SCOWL front-woman Kat Moss has commented on the ‘industry plant’ accusations that have been levelled against the band.
The American band hail from Santa Cruz, California, and blend post-hardcore with subtle aspects of pop. Perhaps more melodic in some inclinations than their peers, releases such as debut album ‘How Flowers Grow’ and this year’s EP ‘Psychic Dance Routine’ pack an incredible punch.
With their profile rising, some within punk and hardcore have taken to referring to SCOWL as ‘industry plants’ – an increasingly common term referring to major label machinery utilising the cloak of independence.
It’s an argument we’ve heard before, and is invariably lobbed against female musicians, or female-fronted groups – see also, Wet Leg, Picture Parlour, The Last Dinner Party. While there’s room to had in the discussion of opening out music, arts, and culture to make it much more inclusive of working class voices and people of colour generally, the ‘industry plant’ argument increasingly feels hopelessly reductive, and is more often than not used in an accusatory fashion, as a smear.
SCOWL front-woman Kat Moss has decided to speak out, discussing her experiences as a woman in punk and hardcore in the process. The note is titled: “I’m so sorry if I’m alienating some of you, your whole fucking culture alienates me!”
Comparing their treatment to those of their male peers, Kat finds criticism of others sorely lacking. She writes: “Is our success never good enough for you?”
Dubbing the debate a “patriarchal competition” she writes: “Is it so hard to believe that a woman-led band can be a hardworking and organic success? Is it so challenging to grasp a woman’s success that you have to create a fantasy that the music industry had a hand in it?”
Discussing her experiences during the rise of SCOWL – suffering bronchitis while on tour, and the “depression, anxiety, grief” that comes with being in the public eye – she says: “we do this because we LOVE it”.
Closing, Kat Moss thanks the “countless BIPOC/trans/femme/gender non-conforming individuals that I’ve shared the stage with… you remind me that I’m never alone.”
Find the full statement below.
“I’m so sorry if I’m alienating some of you, your whole fucking culture alienates me!” pic.twitter.com/vKUU8dpAI3
— Kat M. (@8leggedbaby) August 8, 2023
