post punk

In 2019 alone, Razor Braids gained momentum by playing over 30 shows at venues such as Rough Trade, in support of Pinky Pinky and Them Fangs, and Brooklyn Bowl as well as playing their first music festival, Punk Island on Randall’s Island, sharing a bill with NYC punk rock legends, Leftover Crack, all without having released music. They closed out their epic inaugural year by playing Femme Fatale’s sold-out costume party at Home Sweet Home, which was organized by none other than Jessica Louise Dye of High Waisted and Bloodless Management. Going forward, Razor Braids has plans to expand beyond the presence they’ve established within the NY area by recording their debut album and touring the US.

Launching Razor Braids in 2017, Hollye (who only sang at the time) set off seeking badass ladies to collaborate with and to electrify her poetic lyrics with rock n’ roll rhythms and punk rock snap. As “luck” would have it, the search for bandmates was abruptly paused when Bynum took an unfortunate tumble resulting in a head injury that rendered her considerably immobile. Hollye found the silver lining by way of teaching herself how to play the bass while recovering. Auditions resumed, and once the roster was complete, Razor Braids cathartically churned out their first batch of tunes and hit the stage in outright defiance of ever letting anything hold them back.

Razor Braids features lead vocalist, bass-wielding, on-her-back-floor-dancing, Hollye Bynum who is operatically trained and lead a successful dance company for 5.5 years, Janie Peacock ripping and riffing on lead guitar as well as illustrating and designing all of Razor Braids’ visual content, rhythm guitar and the sweetest backing vocals you’ll ever hear carried by Jilly Karande, and her majesty, the ultimate badass, Hannah Nichols who took her seat at the drum throne, completing the line-up in October 2019.

With emotion-soaked songs written from a distinctly feminine perspective on heartbreak and finding strength in the aftermath, toxic friendships, the complexity of loneliness, little moments of joy ala great sex and cannabis clouds, and confronting the patriarchy, Razor Braids’ sound is as eclectic as the group of women comprising the band. Razor Braids draw influence from a variety of genres, decades, and the power they admire in one another. Their music is injected with elements of punk, 90’s grunge, and deep, dark, and heavy singer-songwriter stylings with an alternative ethos. Dripping with electric energy, Razor Braids’ songs roll around in your head, ignite your body, and jolt your heart. It’s rock, baby.

Razor Braids are releasing their debut single ‘Nashville’, recorded by Emmy award-winning Sound Engineer Mark Leombruni and Jeremy Given, on March 31 at Baby’s All Right supported by Similar Kind, who recently opened for Sunflower Bean, and The Cordial Sin. Coming off of a successful show at Mercury Lounge with Talulah Paisley of T-Rextasy fame, they’re getting ready to hit the road on a weekender tour through Philly and Jersey to promote their upcoming release.

Members: Hollye Bynum (Lead Vocals & Bass), Janie Peacock (Lead Guitar), Jilly Karande (Rhythm Guitar & Vocals), Hannah Nichols (Drums)

Razor Braids shared with me what it means to them personally to be indie music women artists:

“As an all-female group, this would be a top honor for us. It means being accepted into the community that we would most like to belong. Our experiences as females was a huge impetus for us starting this band and continues to fuel the music we create – from the drum parts to the lyrics to the guitar solos. It’s all shaped by our experiences as women in this world. To us, this feels like the right place.”

You can hear their new single, “Nashville” on Indie Music Women’s Soundcloud Playlist.