Fox Face “Spoil + Destroy” 2017. Dirtnap Records. We caught Milwaukee’s Fox Face this past weekend at Mittenfest where they absolutely killed with their fierce punk riot grrrl revival set (not that riot girrrl ever really went away, but it is needed now more than ever), playing several of the songs from their latest release Spoil + Destroy.

From their liner notes: “The term spoil + destroy is taken from a witch-hunting manual that, to paraphrase, states that even good witches who do not ‘spoil and destroy, but save and deliver’ should be killed. That resonated with us – the idea that, as a woman, your achievements are irrelevant because of your gender.” The tracks on the album back up this sentiment, with grit and without apology, a giant middle finger fuck you to the age of Trumpism. “(What You’re) Good For” leads off the record, bouncing with infectious rage. “Clever Girl” has an ominous groove and seethes with glorious feminist fury (this is probably my favorite track on the record but there are several runners-up). “Hiawatha” is beautifully haunting, deliciously dark. “Boogie Man” and “Girl Hater” are even darker, violently so as the beat revs up to head banging punk. The hashtag of 2016 appears on “Nasty Woman” as does the sane person’s response to climate deniers on “I Believe in Science.” While not my favorite song on the LP, Fox Face’s cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” is intriguing, reimagining the princess hit as a witchy antidote to pop poison.