L7 rock out in an angel dust hellscape in the video for their new song, “Burn Baby,” which will feature on their first record in two decades, Scatter the Rats. The group will also release the song as the A-side to a seven inch on Record Store Day, April 13th. The song has a chugging, punky riff that recalls the group’s Bricks Are Heavy period, as frontwoman Donita Sparks sings about burning at the stake. The four women throw a gold record in a barrel full of fire and rock out in front of flames.
Scatter the Rats is the band’s first full-length since they reunited in 2014. Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Norm Block (Jenny Lee, Paper Cranes) co-produced the album, which they recorded in Los Angeles. It will come out on Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records on May 3rd. “I’ve been friends with L7 for years and am very excited and proud to have the opportunity to release their new album on Blackheart!” Jett said in a statement.
“When we decided to make a new record, Joan was there for us as the good friend she has always been,” Sparks said. “So great to stomp into Blackheart Records with her at the helm. We’re very excited to work with Joan and the entire Blackheart family. Just imagine the family dinners!”
The frontwoman added that the title came from something one of the producers said. “There were a couple of rats in the basement of the studio, where all the amplifiers were, and at one point Norm said to us, ‘Let’s get rockin’, we can scatter the rats,’” she said.
The group will be touring in support of the LP this spring alongside Rancid and Suicidal Tendencies. The dates are below the track list.
Scatter the Rats Track List
1. “Burn Baby”
2. “Fighting the Crave”
3. “Proto Prototype”
4. “Stadium West”
5. “Murky Water Cafe”
6. “Ouija Board Lies”
7. “Garbage Truck”
8. “Holding Pattern”
9. “Uppin’ the Ice”
10. “Cool About Easy”
11. “Scatter the Rats”
L7 Tour Dates
May 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Margaret T. Hance Park
May 12 – Tucson, AZ @ Rillito Park Racetrack
June 2 – Englishtown, NJ @ Old Bridge Township Raceway
June 8 – Boise, ID @ Memorial Stadium
June 9 – Tacoma, WA @ America’s Car Museum
June 15 – Santa Clara, CA @ Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
June 16 – Sacramento, CA @ Papa Murphy’s Park