Women were a Canadian Post-Punk band from Calgary whose uniquely lo-fi and experimental approach to the genre became incredibly influential around the start of the 2010s, bridging the gap between the pop-orientated style of 2000s post-punk and the rawer, more underground route it would take the following decade.
Formed in 2007 as a hobby project for the members, their self-titled debut was recorded in various locations, largely with musician and producer Chad Van Gaalen and released in 2008 to polarizing reviews. Compared to bands such as Sonic Youth, This Heat and Deerhunter, the album's sound varied widely between psychedelic pop and straight-up noise.
In 2010, the band followed with their sophomore album Public Strain and the "Service Animal/Grey Skies" single, both also recorded with Van Gaalen. Although Public Strain received exceptionally positive reviews from critics, the band cancelled their tour at the end of the year presumably from member conflicts and announced a hiatus in early 2011.
In February of 2012, guitarist Christopher Reimer died in his sleep shortly after a solo performance. Soon after, bassist Matt Flegel and drummer Mike Wallace formed a new band called Viet Cong (later changed to Preoccupations) and released their debut album in 2015.
Discography
- Women (2008)
- Public Strain (2010)
The band provides examples of:
- Album Title Drop: "Can't You See" from Public Strain."I spill the public strain..."
- Echoing Acoustics: Reverb is used extensively throughout their discography, most notably on Matt Flegel's vocals. Certain tracks on the debut were recorded in various odd locations (ie., under a bridge in freezing weather) for the acoustics.
- Fade Out: The outro of "Eyesore", the final track on "Public Strain", has a long and very effective one, essentially ending their brief life as a band.
- Indecipherable Lyrics: Almost always.
- Last Note Nightmare: "Upstairs" becomes a sinister jam halfway through and ends with a loop of haphazard violin playing.
- Math Rock: Flirted with this, most notably with "Shaking Hand" and "Heat Distraction".
- Miniscule Rocking "Cameras" and "Group Transport Hall" from the debut both reach just over a minute and the entire album is just under half an hour.
- Non-Indicative Name: A band consisting only of men.
- Short-Runners: Only had two albums to their name before Reimer's death.
