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Feminist punk legends Bratmobile is thrilled to announce the special limited edition The Real Janelle & The Peel Session Record Store Day Black Friday reissue, available in participating record stores across the US on November 28 via Kill Rock Stars.
The Real Janelle & The Peel Session reissue brings together two key Bratmobile releases in one place. Side A, The Real Janelle, was originally released in 1994 as a 12" EP and CD. Kill Rock Stars reissued it digitally in 2023, and this is its first time back in physical format. Finally back in circulation, Side B, The Peel Session, exposes Bratmobile’s raw energy through a proper studio lens and includes rarely-heard versions of select songs (plus a cover song not otherwise available). Recorded for John Peel at the BBC in July 1993, these recordings haven’t seen the light of day since the EP’s original CD short run in 1994. Bratmobile’s Peel Session has been out of print ever since, passed around only on worn-out CDs and bootlegs until now.
“When we recorded The Real Janelle, we hadn’t really worked in a proper full-service recording studio before. I remember the enlightenment of hearing our just written songs come to life in a new way and being transformed by the experience,” reflects drummer Molly Meuman. “To take them to Maida Vale a few weeks later to record a Peel Session was beyond what I had ever imagined possible. Bringing these sessions together and hearing them again in a new context is remarkable, and it fills me with immense pride.”
Dubbed one of the 250 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time by Rolling Stone, guitarist Erin Smith shares about the Peel Session, “It’s hugely exciting that it’s coming out on vinyl now for the first time EVER- and doubly exciting since it retains the nod to the original “band list” artwork format that all early Peel Session releases had. And the CD is amazing-looking, too! The reissue has all of the stripped-down minimalist punk trio power that Bratmobile is known for- with the added bonus of the incredible studio recording technology of the BBC! I’m glad that a lot more people are now finally going to get to hear this and it sounds amazing!”
“Both The Real Janelle and The Peel Session were recorded within a month of each other, representing a slice of Bratmobile life in the summer of ‘93, so it makes perfect sense to rerelease them together in one package,” says frontwoman Allison Wolfe. “I’m especially psyched for The Peel Session since the recording quality is so good and it’s been nearly impossible to find (I don’t even own a copy!).“
Bratmobile’s singular brand of pointed political prowess and infectious dance punk chops have influenced generations of artists, activists and pleasure-seekers. The band played an outrageous headline performance at Mosswood Meltdown in 2023 with the aim to create joy, community and space for more of us to use our voices. Originally formed during an extreme political climate which we find ourselves in again, the band’s songs are still just as meaningful and activating decades later.