Murmur, Atlanta’s premier DIY media organization, is putting on their fourth installment of the Atlanta Zine Fest this Saturday. AZF was created by executive director Amanda Mills who sees zines as a way for groups outside the mainstream media to communicate and connect. This year’s fest will focus on digital zines and will feature a wide variety of speakers, workshops, and vendors.
Murmur has always been supportive of the LGBTQ community and because the folks at Wussy Mag have great taste in music, Wussy Mag arts editor Sunni Johnson (previously of Knaves Grave) and contributor Dorian McNall have created a compilation tape of Atlanta and Athens artists called CULOTTES to benefit Murmur and AZF. According to Johnson, the compilation contains roughly 40 songs and is split into four segments: electro-pop/girl rap, ambient/experimental, post-punk/shoegaze, and twee-pop/indiepop. It’s an ambitious project that emphasizes women and/or queer artists, and to help spur interest and awareness, Wussy Mag has released the twee section of the compilation as a sample of what is to come.
Despite the singularity of their categorization, these 11 tracks are a surprisingly diverse selection of music featuring established Atlanta bands like Femignome and Twin Studies, up-and-coming acts like WANDA, as well as a documentation of defunct artists the Dianes and El Hollin.
Most of the songs on the compilation appear as slices of bubblegum pop, but even the most summery tracks contain pointed jabs at the establishment which encourage white cisgender men to check their privilege. For example, Cute Puke’s eponymous track is a clear-eyed address of the objectification women face on a minute by minute basis. It’s not the most complicated track on the album, but the band’s three-chord rock and roll is the perfect vehicle for their deft social commentary.
It’s not all political, though; Pretty Boy’s contribution to the album, “Stay High,” is a brittle slice of lo-fi songwriting in which the three-piece competently address the confounding nature of human relationships. Though Pretty Boy has yet to release any studio recordings, the band has a wealth of experience, featuring digital artist Gently Yoused, Yancey Ballard of Man Up, Yancey, and Kyle Swick of Irrelevant Music.
Despite the overall similarities between bands on this segment of the compilation, the depth and flow is striking, making it a worthwhile taste of Atlanta twee pop and assuring us that the rest of the tape compilation will be just as compelling.
You can grab a digital copy of CULOTTES VOL IV TWEEPEE on Bandcamp now for $7, but the full tape release will drop at the AZF after-party at Cherub’s Den featuring performances by Man Up, Yancey and Taylor Alxndr.
Atlanta Zine Fest takes place Saturday, June 11 in a variety of downtown venues including Eyedrum, Murmur, Mammal Gallery, and Downtown Players Club. The fest kicks of at noon and is free and open to the public. For a list of all programming and details, visit the AZF event page.
More Info
Web: wussymag.com
Bandcamp: culottes.bandcamp.com
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Twitter: @wussymag