North East trio Abnorm offer up a feisty, punky rock sound that blends emotive storytelling with punchy riffs, and they describe as “fierce, alternative and empowering.”
The band started as a bedroom music project of Hartlepool-born vocalist and songwriter Abbie Rose during lockdown. Abbie met Sunderland pair Ryan Brown (guitar) and Adam Willis (drums) at music networking events. Now all based in Newcastle, Ryan and Adam enjoyed the music Abbie was creating and wanted to contribute in their own ways.
Abnorm’s music channels intensity and vulnerability, while tackling personal battles, societal issues, and moments of deep reflection. And on the sound they’ve crafted, Abbie told us: “I’m a rage-writer, so if you haven’t listened to us: expect angry sad girl lyrics and heavy guitar riffs.”
Our latest taste of this is the band’s debut three-track EP GIANT, which was released in February. The EP concludes with its title track, GIANT, a concept song about a young girl being intimidated or belittled by a man and feeling helpless rage when they can’t find back.
It opens up with a funky little stabbing riff that continues under Abbie’s engaging vocals. Drawn out guitars and cymbal crashes set up a feisty chorus with a cool riff supporting the vocals “Squash those who wrong me, Crush your bones and eat you up for supper supper, You’re never going forwards, Your insides, they just bore us, I’m playing with your blood.”
The second verse opens with the lines “Jack, get off my beanstalk, I’ll draw your outline in my chalk, They call me BFG, But I’m not big, nor friendly,” and quickly feeds into another chorus. This time it drops into repeats of “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I can smell your fear and I think that you should run,” which builds towards big final blasts of the chorus. And the track ends in lively fashion with heavy guitars and drums.
On the track, Abbie said: “My friends that know me know I’m a sensitive little bean, but Abbie Abnorm, when I’m on stage especially, allows me to express and articulate some of those feelings. In the song, she laughs while she plays with the blood of those who have hurt her and I almost feel like I’m two different people. GIANT allows me this catharsis. It allows me to be brave and confrontational when I can’t be in normal life. And I hope it helps other women like me too. It allows me to be stronger and braver.” Check it out in the band’s first music video here:
GIANT is completed by the more laid-back Gasoline, which opens up with light guitars and delicate vocals that gradually builds towards a powerful conclusion, and the delicious Petals, which also starts with laid-back vocals that intensify with stabbing guitars and feed into an engaging chorus. And we firmly recommend checking out previous singles like the feisty Good Riddance and their excellent debut single Citrus.
On the new EP, Abbie told us: “We would like people to know that GIANT is a mixture of rage and heartbreak – so if you’re going through something at the minute, we hope it helps.”
The Abnorm sound has been inspired by the likes of Yonaka, Paramore, The Pretty Reckless, Nova Twins and Dead Pony. “When I was growing up, there was a severe lack of representation of women in rock music,” Abbie says. “I grew up obsessed with Paramore, The Pretty Reckless, Joan Jett, and Janis Joplin. Before I considered starting Abnorm, I was listening to other emerging female-fronted rock bands like Dead Pony, The Mysterines, Black Honey, Yonaka, Nova Twins, Wet Leg, Scene Queen, and Cassyette.”
There’s plenty more to come from Abnorm, who have a new single written and ready to record. They have a busy festival season ahead, including playing at Lindisfarne Festival and Sign of the Times Festival in Hertfordshire, and are currently planning their first UK tour.
You can follow Abnorm on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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