We've got a real treat this week, albeit a weird one: an 85-second blast of country-punk from Milwaukee's My Chemical Romance-themed country band turned actual kinda-sorta country band Rat Bath. Stream "Trip Today" below.
First impressions
Rat Bath, you ask? Yes, Rat Bath. We weren't joking about them starting as a My Chemical Romance country cover band. The group came together for a benefit concert for Courage MKE last Halloween, and decided to continue to keep playing together. And for that we're thankful, because this rips. For decades indie/punk bands have been searching for unusual new spins on country music. Most don't find one. Rat Bath did. This is the most entertaining new take on outsider country I've heard in years.
In the band's own words
"In addition to our unique style, we are each members of Milwaukee's LGBT community and strong advocates for equality and safe spaces within DIY music scenes," the band writes, adding that "this single was recorded in a walk-in closet padded with blankets." The band's name, by the way, is less random than it may seem. "Our band name came from Fred's pet rat who, at the time, very much needed a bath."
