Bustié's THROB is seven years of grief, migration, and rage — and it hits like all three

Seven years is a long time between records. Angelika Padilla — the NYC artist behind Bustié, performing as Pogo Pope — spent those years moving from Los Angeles to Brooklyn, losing her mother Catherine, and watching the country shift into something she couldn't stay quiet about. 1 THROB is what all of that sounds like when it finally comes out.

The record is Bustié's second full-length, following 2019's Birds of Paradise, and it's dedicated to Catherine. 1 Padilla calls the project "Anarcho Body Music" — a tag she coined herself to describe a sound that mixes 80s electro, freestyle hip-hop, UK punk, disco, and new jack swing, with Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 sitting somewhere near the center of the blueprint. 1 That's a lot of DNA, but the label earns its existence: this music doesn't sit comfortably in darkwave, and it's not quite post-punk, and calling it electro misses the politics entirely.

The politics are the point. Padilla describes THROB as "a sonic representation of spells for love, protection, and dismantling systems of oppression," and the album foregrounds LGBTQ+ rights, BIPOC freedom, and trans empowerment as explicit rather than subtext. 1 She's put it plainly: "This is music for the minorities." 1

The 10-track album features Heather Galipo (CrowJane), Gina Kuhn (More Ephemerol), Romy Hoffman (Agender, ROMY), and Rosy Castillo as guests; Ian Rose handled recording and engineering, while Jeff Swearingen — known for his work with Front Line Assembly and Pressure Vessel — mastered it. 1 The production credentials matter here: THROB isn't bedroom lo-fi with a mission statement attached. It's built.

Three independent outlets — Post-Punk.com, ReGen Magazine, and Germany's MonkeyPress — all covered the release within the same window, which for a record this underground is a real signal. 2 3 THROB dropped May 22 alongside a release show at TV Eye in Ridgewood, Queens, and Bustié heads out on a US run from June 10 through June 17, hitting Austin, Knoxville, Asheville, Charlotte, and Richmond. 1

Preview singles "Cruel Intentions," "Lady of Dread," and "Perimeters of Love" are already out if you need a way in before committing to the full listen. 1

Listen: THROB on Bandcamp — digital and vinyl via Psychic Eye Records. 1