''Gato Negro'' (Spanish: "Black Cat") is the third and final studio album by American rock band

7 Year Bitch 7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band was active between 1990 and 1997 and released three albums over that time. The band formed at the same time as the emergence of the riot grrrl sub-genre, which is a ...

, released on March 12, 1996. It was the band's only album released through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, after signing to the label in 1994. The record spawned three singles: "The History of My Future", "24,900 Miles Per Hour" and "Miss Understood", as well as a video for "24,900 Miles Per Hour".

Critical reception

''Gato Negro'' received mixed reviews from critics. Eric Bensel of ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...

'' wrote that while the album was "at times a generic

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''fronted by the predictable riot grrrl">sic">'sic<_a>''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''fronted by the predictable riot grrrl snarl", it provided a "refreshing foil to the testosterone-laden cock-rock that has dominated Album-oriented rock">AOR radio stations for the past 25 years". ''Entertainment Weekly'' critic Mike Flatherty dismissed the album as "a humorless clutch of tough-grrrl conventions and abrasive bluster". In her review of ''Live at Moe'' (2016), ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork'' Estelle Tang called ''Gato Negro'' "simultaneously less scrappy and less compelling" than the band's previous albums. In a positive review for ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'', Grant Alden called the album 7 Year Bitch's "most varied, accomplished and coherent outing", praising its instrumentation.

Track listing

:All songs written by Vigil/Davis #"The History of My Future" 2:14 #"Crying Shame" 4:09 #"Disillusion" 3:05 #"Deep in the Heart" 3:02 #"The Midst" 3:29 #"24,900 Miles Per Hour" 3:27 #"Whoopie Cat" 3:02 #"Miss Understood" 3:07 #"Sore Subject" 2:06 #"Rest My Head" 2:57 #"2nd Hand" 1:44 #"Jack" 2:36

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes. 7 Year Bitch * Selene Vigil — vocals * Roisin Dunne — guitar * Elizabeth Davis — bass * Valerie Agnew — drums Production * 7 Year Bitch — production * Billy Anderson — production, mixing, engineering * Mike Bogus — assistant engineer * Adam Munaz — mixing assistant, pre-mastering *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and distri ...

— mastering * Don C. Tyler — digital editing

References

{{Authority control 1996 albums Atlantic Records albums 7 Year Bitch albums