Liquid Compactor, the debut statement from Penny & The Pits, is the result of Stevens putting their voice front and center for the first time. It’s a gritty, adventurous punk-rock album that processes feminist joy, rage and revenge. Across the album’s ten tracks, Stevens tears through a series of personal and collective traumas with a pulpy sense of exuberance. “I spent a lot of time making challenging work that would test both myself and the listener,” they reflect. “Now, I’m trying to make music that feels good; music that connects the heart to the body.”

The songs on Liquid Compactor process pain into power through the use of transformative symbols. Water, and more broadly liquid, is a recurring element. The Bay Of Fundy, The Nashwaak River and Fredericton’s Lord Beaverbrook Hotel pool all appear as backdrops. Baths come to a boil. Period blood is summoned as a source of strength. Chuds from the local bar are haunted ‘til they sweat. Perpetrators are overtaken by the turning tide.

1. Montenegro On Ice
2. Thick Black Gloves
3. Pool Party
4. Sweat
5. Self Defense
6. Halfway Home (demo)
7. Eutychus
8. Headcrusher
9. Placeholder
10. Ward of the Watershed