NON-PROFIT MUSIC FOR THE PROTESTS: Bitch Fits – Invitation to Love

Bitch Fits have been advocating for a police-free world since their inception back in 2017, so it’s no surprise that they’re donating all proceeds of their pay-what-you-want sophomore album to charities and funds adjacent to the recent protests. What is surprising, however, is how much they’ve grown as a unit since their debut. Invitation to Love may only be six tracks, but each of them are simply stellar. Throughout, Bitch Fits nails down the pained yearning associated with that contemporary mixture of indie rock, alternative and emo that bands like Hop Along have perfected, but there’s also a certain refreshingly-unprocessed quality to these performances that also recalls early pre-Janet Sleater-Kinney. A lot of that power comes courtesy of Frances Eichlan, who’s imaginative bass structures and scalpel-like lead vocals provide the foundation for most of these songs. Really though, the whole band is on point here, raging through “Steptoe Edwall” with an ending fake-out and gaining momentum throughout “L.M.O.T.G.” until it blossoms open.

Invitation to Love, in accordance with its stylistic commitment, lives in a uniquely post-adolescent space that’s both self-assuredly righteous yet still reeling from psychic wounds old and new. Its best tracks, the titanic opener “Gums” and the liberating curtain call “Two Birds Stoned,” feel like two parts in a saga; where the former lingers in a heartbreaking stasis from abuse and guilt, the latter finds the strength to speak out in excoriating terms. Between those pillars lie lower-stakes moments dedicated to longing: the tender nothings of “Pool Party,” the diary entry of “Aren’tist” and the exultant freedom of “Steptoe Edwall”. These lend the record a general warmth, but the harrowing scenarios of those two powerful bookends dominate overall. It’s a reminder that change is borne of strife, and warm fuzzy feelings will only get you so far when the gravity of the situation is killing you.

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All proceeds from the purchase of Invitation to Love will go toward these causes:

Northwest Community Bail Fund

FORTHEGWORLS (A New York community-organized rent relief fund)

BTFA Collective (A collective dedicated to securing the creative expressions of Black trans femme people)