Los Angeles riot grrrl band the Linda Lindas have completely solidified their place as one of the most unstoppable up-and-coming artists. Now, they have released long-awaited new material in the form of the single, “Oh!”
Along with the track comes a high-energy, color-coded music video featuring the skateboarder, photographer and musician Ray Barbee.
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According to the band, “Oh!” is an outgrowth of their COVID-19-era collaborations.
“‘Oh!’ is one of the first songs we collaborated on during the pandemic, masked and distanced on the front porch,” the band say in a press release. “It started with the main riff and progression Bela brought to the band. Eloise wrote the verses, and Lucia and Mila wrote the choruses. The song deals with trying to help out someone and having it blow up in your face.”
“Oh!” begins as Barbee is snapping shots of the Linda Lindas using an old-school Polaroid camera. As a teeth-gritting intro played on St. Vincent’s signature Ernie Ball guitar builds anticipation amid the lyrics “Oh when I say something/I wish I had shut up,” the images of the band begin moving.
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“Oh!” features the same captivating, aggressive energy that catapulted the modern riot grrrl band into viral stardom following their performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” at the L.A. Public Library. The new single will be featured in the upcoming Netflix series The Chair starring Sandra Oh. The series is about an academic director whose identity as the first woman of color to lead the prestigious Pembroke University’s English department causes her to face a unique set of circumstances. You can watch the trailer featuring “Oh!” as the backing track here.
It isn’t the first time the Linda Lindas will be featured on screen. In June 2021, the band performed their viral hit on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The band were also included in the 2020 Netflix documentary The Claudia Kishi Club. Additionally, they were featured in Amy Poehler’s Moxie, a film about a girl who runs a zine calling out sexism within her school while paying homage to the riot grrrl movement.
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But film directors and television producers aren’t the only ones captivated by the band’s explosive energy. In addition to opening for legendary punk-rock band Bikini Kill, who hand-picked them to play their 2019 set at the Hollywood Palladium, the Linda Lindas also played alongside Best Coast. The indie band voiced their support via Twitter and expressed their affection for the young artists.
“My rock daughters the Linda Lindas released a banger of a song + music video today,” the tweet reads, “and I am very proud of them and think you should all go watch/listen ASAP.”
my rock daughters The Linda Linda’s released a banger of a song + music video today and I am very proud of them and think you should all go watch/listen ASAP: https://t.co/u9C09oPnpf
— Best Coast (@BestCoast) July 21, 2021
What do you think about the Linda Lindas’ new single? Read the lyrics below and drop your thoughts on “Oh!” in the comments!
“Oh!” lyrics:
Oh when I say something
I wish I had shut up (oh!)
And when I try to help,
I always screw things up (oh!)
The places that feel right,
They never last too long (oh!)
And when I think of things,
They always turn out wrong
Oh! Oh!
Oh!
Oh when I say something
Nobody backs me up (oh!)
When I try by myself,
I mess it up (oh!)
Oh when they say something
You always suck it up (oh!)
And when I try to help
It never is enough
Oh!
Oh!
What can I do, what can I do?
What can I say, what can I say?
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What can I do, what can I do?
Nothing changes it’s all the same
Why do I say something
Say anything at all (oh!)
It seems that when I try
I always take the fall (oh!)
But when I don’t speak up
There’s nothing but regret (oh!)
I can’t stop thinking of
What could’ve happened next
Oh!
Oh!
What can I do, what can I do?
What can I say, what can I say?
What can I do, what can I do?
Nothing changes it’s all the same
Oh! [x10]