Sometimes it’s nice to just put on some angry-girl music of the ‘90s rock persuasion and not pretend everything’s okay — which is where grungy group Baby Yaga’s new EP, I’ll Ruin Your Life, comes into play.
Whether it’s exposing the negative self-talk loop on “Dog House” with the question, “Have you ever had those days where you cringe over every mistake you’ve ever made?” or with the admittance, “If you let me kiss you, I’ll ruin your life,” on “Black Hole,” both songs are best played loudly.
“Did you say female rage? Hold my beer,” said frontwoman Presley Randall.
Bassist Gee Peralta and drummer Alex Brouwer complete the Baby Yaga three-piece, and a fourth member was along for the I’ll Ruin Your Life ride, Secret Guest frontman Brett Nash. The EP was produced by Devin Vaughan at 100 Watt Studios in West Ashley.
Some of the new songs’ subject matter came from being in a relationship with someone she called “truly angelic” and wishing she could be good like him. By ending things she was able to accept herself more.
“I try to just trust that things are as they should be. It’s so fucking cheesy, but things happen for a reson, and if they don’t happen for a reason you can create a reason. Every closure is a new beginning. Every death is a rebirth.”
With her recent relocation to Asheville, Randall said she hasn’t been writing much at all.
“I think it has something to do with the fear of failure. I did go see an Intuitive, and she told me that I would start writing again in December. So we will see if that’s true.”
It boils down to the fact that she hasn’t treated this music thing as a career path. She didn’t grow up wanting to be a musician and has been playing for about two or three years. She’s grateful her songwriting happened at all.
“I don’t put a lot of pressure on it. My passion in life is doing spiritual work with women, but this is obviously a huge undeniable part of myself.”
For Randall, music is how she can say what is not acceptable in other contexts.
“I play music so I can get out this Courtney Love-esque anger — not even anger — this deep ancient ancestral injustice that we’ve had to endure as women.”
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