Hi! I'm looking to explore more punk artists who write about disability (of any kind really) and/or chronic illness, would you happen to have any recommendations for that? Thanks!
hi! i didn't have a concrete list, really, so i did a bit of digging and here's a couple albums & blurbs! it's not actually very punk-centric (more experimental than anything) my apologies. i haven't listened to all of these fully, but the stuff that i've heard has been lovely!
grim bitch/sick shit — collander: experimental/electronic bedroom pop. "a peek into a few weeks of low-spoons electronic production, demo tracks demo bodies." alli yates, the singer behind collander, is also "member of Sins Invalid, a performance collective for artists with disabilities, and is a prominent disability rights activist within Oakland’s underground scene" (bandcamp daily)
187bpm_demo — wheelchair sports camp: experimental funk/hip-hop. "We would like to offer this song of rage, anger, and grief to the ongoing fight for liberation. For those on the frontlines of today's uprising and for the generations of movements before that paved the way, taught us how, and who gave their all for us to be here." i found them through kr/p-hop nation's network, whose website is sadly defunct but the founder's twitter (leroy f moore jr) is still up!
sicko — beast nest: experimental/electronic noise. "And when I personally think about liberation, I think about what it means to get to a place where you are able to be present and really live with that presence. I think about what oppression functions as, what abolition is about, what disability justice is about" (bandcamp daily). sharmi basu (of beast nest!) is one of the people behind ratskin records, a label based in oakland, ca dedicated to "decolonial experimental music centered in the Bay Area and beyond". i've heard some of beast nest's stuff before and it is stellar, definitely recommend if ur interested in brown noise.
the runner — boy harsher: coldwave/drone. "Last year, in the midst of the obvious chaos, but additionally with Matthews’ MS diagnosis, Muller started working on moody, cinematic sketches. It was uncertain what these pieces would become other than catharsis — the duo were unable to tour and making “club music” did not feel right." this one i had saved from a rec post i'd seen somewhere on here, but i hadn't had a chance to listen till now. this is the soundtrack to their short horror film of the same name!
split 12 — chronic anxiety / dialer: post-punk noise/harsh electronic punk. "the album is six slices of pure post punk-noise rock wrapped in a silk swaddle of self-assertion and anxiety." this one's actually a vinyl split between 2 bands but i figured it would be a fun add! this one's a joint release between Bunny Cat Records (Great Weights, Love Club, Impressionist) and SRA Records (FOD, Dead Milkmen, HIRS, Psychic Teens) and their noise is so so cool.
https://synthfreq.bandcamp.com/album/vol-1
the enigma of heaven and other daily delusions — heaven pierce her: electronic/experimental breakcore. "An exploration of christianity, mundane divinity and paranoid schizophrenia in the information age." i'm originally familiar with hakita's work via ultrakill, but this album actually means so much to me for a lot of different reasons. shan't get into it here, hope you enjoy it.
the flesh of the world — uboa: dark ambient/harsh noise. "These four songs were done under quarantine and are about bodies, body dysmorphia and the schizophrenic dissolution of the boundary between self and other" ; i love uboa's work and this album is genuinely fantastic.
i'm not 100% sure if these completely qualify, but the following punk bands are extremely vocal about their support for marginalized groups (and discuss mental illness / disability here and there in their work): hirs collective, blkvapor, the muslims, soul glo, pulses., pinkshift, S.B.S.M., and G.L.O.S.S. ^_^ if anybody else has any recommendations, please feel free to add on! this list is by no means exhaustive, it's literally what i found after a couple weeks of sitting on this ask. i would love love love any recs; they would be much appreciated.
all albums linked are through bandcamp! obligatory mention that bandcamp staff are currently unionizing: check out bandcamp united's linktree for a ton of resources to support them, including email templates to the co-founder expressing your support for the union. on bandcamp fridays, the first friday of every month, all proceeds from sales will go directly to artists & bandcamp will not take any fees. <3
