By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – Since the indefinite hiatus of the D.C. firebrands Priests in 2019, Katie Alice Greer has meticulously carved out a space for herself that defies the easy categorization of "post-punk." While her former band was celebrated for its razor-sharp political commentary and jagged, danceable rhythms, Greer’s solo trajectory has been defined by a more internal, avant-garde exploration of sound and psyche. This evolution reaches a significant new milestone with the announcement of her second solo full-length effort, Perfect Woman Sound Machine, Vol. 1. Set to arrive on April 3 via GAK Records, the album promises a deep dive into the intersections of cinematic melodrama, industrial textures, and the raw, unvarnished spirit of American underground music.
The announcement comes bolstered by the release of "Unglued," the album’s third single and perhaps its most evocative mission statement to date. In a move that highlights her penchant for specific, high-concept aesthetics, Greer described the genesis of the track as an exercise in sonic roleplay. She envisioned the song as a hypothetical scenario: what if Kim Gordon, the high priestess of No Wave and Sonic Youth’s cool-headed icon, had stepped in to front a Cleveland proto-punk outfit during the mid-1970s? This reference point is telling. Cleveland’s proto-punk scene—anchored by the likes of Pere Ubu and Rocket from the Tombs—was famous for its bleak, industrial-adjacent dissonance and a refusal to adhere to the traditional "three-chord" punk blueprint. By channeling this energy through the lens of Gordon’s detached yet powerful vocal delivery, Greer creates a sound that is simultaneously nostalgic and entirely forward-thinking.
"Unglued" functions as a masterclass in controlled chaos. It captures a sense of structural instability, where the rhythm section feels as though it might collapse at any moment, only to be held together by Greer’s commanding vocal presence. The track manages to bridge the gap between the intellectualism of art-rock and the visceral thrill of a basement show, a balance that Greer has been perfecting since her early days in the Washington D.C. DIY scene.
The visual component of "Unglued" further enriches the narrative Greer is building. The accompanying music video draws direct inspiration from the 1977 John Cassavetes masterpiece Opening Night, specifically the haunting, high-wire performance of Gena Rowlands. In the film, Rowlands portrays an actress suffering a mental breakdown while preparing for a Broadway play—a role that explores the blurred lines between performance and reality, aging, and the crushing weight of public expectation. By aligning herself with Rowlands’ Myrtle Gordon, Greer taps into a lineage of female performers who use their art to confront domestic and professional claustrophobia. The video mirrors the film’s grainy, intimate intensity, positioning Greer not just as a musician, but as a director of her own psychological drama.
Perfect Woman Sound Machine, Vol. 1 serves as the successor to Greer’s 2022 solo debut, Barbarism. That record was a self-produced feat of ingenuity, recorded largely in isolation and featuring a collage of distorted drum machines, haunting vocal loops, and surrealist lyrics. While Barbarism introduced the world to Greer’s solo capabilities, the new album suggests a more expansive and perhaps more thematic approach. The title itself—Perfect Woman Sound Machine—invokes a sense of irony regarding the construction of female identity in the digital and industrial age. It suggests a fascination with the "mechanized" nature of femininity, perhaps critiquing the ways in which women are expected to function with the precision and reliability of a device.
The tracklist for the new album reveals a curated selection of eight songs, including the previously released singles "Expo ’70" and "Talk To Leslie." These earlier tracks hinted at the record’s wide-ranging influences. "Expo ’70" carries a sense of retro-futurism, perhaps nodding to the 1970 World’s Fair in Osaka and its themes of progress and technology, while "Talk To Leslie" leans into more atmospheric, narrative-driven songwriting.
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One of the most intriguing inclusions on the album is a cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic "I’m Your Man." Choosing to interpret Cohen is a bold move for any artist, but for Greer, it offers an opportunity to subvert the original’s masculine bravado. Cohen’s 1988 track is a song of total supplication and versatile devotion, delivered with a gravelly, authoritative baritone. When filtered through Greer’s art-punk sensibilities and her distinct vocal range, the song is likely to take on new layers of meaning, shifting from a romantic pledge to something perhaps more transactional or even spectral. It continues a tradition of Greer using covers to highlight her influences while completely dismantling and rebuilding them in her own image.
The context of Greer’s career cannot be ignored when discussing this new chapter. As the frontwoman of Priests, she was a central figure in the mid-2010s punk revival. The band’s final album, The Seduction of Kansas, was a sprawling, ambitious look at American mythology and political polarization. However, the "indefinite hiatus" announced shortly after that album’s release allowed Greer to step away from the democratic (and often exhausting) demands of a high-profile band. As a solo artist, she has taken full control of the production process, often acting as her own engineer and multi-instrumentalist. This autonomy has resulted in music that feels more personal and less beholden to the expectations of a "rock band" format.
Perfect Woman Sound Machine, Vol. 1 is being released on GAK Records, a label that has become synonymous with Greer’s independent spirit. The move away from larger indie labels allows for a purer realization of her vision, free from the pressures of commercial viability. This independence is crucial for an artist like Greer, whose work often demands multiple listens to fully unpack the layers of distortion and lyrical abstraction.
As the April 3 release date approaches, the anticipation for the full album continues to build within the independent music community. Greer has proven herself to be one of the most vital voices of her generation, an artist who is unafraid to look backward at the history of punk and cinema to find the tools necessary to comment on the present. Whether she is channeling the spirit of Cleveland in the 70s or the tragic elegance of Gena Rowlands, she does so with a clarity of purpose that is rare in modern music.
The album’s tracklist is as follows:
- Expo ’70
- Unglued
- West
- Perfect Woman Sound Machine
- Talk To Leslie
- Nobody Knows How I Reach You (But I Do)
- I’m Your Man
- Come and Let Me Know
Each title suggests a chapter in a larger narrative of self-discovery and sonic experimentation. "West" and "Come and Let Me Know" hint at a potential for more linear, perhaps even melodic moments, while the title track "Perfect Woman Sound Machine" likely serves as the conceptual anchor for the entire project.
In an era where the music industry often prioritizes polished, algorithm-friendly content, Katie Alice Greer remains a defiant outlier. Her work is a reminder that rock music—or whatever name we choose to give her particular brand of noise—is at its best when it is unglued, unpredictable, and deeply rooted in the messy reality of the human experience. With Perfect Woman Sound Machine, Vol. 1, Greer isn’t just releasing an album; she is inviting listeners into a carefully constructed world of her own making, one where the ghosts of the past and the anxieties of the future collide in a beautiful, distorted harmony.