In a summer dominated by Charli Xcx’s neon green album, it’s easy to forget that there are other brats out there in the world of music, especially in the heavy metal world with New Orleans’ very own BRAT.

The female-fronted metal band has been playing since 2021. 

They released their first full length album, Social Grace, earlier this year. Social Grace was ranked on the Billboard Top Hard Rock chart at #19 and the Top New Artists chart at #29.

BRAT has dedicated themselves to engaging live performances and constant tours around the nation. Their shows combine cheerleader dance styles, 90s house music, and death metal, creating a style that BRAT calls “barbiegrind”.

Barbiegrind, or “bimboviolence” as they also call it, is what BRAT is all about: being pink and girly while simultaneously being a hardcore metal band. 

However, BRAT is far from a gimmick band. The music is gut-punching and unrelenting hardcore metal. 

The cute yet violent aesthetic doesn’t mean much without music to back it up. Luckily, BRAT delivers on that end as well. The drummer has some of the tightest blast beats, and explosive fills I’ve seen in a long time. The guitar tone is perfectly nasty without losing clarity. Liz Selfish fits so much power into her vocals it’s truly uncanny. 

Check out the tracks, “Hesitation Wound” and “Social Grace” from the new album to see what BRAT has to offer. Their album, while great, pales in comparison to their live performances. You get the full meaning of barbiegrind in a live performance, while the records show less of the fun girly side.

Overall, BRAT has nowhere to go but up, and they’re touring often, so seeing them live is never too far away. 

You can catch them at Southport Music Hall opening for Crowbar on November 29th.