“Chow Down (at Chick-Fil-A)” is tongue-in-cheek — its YouTube description reads, “If drag queens endorse Christian-right owned Chick-fil-A, is it still an endorsement? NOPE.”
While the PWR BTTM members say they enjoy it, Hopkins said their own music — including their debut album, “Ugly Cherries” — doesn’t necessarily intend to subvert.
PWR BTTM released “Ugly Cherries” in September, and their tour supporting Mitski has a show set for 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Bishop. Tickets for the 18-and-older show are $12 and can be found at thebishopbar.com.
“I don’t really think about it being something that’s intentionally subversive,” Hopkins, 24, said. “By occupying the space we are as queer people, it’s inherently subversive because we’re not usually invited to take up this space.”
Bruce said PWR BTTM’s basic self-expression marks them as subversive.
“My lips are a beautiful fall shade of purple today,” Bruce, 22, said. “Looking like that in a gas station in Virginia, I must be subverting something.”
Many of the songs on “Ugly Cherries” draw from details or moments in the lives of Hopkins and Bruce. Jumping-off points range from a sociology textbook by Erving Goffman — “Serving Goffman” — to a heat outage in Bruce’s house in a chilly November — “I Wanna Boi.”
Even though “Ugly Cherries” isn’t overtly political, Hopkins said it does balance personal and political sentiments. However, he said there’s something powerful about using the personal as the political.
“Writing ‘House in Virginia’ as if it’s addressed to someone is a bigger commentary than direct commentary,” he said.
PWR BTTM has been part of a flourishing upstate New York indie rock scene, which Hopkins said has been accepting people as they are. Bruce said the stage can actually be the safest place for a queer musician.
However, Bruce said their negative experiences in the music world have more to do with microaggressions than with direct attacks.
“People like to ask me what my ‘real name’ is, stuff like that,” Bruce said. “There have been times when I’ve fantasized about setting fire to the rain and burning someone down, but that doesn’t accomplish anything. I just try to be graceful and charming.”
With “Ugly Cherries” out, the duo is contemplating new music. Hopkins said they’re still figuring out the songwriting process — sometimes they write songs together from the bottom up, sometimes one member brings an idea to the other, and though Hopkins usually plays guitar and Bruce usually plays drums, they sometimes switch.
They’ve been experimenting with and thinking about different instrumental set-ups — bass and drums, guitar and bass, maybe even a capella.
While those may seem like a hard shift from PWR BTTM’s garage punk setup, Bruce, who studied dance in college, remembered something a teacher said about experimenting with different styles.
“You don’t have to worry about whether or not something will look or feel or sound like your work,” Bruce said, quoting the teacher. “If you do what you love, it’ll seem like your work.”
