Punk is probably the musical genre that is most associated with political protest. And while rap and folk can offer plenty of social commentary, current acts like She Drew The Gun and Bob Vylan are keeping that flag flying.
And Millie Manders and the Shut Up are another band walking the walk through their music. New album ‘Wake Up, Shut Up, Work’ is charged with furious, righteous energy as leader/founder Millie rails against injustice and hate.
“When I’m writing, it has to come from my gut,” she says. “Things that trigger me one way or another emotively is how I write. All of it is geared towards something that has angered me, upset me, or made me feel like I need to speak.”
Outspoken, potty-mouthed, funny and refreshingly frank, it’s an album that tackles mental health and women’s rights. “There are songs about feeling like you’re absolutely insane, literally sitting inside your brain and looking outside of your skull going, I don’t know if I can escape this. There’s some about mental health and there’s a song about me being so poor that I can barely afford to eat.”
Notably, the album puts the female experience to the forefront, specifically the empowerment that comes from personal growth and self-discovery. The deceptively playful track ‘Rebound’ was inspired by a toxic relationship. “I think this is the case for most women,” says Millie. “We allow ourselves to be used and abused, to be gaslit, to be love bombed. I got so sick of being that rebound, and it happened several times.” She describes the track as “healing” and “catharsis”.
A staunch vegan and advocate for trans rights and women’s rights, the singer saw an opportunity to address gender inequality across the music industry. “I have got women playing sax and trumpet and violin and cello,” says Millie. “I want to give opportunity to women, trans women and people that aren’t cis male in a part of the industry that is very male dominated.”
The sessions – produced by Claire Sutton – followed a three-year gap since debut ‘Telling Truths, Breaking Ties’ which Manders down to the frantic promotion schedule for the latter, which was released during the pandemic. But ‘Wake Up, Shut Up, Work’ finds her refreshed, with a renewed love for music and a revived sense of passion and purpose. “I’m really excited about album three now,” she enthuses. “I haven’t even put out album two and I’m like, let’s do it. Let’s go.”
This article originally appeared in the Shields Gazette.