The Spook School are releasing a new album in September entitled Try To Be Hopeful. The first track to be released from it is “Burn Masculinity”, which also features on a brand new Plan-It-X compilation “It Came From Plan-It-X”. You can also watch the video for the track, which the band released this week.

The Spook School are Anna Cory (bass and vocals), Adam Todd (guitar and vocals), Nye Todd (guitar and vocals) and Niall McCamley (drums). Over the past few years they’ve become more and more involved with the DIY queer punk scene and have been inspired by all the many passionate, like-minded people that they have met along the way, including bands such as Martha, Joanna Gruesome, Trust Fund and Tuff Love. Citing influences including Buzzcocks, Undertones and the noisier end of C86, the new album is a lot louder, bolder and fuller sounding, as they set about capturing more of their live sound.

Try To Be Hopeful follows The Spook School’s debut album Dress Up, from the Guardian: “this is music for the young and disillusioned, but identifiable to anyone who’s ever been frustrated by the grievances of identity and growing up.”

Where the last album was about figuring out who you are, lyrically the new one is more direct, exploring issues around gender and identity. A great deal of the album is about the destructive gender stereotypes that are generally accepted as the norm. During the making of the album Nye was coming to terms with his identity as trans and undergoing testosterone treatment, which meant that his voice kept changing throughout the recording process. As he explains: “It was a bit nerve-wracking and sometimes a bit frustrating to not be able to sing things that I’d been able to sing easily before, but we worked with it and ended up with stuff that sounds pretty great.”

US Dates this week:
Fri 05 Jun The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
Sat 06 Jun Tacocracy – Cincinnati, OH
Sun 07 Jun The Space Bar – Columbus, OH
Mon 08 Jun City Grows – Pittsburgh, PA
Tue 09 Jun Comet Ping Pong – Washington, DC
Wed 10 Jun The Penthouse – Baltimore, MD
Thu 11 Jun Alphaville – Brooklyn, NY