Punk music was founded on challenging norms and found its identity by subsequently tearing them down. Over time, this destruction-as-creation concept has become watered down, packaged and processed for sensitized, radio-friendly ears, where feelings of rejection were celebrated over the celebration of rebellion, the embracing of what society defines as the “norm.” It’s refreshing when a band rails against society’s xenophobia, refusing to package its sound with a prim, suburban bow for easy digestion. G.L.O.S.S., an acronym for “Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit,” is such a band. On a technical level, their five song demo is nothing new, though it hits just as hard, sometimes harder, than your average D-beat thought piece. Like Limp Wrist before them, G.L.O.S.S. infuses their brief, wholesome punk with purposeful fury, declaring their queerness with the utmost pride and with teeth bared.
Opening track, “G.L.O.S.S. (We’re From the Future)” is a call to arms, with vocalist Sadie’s venom tipped words flaring through the mic, her intent clear and booming. G.L.O.S.S. use their transgender foundations as a weapon, bludgeoning society’s misconceptions into an unrecognizable, wet mess. Gender norms are exposed for the lies that they are, mere conceptions formed by society’s desire to categorize and organize, especially on second track, “Masculine Artifice.” While femininity is the lyrical thread that ties the demo together, its concepts are wielded like a glamorous battle ax, fabulously decapitating naysayers into submission. “Targets of Men” is the anthem of the individual, rejecting all outside perceptions in favor of the self. The tracks are pummeling, with specific harshness adhered to “Outsiders Stomp,” a track that embraces the downtrodden, taking them into an all-encompassing rallying cry that knows no prejudice save for disdain for the society that has isolated but also consequently united them.
G.L.O.S.S. use their fervor as a mouthpiece from which to espouse their blunt wisdom, taking no prisoners but laying a welcome mat out for anyone level-headed enough to listen. This small but weighty collection is a jumping point from which this outfit can take flight, into a future that they already own.
G.L.O.S.S.’s demo is available at name your price download here.
