Biography
In 2013, guitarist Ben Hopkins and drummer Liv Bruce formed PWR BTTM after connecting at Bard College in upstate New York through their shared focus on incorporating drag culture and performance art into D.I.Y. music environments. The pair then began writing and tracking songs for a demo.
PWR BTTM issued their opening EP, Cinderella Beauty Shop, in 2014; its unrefined pop-punk and garage rock approach invited parallels to queercore forerunners Pansy Division and God Is My Co-Pilot. Generating attention through energetic performances, the duo next released the split-EP Republican National Convention in tandem with Jawbreaker Reunion.
They sustained an active touring schedule across 2015 while entering the studio to capture their first full-length effort, which surfaced that September in the U.S. on Father/Daughter Records under the title Ugly Cherries. The record drew strong critical praise for its queer punk perspective and reached the U.K. and Europe the following year via Big Scary Monsters.
Building on the debut's reception, the duo signed with Polyvinyl Records in late 2016 and began work on their next album, Pageant.
Pageant attracted favorable notices, yet multiple sexual assault allegations against Hopkins appeared on social media days before the scheduled May 12, 2017 release. The resulting attention prompted the loss of management, the end of Polyvinyl's distribution for Pageant, and Father/Daughter's withdrawal of Ugly Cherries from circulation.
PWR BTTM issued their opening EP, Cinderella Beauty Shop, in 2014; its unrefined pop-punk and garage rock approach invited parallels to queercore forerunners Pansy Division and God Is My Co-Pilot. Generating attention through energetic performances, the duo next released the split-EP Republican National Convention in tandem with Jawbreaker Reunion.
They sustained an active touring schedule across 2015 while entering the studio to capture their first full-length effort, which surfaced that September in the U.S. on Father/Daughter Records under the title Ugly Cherries. The record drew strong critical praise for its queer punk perspective and reached the U.K. and Europe the following year via Big Scary Monsters.
Building on the debut's reception, the duo signed with Polyvinyl Records in late 2016 and began work on their next album, Pageant.
Pageant attracted favorable notices, yet multiple sexual assault allegations against Hopkins appeared on social media days before the scheduled May 12, 2017 release. The resulting attention prompted the loss of management, the end of Polyvinyl's distribution for Pageant, and Father/Daughter's withdrawal of Ugly Cherries from circulation.
Albums
