You know what they say: Wherever you go, there you are. But if you’re Laura Jane Grace, you’re not there alone. Quite the opposite, in fact: You’re constantly hounded by your past as the leader of rabble-rousing punk stalwarts Against Me!, your new and very public persona as a transgender artist and activist, and the unwanted input, thoughts, questions and opinions of pretty much everyone you come in contact with, whether they love you, loathe you or want to hassle you about which bathroom you plan to use. So it’s no wonder Grace decided it was time for a change. The sound of that well-earned respite is Bought to Rot, the debut album from her new power trio The Devouring Mothers. Backed by Against Me! drummer Atom Willard and bassist-producer Marc Jacob Hudson, Grace cranks up and bashes out 13 scrappy roots-punk numbers and folk-rock spleen vents about accepting friends, hating Chicago, hotel living and other topics that aren’t preoccupied with smashing the state, fighting the system or toppling the patriarchy. So they’re definitely not going to save the world. But if they do what they’re designed to do, they just might save Grace’s sanity. Or at least help ditch some baggage. So there you are.
Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers | Bought to Rot
The Against Me! leader plugs in and cuts loose on this solo album.