Pansy Division – “He’s Trouble”

Pansy Division – “He’s Trouble”

Queer punk progenitors Pansy Division paved the way for acts like PWR BTTM to survive in the today’s music scene, and the San Francisco band is back with a new album later this year. After a flurry of activity in the ’90s — during which time they released six albums and went on tour with then-labelmates Green Day — they’ve slowed down and settled for releasing a record every few years. Their last was 2009’s That’s So Gay, and their next is called Quite Contrary. (The cover art features the same couple that was on 1996’s Wish I’d Taken Pictures.)

Lead single “He’s Trouble” is the sort of cheeky, light-hearted pop-punk that the band does best. This one stands as a warning against a very specific type of flaky dude who’s overly self-involved and intensely self-conscious, and totally not into you (or at least too afraid to admit he is). It’s filled with the kind of pointed details that will induce both a smile and cringe in recognition: “I gave him my number, but he lost his phone/ His message was clear as a dial tone”; “He’s always wearing the same old hat/ His hair is receding, but he’s touchy about that/ He’s always broke, but always has a drink.” The chorus bursts into a spell-it-out chant — “He’s trouble/ T-R-O-U-B-L-E” — that’s both effectively simple and positively infectious. Listen below.

Tracklist:
01 “He’s Trouble”
02 “Love Came Along”
03 “You’re On The Phone”
04 “Kiss Me At Midnight (New Year’s Eve)”
05 “Halfway To Nowhere”
06 “Work On It, Babe”
07 “I’m The Friend”
08 “Blame The Bible”
09 “Mistakes”
10 “It’s A Sin”
11 “My Heart Aches For You”
12 “(Is This What It’s Like) Getting Old”
13 “Too Much To Ask”
14 “Something Beautiful”

Tour Dates:
09/20 Somerville, MA @ ONCE Ballroom
09/21 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
09/22 Washington, DC @ Hill Country Live DC
09/23 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
09/24 Brooklyn, NY @ Sunnyvale
11/04 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
11/05 Long Beach, CA @ Alex’s Bar
11/06 Palm Springs, CA @ Pride Festival
11/09 Seattle, WA @ Funhouse
11/10 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
11/11 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The HIll
11/12 Los Angeles, CA @ Viper Room

Quite Contrary is out 9/9 via Alternative Tentacles. Pre-order it here.

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