I have always loved The Gits and was lucky enough to have seen them play once before their premature demise. Their album Frenching The Bully was on heavy rotation for me for almost a year.

While in my opinion the album is full of fantastic songs, the final song “Second Skin” is a moment unto itself. Still gives me chills every time I hear it.

The song opens with single guitar chords rung out over thundering bass and toms. This goes one time through the main tonic riff of the song and then the vocals come in.

In the B verse, the singing becomes more intense as the guitars clamp down into palm-muted 16th notes until a long drum fill brings the band into the chorus, with the guitars going full on.

So each verse climbs and builds in intensity from the A to the B section, and barrels into the choruses with so much energy, anger and drive.

There’s a short bridge after the 2nd chorus, a push/pull which gives the ear a break from the steady drive of the main song, then a re-intro into the final verse.

The last chorus goes more than once if I remember correctly, and she changes some lyrics around in it.

Great song by an incredible band who were tragically stopped in their tracks just as they were really hitting their stride.