Singer, songwriter, and musician Laura Jane Grace is best known as the leader of Punk/Alternative band Against Me! She began her musical journey in Gainesville, Florida when she discovered Punk Rock while attending junior high school. When she was 13, she formed a band with several members of her church’s youth group and continued to embrace the genre, befriending other Punk fans, and publishing a fanzine at the age of 16. She continued to play in several bands – Snot Rockets, Upper Crust, the Adversaries, and Common Affliction – before recording the first Against Me! demo in 1996. The following year, she dropped out of high school and began performing solo as Against Me! at the age of 17. After the release of the group’s second demo, VIVIDA VIS! (1998), she recruited local musicians and Against Me! finally became a proper band.

After the release of several EPs, Against Me! issued their long-awaited debut album, AGAINST ME! IS REINVENTING AXL ROSE, in 2002. The album brought the band to prominence, and they signed a deal with Fat Wreck Chords, releasing the album AGAINST ME! AS THE ETERNAL COWBOY (2003), which reached the Top 40 on Billboard’s Indie Albums chart. The group went from strength to strength with subsequent releases including SEARCHING FOR A FORMER CLARITY (2005), NEW WAVE (2007), and WHITE CROSSES (2010). The group broke through commercially with the album TRANSGENDER DYSPHORA BLUES (2014) and SHAPE SHIFT WITH ME (2016). The band’s upward trajectory was halted when Laura Jane Grace released the album BOUGHT TO ROT in 2018 with her side project The Devouring Mothers. Against Me! then went on official hiatus in 2020 with the release of Grace’s first proper solo album, STAY ALIVE, in 2020. She quickly followed that up with 2021’s AT WAR WITH THE SILVERFISH EP.

In 2024, Laura Jane Grace returns with her second solo album HOLE IN MY HEAD. While still maintaining a Punk Rock spirit, the album travels down several musical paths including anthemic acoustic Folk, ‘70s Glam-inspired stomps, and melodic Alt-Rock delights. While the lyrics are extremely personal, they touch on universal themes that others can relate to. While she’s already released several of the album’s songs to great acclaim – “Hole In My Head,” “Dysphoria Hoodie,” “Cuffing Season,” and “Birds Talk Too,” the album still offers many musical surprises with a variety of styles including the ‘50s Rock ‘n’ Roll / Glam-inspired “I’m Not A Cop,” the inventive Pop of “Punk Rock In Basements,” and the Country-esque “Keep Your Wheels Straight.” Apart from the great songwriting, this album’s refusal to stay in one musical genre for too long is what sets it apart from other modern releases. I guess you can call it HOLE IN MY HEAD’s saving Grace?

LAURA JANE GRACE

HOLE IN MY HEAD

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