted us. It meant the world to us to be able to do this project with him." One of the final works to be created by the revered Albini before his passing this year, the album was mastered by Greg Obis (Deeper, Dehd).

Colossal is a triumph, but a long road has led here; the members of Scrunchies have been entrenched in Minneapolis' thriving DIY scene for decades. Notably, Larson was a member of Minneapolis punks Kitten Forever, whose feminist energy and bass-and-drums bashing earned tours with the likes of Screaming Females and made a fan out of queer icon JD Samson. The band's 16-year run came to a close during the making of Colossal and Larson states that the experience shaped the album: "It is as significant as a long term relationship ending and exploring that shift is a big part of the content." 

The same feminism that fueled Kitten Forever now courses through Scrunchies, but Larson opts for surreal lyrics instead of overt messaging. ("The Empire" opens with these abstractly empowering lines: "There’s no chain on the apex / It’s science fiction / Pass the hours on ascending wire / If it clings to you it’s a parasite feeding at the empire.") 

"As with all of my projects, feminist themes run throughout the album," says Larson, "with an exploration of the insidiousness of modern gender expectations, power, bodies, and a slightly repulsive narrative of womanhood as deli meat made of the magician's assistant from a sawed-in-half trick... I write lyrics that veer more towards surrealistic and poetic imagery with the hope that they can resonate with people in different ways that are impactful to them."

With Kitten Forever and other past projects in the rearview, Scrunchies takes center stage. Larson, Warden, and Cusack are fully committed and the mighty Colossal is the result. With a hometown Colossal release show booked for August 24th, the band will embark on a short US tour in September.

Tracklist:
1) Brute
2) Realistic Effect
3) High Pile
4) The Empire
5) Ride
6) Load
7) Carry On
8) Generator
9) Decoder
10) Cherry Valley Cemetery
11) Pressure Shift
12) Within an Inch
13) Wild Geranium

Lineup:
Laura Larson - guitar, vocals
Jeremy Warden - bass
Danielle Cusack - drums, vocals

Tour:
Aug 24 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club (Colossal Release Show)

Aug 31 - Chicago, IL @ Liar's Club
Sep 1 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
Sep 2 - Dayton, OH @ Blind Rage Records
Sep 3 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto Project
Sep 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
Sep 5 - Washington, DC @ Slash Run
Sep 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ God's Auto Body
Sep 7 - Richmond, VA @ Garden Grove
Sep 8 - Asheville, NC @ 27 Club
Sep 9 - Louisville, KY @ Portal
Sep 10 - Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone
Sep 11 - St Louis, MO @ Sink Hole
Sep 12 - Kansas City, MO @ Howdy
Sep 20 - Madison, WI @ Gamma Ray

Discography:
Stunner (2018, Forged Artifacts Records).
Feral Coast (2021, Dirtnap Records / State Champion Records)
Colossal (2024, Learning Curve Records)

"Packing riot grrrl punk, sneering garage rock, and pummeling post-punk grooves into a singular package without skimping on earworm hooks is a rarer feat than is sometimes acknowledged—but it sounds like Scrunchies may have pulled it off."
–The AV Club

"With a riot grrrl sound like Spitboy or Bikini Kill, this Minneapolis group has earned their keep amongst the greats."
–Maximum Rocknroll

"One of the most exciting rock bands out there. They let their true selves shine with inventive uses of distortion and the loud-soft dynamic along with lyrics that merge the personal and political while retaining a surreal sense of fun."
–Post-Trash

Photo by Darin Kamnetz

Cover art by Laura Larson