Portrait Of A Lady
Northern Spy, 2022
10/10
The New York art-punk icon Shilpa Ray never does anything conventional, and this new batch of tunes is no different as she explores personal aspects of her life related to the #metoo movement, the Trump administration and her own experiences with abuse.
“Straight Man’s Dream” gets the listen off to a calm start, where Ray’s expressive singing and warm keys make for a cozy opener, and “Manic Pixie Dream Cunt” follows with a thundering, punk rock explosion of power and melody as Ray’s shouted vocals are as urgent as the fiery music.
Further along, “Lawsuits And Suicide” benefits much from firm drumming and dense guitar amid some post-punk influences, while “Bootlickers Of The Patriarchy” flows with a haze of slow moving intimacy before bursting into a rugged New Wave rocker.
“Charm School For Damaged Boys” arrives near the end and is a scrappy garage-rocker, and “Last Wave” exits the affair with a subdued and dreamy finish that flirts with electro-pop, too.
A listen that can be ferocious as well as delicate, and that’s as likely to end up in reverb as it is searing guitars or electronic beats, Shilpa Ray is truly on her own distinct path, but it’s one that can remind us of The Stooges, Ministry or Babes In Toyland in a brawl that breaks out at a poetry reading.
Travels well with: Sneaks- Happy Birthday; Titus Andronicus- An Obelisk