Jagjaguwar and Flemish Eye are reissuing Women’s “Public Strain” — one of the best albums of the 2010s — along with an EP of previously unreleased material. Women were an incredible post-punk band that produced two albums and a handful of other songs of insanely high quality. “Public Strain” is an amazing artistic statement, an album full of songs that combine both abrasive, noisy textures and catchy melodies (Patrick Flegel would later go on to explore this even further with the beautiful Cindy Lee albums—which often contain harsh, buzzsaw sounds and 1960s girl-group melodies, while Matt Flegel and Mike Wallace went on to form Preoccupations, which works with a more classic post-punk vibe of The Sound or late Joy Division). It would have been wonderful to see what they did after this, but “Public Strain” is the band at its best: P. Flegel’s dead-eyed vocals, Chris Reimer’s imperious guitar tone and inventive playing, M. Flegel’s powerful bass, and Mike Wallace’s incredible drumming. “Eyesore,” the last song on the album and one of the last songs they ever released, encapsulates everything about the band that made them special. I could listen to that outro for hours and not get tired of it.
The tracklist below is what’ll be on the rarities EP that’s released with the reissue. You can listen to “Everyone Is So In Love With You” above (a delicate, spindly song of acoustic guitar, cello, Flegel’s voice, tambourine, and that familiar steel-wool electric guitar sound the band used so well). Never thought I’d hear new-ish music from Women, but what a welcome development.
“Rarities 2007-2010” Tracklist:
A
Everyone Is So In Love With You
Bullfight [NB: great song, this came out on a split 7” with Cold Pumas/Fair Ohs/Friendo]
B
Service Animal
Grey Skies
Group Transport Hall (Alternate Version)