The Two Funerals

Like it or not, punk rock (and likely music in general) is primarily a boy's club. It can often be heard that many fans "don't enjoy female vocals" or "don't like girl bands." Those that do make it seem to be identified solely by their gender, either being pigeonholed as the angry girl band or (worse yet) being dolled up and sold as sex with a side of music. However, there have been a few acts who have stood up and made punk, and sometimes even music in general, question its own preconceptions and reevaluate its own boy's club policies. The Two Funerals appear to be seeking to carry this torch for a new age of music fans.

Their latest release, Tell Yr Story, is a great encapsulation of what the band is capable of in three songs. The opener, "Intro/Western Apathy" starts with about a minute-and-a-half musical intro that's reminiscent of Eternal Cowboy-era Against Me!. It's a great little bit that has you tapping your foot and bobbing your head before the vocals even start. Once the vocals kick in, you get a ripping fast pace of shouting, group "whoa-oh"s and some great riffs. Even at four-and-a-half minutes the track seems over before it starts, heading into the next one.

"Grey Skies" is probably my least favorite of the group but that doesn't mean it's a weak track. The track opens with a mellow riff akin to imadethismistake's "It's Okay" that belies the overall sound. Quickly, "Grey Skies" explodes with screaming vocals of "what's the point in listening when all you say is racist sexist shit?" Ultimately, the screaming vocals are integral to the track, highlighting the frustration of lines like, "I'll keep singing until yr (sic) ready to listen." Still, I've never been a fan of that type of delivery and it does make the track a little harsher than the two surrounding it.

Closing out the album is "We're Still Alive," a track that attempts to encompass death, religion, social change and learning to change the world in tiny steps. It seems like a track that wouldn't work, or would end up a jumbled mess of ideas and concepts. Yet, in their surprisingly simple and heartfelt way, the Two Funerals pull it off, seemingly without effort. It's a beautiful closer that offers hope, even for people who don't believe in a great beyond.

The Two Funerals are not changing music as an art but they're attempting to use it as a weapon, and doing so remarkably well. The EP is filled with enough musical talent, great songwriting and energy to keep the boys club on its toes. Tell Yr Story is a great EP and the perfect way to introduce people to them as a band and not a "girl band."