Every now and then an artist grips your attention with character rather than music. Believe it or not, brutally raw personality rarely spills across a musical pallet in such a way it grips you before the composition itself.
Artists who consciously break away from the traditionalism of normality by freely following their own unique artistic voice often showcase an admirable embrace towards self-liberty. Personality is infectious; it not only provides opportunity for relation, it can shape the way an artist’s work is perceived, divulging every corner of vulnerability and conviction in their character.
Piss Factory doesn’t just defy genre, they set it on fire. The brainchild of the enigmatic Penny Dreadful, KID CONVALESCENT isn’t for the faint of heart.
Penny Dreadful (bass player for The Nuclear Family) is the mastermind behind her solo rock n roll project Piss Factory. Hailing from Sydney, Dreadful dishes up some of the strangest oddball rock n roll I’ve heard in a while. Her latest and fourth effort to date KID CONVALESCENT boasts a sound I can only describe as reincarnated. It’s as though the 60’s, 70’s and 90’s have collided together with a bang. It sounds familiar yet extremely fresh.
There’s this weird, wacky yet wonderful side to this project which encapsulates a sense of vulnerability and liberty. Dreadful bravely wears her zany personality on her sleeve here and it shines from the start to the end of KID CONVALESCENT. In turn she successfully achieves in encapsulating her character through her artistic expression, giving this project something far greater than just great songwriting.
Right from the get go KID CONVALESCENT embraces a pure spirited energy in Valerie Solanas. The track itself impressively embodies that classic 60’s garage sound whilst not leaving a stale after taste that has been left time and time again by a bunch of trendy teens in garage rock revival bands. It kicks ass.
Now what separates Dreadful from these typical garage rock revival acts? It’s her ability to embody her own traits into a classic vibe, rather than mimicking her influences she boldly creates the line to distort herself away from them. The title track Kid Convalescent is arguably my favourite track on the album. I can hear influences scattered from The Velvet Underground to The Vaselines here, however Dreadful still manages to retain her hallmark presence throughout.
KID CONVALESCENT takes you on a bizarre journey through the captivating reality of Penny Dreadful. Everything from the outlandish lyricism and eccentric spoken word / story in Lelpzig 3 to the constant pop culture references as seen in Devenir and Yellow Note Tv Static provide an insight into the strange mind of Penny Dreadful. Piss Factory is raw, Piss Factory is un-refined and Piss Factory is unapologetic. Do not go into this project with expectations because they will be obliterated; you will either love her or hate her, a middle ground is hard to find in this instance.
Whether you agree or disagree Dreadful achieves something on KID CONVALESCENT that either breaks or makes superstars; and that’s valiant self-expression without being tacky. It’s something that often gets overlooked these days. Needless to say Piss Factory are a truly refreshing and rewarding experience. I wouldn’t really know where to place Piss Factory amongst other acts, I guess she’s on the top of her own sound rather than 5000th on another rehashed sound, and for that I have tremendous respect.
Since there’s nowhere I can really place Penny Dreadful and her Piss Factory project, I guess there’s only one way to find out what she sounds like… get on it. Get on KID CONVALESCENT. Either that or continue jerking it over your Dylan LP’s by all means.
