Doe Don't Do Twee: They Have Pop Hooks and Punk Anger

It's OK if you call punk-leaning indie-pop band Doe "twee," as long as it's for the right reasons, lead singer Nicola Leel says, Skyping from London. I ask what "twee" is because a. I'm American and b. I've never heard such a cutesy word describe an awesome punk band before.

"It's quite a problematic word because it can be used to describe any band with a girl in it, or any kind of band that's not a heavy punk band," Leel says. Similar bands like Joanna Gruesome have had to ward off the term, too. "Twee is a terrible term for making something a bit more quaint."

Their debut album First Four—a combination of their first four releases—contains grumbly guitars, snare that may cause hypertension, catchy choruses, and unexpected counter-melodies. It's equal parts confident and self-doubting, which is why people might be confused about where to place them. They have pop hooks, but punk anger. Think Sleater-Kinney meets early Idlewild.

Thankfully, Nicola, drummer Jake Popyura, and guitarist Matt Sykes haven't encountered any music industry sexism, like Bjork's beats being attributed to men or Grimes' impassioned stance against the words "cute" and "waif," (the post also includes a litany of instances where she's been made to feel lesser than because she is a woman). But feminism is the still at Doe's core. Just take a look at their PR bio—a blunt one-liner concocted at their conception: "Doe likes feminism, horror films, and brown beer."

These were all topics covered during Leel and Popyura's first hangout. They met up after she responded to his online classified call for bandmates. They were both in bands they weren't quite feeling, both were craving music that was a bit more electric and edgy. "I saw the ad, and said, 'Hey, I want to form a band. All of this sounds amazing. Let's be friends!'"

They met for beers, talked about horror movies, feminism and bands like Weezer and Sleater-Kinney, and "instantly clicked." Now, as Doe, they may not have any horror film-inspired tracks (although Leel promises there may be some in the offing), but they definitely take their societal values to the studio— especially on tracks like "Regression," a matter-of-fact warning to other women about unapologetic, unavoidable sexism.

"It's tradition / The old way / You should thank us / They all say," Nicola sings, flinging her voice over powerful minor chords before slipping into a sweet interlude. The set-up to the chorus is urgent, with Nicola and Jake pleading, "Listen to me" in harmony, words which may sound hopeless in the context of oppression, but united this line comes off as an impassioned clarion call.

"It's kind of this warped view of the world where it's like, 'Hey, women, you're getting good things out of everyday sexism like us opening doors for you, and you should be thankful for that,'" Leel says of the track. "Lyrics like that, for me, are a little bit more interesting, a bit more substantial because they come from a place of, 'Hey, I'm actually feeling angry about it and I'm going to write about it.'"

Leel crafts a chunk of her lyrics on deadline, admitting that "Late Bloomer" was actually written on the spot while they were recording. This kind of spontaneity forces her to write honestly, instead of exhaustively second-guessing herself.

For now, they're keeping up a healthy obsession—an obsession that she thinks other people might make them look "excitable." In reality they're just invested and passionate about their art. "I think people take that as good work ethic because we reply to emails and plan things and think about things," she says. In fact they already have another release out in the UK called "Avalanche"/"Basement."

Call them "excitable," call them "twee," call them "pop," "punk," "feminist," whatever. Doe are just Nicola, Jake, and Matt, and they're playing what they want.

First Four is out on Old Flame Records now.

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