If I was still an awkward teenage rebel trying to find my station in the world, Nicole Snyder and Rachel Gagliardi would be my heroes (at 29, they’re my total girl crushes). The two rad chicks behind the super rad duo Slutever are defining riot grrrl for the 21st century, smashing out bleeding fuzz struts pressed against sweaty post-punk blasts twisted around sweet girl-group vibes. But it’s more than just their beautifully bratty sound that makes you take notice – in addition to feeding the nostalgia of ’90s feminist youth, they’re blasting open the world for alt-tween girls who feel out of place both in their musical tastes and their collective consciousness. And hopefully that’s not just in Philadelphia. After all, as part of their breakthrough 2011, Slutever not only made their first-ever visit to SXSW, but they also hit the road this past summer for their first national tour (they did so by successfully launching a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the asphalt excursion, which offered pledgers a variety of unique gifts including a special Slutever prank call to their enemies and fantastical trip with the gals to the mall). 2011 also saw the release of their first 7-inch vinyl, Pretend to Be Nice via Bantic Media, which included two new songs plus two reworked tracks from 2010’s Sorry I’m Not Sorry; a contribution to Cactus Mouth’s Tears on My Pillow: Part II compilation series (they covered Wanda Jackson’s "Tongue Tied," and it’s the BEST); an exclusive recording of an original song “Rookie” for teen girl website RookieMag.com; a set for the much-loved Revolution Girl Style Again panel at Kelly’s Writer House that took place earlier in the year (they performed at The Rotunda, though, where the panel was live-streaming. All proceeds from show went to Girls Rock Philly.); and much more. If you take away anything from the Slutever experience, it should be this: Snyder and Gagliardi let girls know it’s okay to be strange, and that’s the best gift of all. Look out for more new material from the gals in 2012, which will include work with Fancy Time Studio’s Kyle “Slick” Johnson! (Photo by Randy Rivera) – Annamarya Scaccia
