Review - Transgender Dysphoria Blues - Against Me!

If you are up to speed on the world of punk rock, or rock in general, then you should know about Laura Jane Grace. If, however, you don't, let me very quickly fill you in. In 2012, the lead singer of Against Me! came out publicly as being transgender (male to female transition), she has been given a huge amount of support since and rightly so.

That little bit of background is needed when listening to Against Me!'s latest, Transgender Dysphoria Blues. The record is a frank and open look at being transgender, lyrics such as "You want them to notice the ragged ends of your summer dress, you want them to see you like they see any other girl. They just see a faggot." from the album's title track open the record as in your face as it gets, and that is exactly what Grace set out to do. Fans of Against Me! will recognise those classic punchy beats and catchy hooks, the opening tracks Transgender Dysphoria Blues, True Trans Soul Rebel and Unconditional Love are definitely ones to be sung at the top of your lungs with your friends.

The fourth track on the album, Drinking With The Jocks, is the song I imagine Grace may have meant when she said "However fierce our band was in the past, imagine me, six-foot-two, in heels, fucking screaming into someone's face", it might be under 2 minutes long but it really does pack one helluva punch.

The album isn't all so in your face though, the almost ironically titled FUCKMYLIFE666 brings the album to a calmer pace, and it contains some of the most powerful lyrics on the album, "No more troubled sleep, there's a brave new world that's raging inside of me". The last few songs on the album take this slower pace, particularly Two Coffins, but the frank lyrics never cease. Apart from being a solid record of catchy lyrics and some very in-your-face songs, it is also a very honest and incredibly personal record, and at the same time it is so empowering not just for the transgender community, but for everyone regardless of their orientation. 

If Against Me!'s new album teaches us anything, it's that you have to be honest with who you are and love yourself, regardless of what anyone else thinks, and let's face it, that's probably the most punk thing you can do.