Bite Down by Ribbon Skirt
#18
An often scathing, revealing album that’s host to my favorite indie rock/post punk-y vocal performance of the year, courtesy of Tashiina Buswa. With many tracks inspired by Buswa’s Anishinaabe heritage, she expresses a lot of righteous anguish and rage whether she’s grappling with the weight of marginalized identity, or coping with other daily struggles. Her delivery can be deadpan and almost Valley Girl-adjacent (“Off Rez”), or impassioned and punk-y (the verses of “Wrong Planet”) - but always, Ribbon Skirt feel genuine.
The songwriting on this record is pretty stripped-back, but done incredibly well. “Off Rez” is a particular highlight, as it can be very tongue-in-cheek, criticizing the scandal around Buffy Saint-Marie’s falsified heritage (“They want 2000s Buffy Marie / They want my status, but they’re getting my teeth”) while also earnestly mourning cultural erasure of indigenous people (“I wanna preserve every part that makes me/Not only know but really feel that I’m free”). “Cellophane” is another affecting track that takes a more impressionistic lyrical approach as Buswa describes the grief and shock of losing her grandfather. There are also influences and sounds from across the spectrum of alternative rock on this album - including post punk and shoegaze, which have been done to death by other indie rock groups but feel somehow refreshed in the hands of Ribbon Skirt.