Amyl And The Sniffers recently released a single titled Jerkin’; the track has caused controversy — not for the Australian punk bands 'explicit lyrics but for the accompanying music video, which features non-sexual nudity. The track is aimed to "strip away the artifice and examine the body in an open, conversational way." The track and video highlight their refreshing care-less attitudes, punk ethos and liberating messages.
The band has the rambunctious, three-chord essence of Australian legacy rock acts like AC/DC, with the gutsy feminism of contemporaries such as Camp Cope and Body Type. After selling out stages across the world, with a consecutive sell-out at the Roundhouse in London last weekend, it seems this Aussie band is becoming one of the world’s most in-demand rock acts of the moment. Making their mark globally, punk crossover stars Amyl and the Sniffers are never dull: they go off like a long-haul firecracker, detonating time and again. Perhaps Jerkin’ is the embodiment of the ‘new thing’ we’ve all been waiting for — a quality that this band demonstrates across their shows, lyrics and music videos — an element of surprise.
In a generation riddled with body dysmorphia, self-comparison, anger, and anxiety driven by constant over-exposure to world news and politics, Amyl and the Sniffers are offering a voice of honesty, accompanied by incredible chaos while championing safe spaces and advocate for Palestine at every performance … It’s a commitment to both their pit and using their platform.
Amy Taylor, lead singer, said of the inspiration behind the song: “It’s good to express your anger when someone’s been pissing you off, and it’s good to have humor in life, especially as a woman, when you’re meant to just passively say 'everything’s good' to keep everyone else comfortable.”
Adding that the “best part” of Jerkin’ is that its terminology can apply to anyone, she continued, “The best part about this song is that a squirter can be anybody's genitals. I wanted to write a song to big up ‘the self’ while putting down the ‘other’ because sometimes, even if it's just for a small window, that’s the best way to laugh something off and empower yourself. World's pissing me off and breaking my heart more than ever right now, might as well poke it back. It's pointless, but it's cathartic.”
In a statement advocating for body positivity and putting an end to prudish ideals, Stewart said: "The level of offense that a vagina or penis can generate is absolutely bizarre. Once, Amy said to me, ‘If the world wasn’t so fucked up, I’d never wear clothes.’ It’s the context we stamp onto our sex organs that makes them innately ‘offensive.’ This is why we wanted to strip away the artifice and examine the body in an open, conversational way.
"We approached the project as if it were a performance in itself. From concept to crewing to casting, we (the production) let the project evolve in the most natural way possible, allowing our subjects to dictate their level of input based on their comfort on the day. We were learning what it was as we were making it, which is basically the opposite approach I’m used to. But because this idea was driven by people’s personalities, it felt wrong to do it any other way.
"We just kept pulling things further and further back until we were left with just a white wall and the human body. I want to come out of everything I do with a different perspective. Just as one’s perspective changes with an Amyl song, I want to change in the same way. I think we all walked away from the shoot with an innate need to be less prudish and give less of a shit.”
In her keynote speech at the recent Bigsound conference in Brisbane, Taylor shared some of the phrases that have been slung at her throughout her career: “Goddamn slut”, “bourgeois sellout”.
“It’s tough out there for women,” she said. “But I’m not a pussy and I’ll fight everybody and anybody about it.”
With the attitude and talent to go with it, who knows where Amyl and the Sniffers will end up, but it’s not hard to see that this is just the beginning.
Fans can watch the uncensored version of the video on Amyl And The Sniffers’ website (for viewers over 18 only).
