“To reach as many people as possible, and to eat good food,” is the tongue-in-cheek response from Lady Pills, when asked what the main goal is for the Boston-based trio. Of course, the intentions of Ella Boissonnault (guitar), Alison Dooley (bass), and Claire Duhring (Drums) go a little deeper than that. “We hope to be an inspiration to everyone, and to inspire everyone around us to play and listen to music in a respectful and truthful way.”

Forming less than a year ago after the expansion of a solo project from Boissonnault, the band has already been attracting a great deal of praise. The three ladies were students at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where they came together and played their first show only a month after forming. In October 2015, they released their raw and powerful demo, which really introduced Lady Pills to the underground scene. It has led to them playing this year’s SXSW festival in Texas, as well as signing to the excellent Washington-based label, Babe City Records.

Despite by Lady Pills

When discussing their influences, it’s clear as to why Lady Pills sound like a classic girl-band in the making, all the while bringing something very fresh and current to the table. “The Raincoats, The Cranberries, The Breeders, Warpaint etc. Bands like that in terms of our sound,’ says Boissonnault, opening up about what inspires the band. “We all have our own personal influences, too. Alison was classically trained in violin, Claire learned the drums from classic from bands like Zeppelin and Sabbath, and I listen to a lot of 60’s folk like Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens.”

The variation in influence can be heard throughout their debut album, ‘Despite.’ The bass lines are thick and driving through ‘Irrelevant’, with bombastic drumming providing the back bone for ‘Without a Fight.’ They complement Boissannault’s guitar playing perfectly, which moves between jagged, fuzzed-out chord progressions, to delicate and melodic lead lines. It serves as the perfect soundtrack to the angst-ridden feminist narrative of ‘Daddy Warbucks’, or the sarcastic, bitter tale of cannibalism that is told through ‘Eat Them.’

Despite by Lady Pills

Released less than a year after their demo, ‘Despite’ is an incredibly accomplished debut. Rather than opting to go down the route of perhaps another EP or smaller release before tackling a full-length, Lady Pills explain to us why they went big early on. “We just wanted to get something out there ASAP so people could hear us and we could start playing shows. We needed the practice of performing the most,” says ‘Boissonnault, before giving us some background as to how the album was a very a collaborative effort. “A lot of the songs were from when Lady Pills was a solo project, and as we all played together, Claire and Alison brought a new edge and more of a rock vibe to them. For this album the person who wrote them for the most part sings the songs. Some stuff was collaborated on lyrically, and obviously as we played together, the song became ours instead of an individuals.”

While there is no set concept to ‘Despite’, the passionate delivery and raw honesty of the record screams both anger and frustration. “We didn’t really have a theme in mind, but it happened naturally,” they say, explaining what the band is trying to convey from the core of the record. “A lot of the album is written about different stuff that we got fed up with. The album is an introduction to who we are has humans and hopefully a preview of what is to come in the future.”

Despite by Lady Pills

“I’m always watching when you’re lying through you’re lying through your teeth / you bite my head off when I tell you truth is all you need / you feel me but you can’t see” sings Boissonnault on ‘The Only One Part 1,’ the closing track, and one of the strongest moments on ‘Despite.’ It is a personal favourite of the band, too. “It kind of summarizes all that we talked about, and sets the stage for the sound of the next record that we have already started brainstorming.”

Having received plenty of praise so far for ‘Despite’ Lady Pills remain humble, and are simply enjoying the excitement of the momentum the band is currently gaining. “We didn’t really have expectations for the songs, we just hope that we can be there for people through our music,” they state. “Obviously the more people we reach the better, but we’d rather one genuine connection than a thousand surface ones. We are just grateful for the support we’ve had and those who have taken the time to listen. We hope to continue to deliver.”

Despite by Lady Pills

With the relatable narrative of their lyrics, and the infectious nature of their music, there’s no doubt they will be making genuine connections with plenty of people. “We aren’t trying to make people see things the way we do or make them believe what we do,” the band says, when discussing what they hope the listener may take from their music. “We just want to be an outlet for expression. As long as people are relating to that expression in a way that is based on truth, respect and love, not prejudice, we are cool.”

‘Despite’ is available now from Babe City Records, and Lady Pills will be on tour throughout July alongside Den Mate, which you can see the dates for below.

14 WILLIAMSBURG, NY Black Bear Bar
15 PROVIDENCE, RI AS220
16 NEW JERSEY, NJ 73 See Gallery and Design Studio
17 MANHATTAN, NY Private Session
18 WASHINGTON, DC Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe
19 RICHMOND, VA Strange Matter
20 RALEIGH, NC Neptunes
21 ATLANTA, GA The Drunken Unicorn
23 NASHVILLE, TN Meal Ticket
24 CINCINNATI, OH MOTR
25 CHICAGO, IL The Hideout
26 CHICAGO, IL TBA
27 COLUMBUS, OH TBA
28 COLUMBUS, OH Mahall’s 20 Lanes
29 PITTSBURGH, PA City Grows
31 ROCHESTER, NY The Bug Jar (no Den Mate)