{"product_id":"brutalligators-still-here","title":"BRUTALLIGATORS - Still Here","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLP - Limited Edition 'Grassy Green' Marbled Vinyl in printed poly-lined inner sleeve. Only 300 copies in this \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003epressing. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA queer indie-punk love letter to learning to accept all that life throws at you, with big sing-along choruses and heart-on-sleeve lyrics about relationships, friendship and gender. Hitchin-based indie-punk 4 piece \u003cstrong\u003eBrutalligators\u003c\/strong\u003e are back with their 2nd album, \u003cem\u003eStill Here\u003c\/em\u003e, a powerful, cathartic, and joyously loud collection of songs about survival, identity, and moving forward. From shout-along anthems to intimate confessions, the album explores grief, friendship, queer identity, aging, and that ever-complicated feeling of simply trying to exist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing 2021’s \u003cem\u003eThis House is Too Big\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThis House is Too Small\u003c\/em\u003e, the new record marks a sonic and emotional evolution for the band — trading heartbreak and endings for resilience, and healing, bringing the raw energy of Brutalligators debut with more melodic moments, blending the indie punk of PUP and Menzingers with the cleaner indie sound of Future Teens and Weezer. Still Here is an album with the mantra of “I’m still here, and I’m alive” says vocalist\/guitarist \u003cstrong\u003eLuke Murphy\u003c\/strong\u003e (they\/them). “Looking at how me and my identity hasn’t been accepted in the past, and focusing on the attitude of ‘fuck you, I am who I am, this is what makes me me’”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere’s plenty of positivity on \u003cem\u003eStill Here\u003c\/em\u003e too, ‘\u003cem\u003eSafe Haven\u003c\/em\u003e’ and ‘\u003cem\u003eGiving Up\u003c\/em\u003e’ are both completely heart-on-sleeve love letters to the life that we have now – kind of spiritual sequels to ‘\u003cem\u003eJosie\u003c\/em\u003e’ from the first record – whereas ‘\u003cem\u003eWrong Words\u003c\/em\u003e’ is a similar vein to ‘\u003cem\u003eNovember 4, 2016\u003c\/em\u003e’ from the first EP, revelling in how awesome it is to have solid friendships.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe breadth of \u003cem\u003eStill Here\u003c\/em\u003e showcases the progression of Brutalligators as artists who have been grafting in the DIY scene for the past 8 years. ‘\u003cem\u003eStill Here\u003c\/em\u003e’ and ‘\u003cem\u003eGet Better\u003c\/em\u003e’ are flagbearers for the typical sound of the band, blending lyrics about queer acceptance with the energy and shout-along choruses that wear their influences of bands like Los Campesinos! and Iron Chic on their collective sleeve. However, ‘\u003cem\u003eNice Try\u003c\/em\u003e’ showcases the more restrained side of Brutalligators – an ode to feeling stuck, that brings in influences like The Beths and Aarron West And The Roaring Twenties. Meanwhile, ‘\u003cem\u003eWrong Words\u003c\/em\u003e’ almost feels like an old Deftones track, with soaring screamed vocals and heavy, chunky rhythms driving the song forward and closing out the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill Here\u003c\/em\u003e is a proudly DIY project, largely recorded, produced, and mixed by drummer Rhys Kirkman - a return to the homegrown feel of early EP Animals \u003cem\u003eI Wish I’d Seen\u003c\/em\u003e. Rich Mandell (Happy Accidents, Me Rex) recorded Hold Fast, allowing the light and shade to shine through with lush layers of synths, piano and organ, while What’s Next was engineered by \u003cstrong\u003eTom Hill\u003c\/strong\u003e (Modern Rituals, Muttering), who’s got a real knack for capturing the energy of a track; Tom had recorded the debut Brutalligators album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrutalligators are: \u003cstrong\u003eLuke Murphy\u003c\/strong\u003e - they\/them (vocals\/guitar), \u003cstrong\u003ePaul Wade\u003c\/strong\u003e - he\/him (guitar\/backing vocals), \u003cstrong\u003eSimo Lee\u003c\/strong\u003e - they\/them (bass\/backing vocals), \u003cstrong\u003eRhys Kirkman\u003c\/strong\u003e - he\/him (drums\/backing vocals).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrutalligators started in late 2016 when Paul and Luke met for a coffee and discovered a mutual love of 90s and 00s emo and hardcore. Having been in various hardcore and emo bands throughout the 00s and 10s, they decided to try and write some songs together and Brutalligators was born. Simo and Rhys joined soon after, before they debuted at The Good Ship in Kilburn in 2017. They self-released their first EP \u003cem\u003eAnimals I Wish I’d Seen\u003c\/em\u003e in 2017, following with the second EP Friends I Wish I’d Had in 2019 via Real Ghost Records. Their debut album \u003cem\u003eThis House is Too Big\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThis House is Too Small\u003c\/em\u003e was released in 2021 on \u003cstrong\u003eBeth Shalom Records\u003c\/strong\u003e, which Noizze commented that the album “presents the band in their greatest, most intimate and most cathartic form.” Since releasing \u003cem\u003eThis House is Too Big\u003c\/em\u003e… Brutalligators have been tearing up stages across the UK and Europe, supporting bands such as Fresh, Michael Cera Palin, Dikembe, Johnny Foreigner and Martha.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLuke and Paul also run the vinyl subscription server \u003cem\u003eNothing Sounds Good\u003c\/em\u003e, spreading the word of DIY punk and indie around the UK. Luke is also a contributor to \u003cem\u003eHow To Make Friends\u003c\/em\u003e, a DIY promotion collective that runs gigs across the UK, and hosts the How To Make Friends podcast, which interviews DIY bands about what it is to be a musician today. Paul also plays in the party-metal collective \u003cstrong\u003eNeedle in the Cross\u003c\/strong\u003e, and makes award-winning short films under \u003cstrong\u003eWade Bros Productions\u003c\/strong\u003e. Rhys performs solo folk-punk as \u003cstrong\u003eRhys Kirkman\u003c\/strong\u003e. We think Simo might be a fey creature that sustains themself on glitter and multi-sided dice, but we are unsure…\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fika Recordings","offers":[{"title":"LP - 'Grassy Green' Marbled Vinyl","offer_id":56271765995865,"sku":"SDZ-05260","price":27.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/Brutalligators_-_Still_Here_-_LP_Grassy_Green_Marbled_Vinyl_-_2025.jpg?v=1759307875","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/brutalligators-still-here","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}