Savages, Out-Punking Punk With Love

Courtesy of Colin Lane.

Savages' debut album, Silence Yourself, was one of 2013's most arresting releases, a blast of slick post-punk vitriol from four British women who seemed hell-bent on shaking guitar rock to its core. And while it's hard to imagine the band surpassing it, they do just that on their fantastic, unexpected follow-up, Adore Life, a record that eschews nihilism for something even riskier: love. "The thing about writing a song like 'Adore' is that it shows a vulnerability and an openness as intense as anger," says Savages vocalist Jehnny Beth (bottom). "It's about how if you fulfill your own life and listen to your own desires, you might end up hurting other people. It's about accepting good and bad."

The track "Mechanics" also tackles the complicated duality of desire, with the lyrics, "When I take a man / Or a Woman / They're both the same / They're both human." Says Beth, "I've always been bisexual, [and bisexuality] isn't talked about much or really recognized as sexuality. When I was younger, one thing that was important to me about music was that you could talk about things you couldn't always talk about somewhere else -- sexuality, politics, emancipation. I'm happy to be able to do that."

Adore Life is out on January 22