Album cover of Petra Glynt’s 2017 album, This Trip. Courtesy of Vibe Over Method.
Petra Glynt is a Canadian experimental indie pop artist. The political intent of her music can be discerned from one glance of the cover of her 2017 album, This Trip. The cover includes a tombstone with the inscription “R.I.P. Patriarchy”. In the past few months there has been an increase amplification of women voices. Glynt definitely offers a compelling voice to the ever evolving dialogue.
One of the highlights of her album is the title track. The genesis of the tune predates the 2017 release of the album. Concerning the motivation behind the song, Glynt made the following statement to Fader magazine:
“I wrote ‘This Trip’ almost two years ago. It was potent then and it is more so now. It is the product of my frustrations between the mounting global climate crisis and the presence of digital distractions – the kind that isolate us and make us passive consumers of information. Also the kind that give us false, fleeting feelings of gratification – patting us on the back for no tangible achievement whatsoever. I ask, how can we move forward this way? The song is a general call for urgency.”
At the time she wrote the song, Stephen Harper was Prime Minster of Canada and Harper was perceived by critics as someone who had a disdain for the marginalized and who placed the economy over the environment. The tune takes on added weight in Trump’s America, where the EPA is expressing a definite hatred towards the environment. It is also easy to be distracted by the President’s twitter feed and his insatiable desire to be praised for not actually doing anything. There is also a small cult of Trumpsters who are quick to heap that praise.
Glynt is an essential figure in helping to compose the modern day protest movement. She makes music for dancing on the graves of the patriarchy.