Chastity Belt is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band formed in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2010. Consisting of Julia Shapiro, Lydia Lund, Annie Truscott and Gretchen Grimm, the band plays a style of

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegaz ...

, and

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

. The group have released five

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s: ''No Regerts'' (2013), ''

Time to Go Home ''Time to Go Home'' is the second studio album by American indie rock band Chastity Belt. It was released on March 23, 2015, by Hardly Art. Music and lyrics The album opens with the track "Drone". A line from Sheila Heti's ''How Should a Perso ...

'' (2015), '' I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone'' (2017), ''

Chastity Belt A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation. Such belts were historically designed for women, ostensibly for the purpose of chastity, as an anti-rape device, or to dissuade women and thei ...

'' (2019) and ''Live Laugh Love'' (2024).

History

Chastity Belt was formed in

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...

, during 2010 while its members were students at

Whitman College Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Founded as a seminary by a territorial l ...

Childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...

frontwoman Julia Shapiro became the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, with fellow lead guitarist Lydia Lund, bassist Annie Truscott, and drummer Gretchen Grimm. They take a humorous approach to feminine stereotypes and customs in their lyrics, challenging gender norms and femininity as a construct. Following the

EPs An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

''Fuck Chastity Belt'' and ''Dude'' (a collaboration with

Dude York Dude York is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. History Dude York began in 2012, with the release of a 7" titled ''Escape From Dude York''. Two years later, they released their debut full-length album, ''Dehumanize'', on Help Yourse ...

) in 2012, the group released its debut studio album ''No Regerts'' on August 13, 2013, on Help Yourself Records. The band's second studio album, ''Time to Go Home'', was released on March 24, 2015, on

Hardly Art Hardly Art is an American independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in early 2007 by Sub Pop Records, Hardly Art is run by three full-time employees and is distributed by the Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) and Sub Pop ...

. It received a positive reception from music critics. The band's third studio album, '' I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone'', was released on June 2, 2017, also on Hardly Art. The album received significant praise from NPR's Mike Katzif, who wrote, "''I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone'' is a thoughtful, reflective album, constantly searching for direction to and questioning every solitary, restless feeling, yet it's that intimacy that allows us to know a new, perhaps truer side to the artists. It takes an extraordinary amount of self-confidence to expose that process for all to hear." After a brief hiatus in 2018, the group announced on July 10, 2019, that its fourth LP would be self-titled as ''

'', and would be released on September 20. The single "Ann's Jam" was released along with the announcement. Writing for ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'', Alex Robert Ross called it "the indie four-piece's lushest and most mournful-sounding album yet." Upon its release, ''Pitchfork''s Abby Jones described the album as "their dreamiest and most tranquil." The group went on a tour as direct support for the rock musician

Kurt Vile Kurt Samuel Vile (born January 3, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is known for his solo work, music released under the name "Kurt Vile and The Violators," and as the former lead guitarist of ...

in 2021.

Members

Current members * Julia Shapiro – lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Lydia Lund – lead guitar * Annie Truscott – bass * Gretchen Grimm – drums

Discography

Studio albums * ''No Regerts'' (August 13, 2013, Help Yourself) * ''

'' (March 24, 2015,

) * '' I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone'' (June 2, 2017, Hardly Art) * ''

'' (September 20, 2019, Hardly Art) * '' Live Laugh Love'' (March 29, 2024, Suicide Squeeze)

References

External links

Official Facebook page
* * * {{Authority control Hardly Art artists American all-female bands Rock music groups from Washington (state) 2010 establishments in Washington (state) Musical groups established in 2010 American feminist musicians Women in Washington (state)