The Lef7overs newest single is rage-filled, badass, and most importantly (and sadly) rings too true
“When you sing along, be sure to use air quotes!“
On 4 May, the Montreal-based all-female band The Lef7overs released their newest single titled “Paranoia,” with intense composition and poignant lyrics.
The quintessential powerful guitar riff leads the way, as the cymbals violently clash and the song takes off. And from the first lyrics, we get a sense of what the members are trying to express:
Ever hold your keys in your fist, when you’re walking home late at night
Stay on one side of the street because it feels safer in the light?
“We believe in showcasing our rhythm section, so we decided to go for a drum and bass section in the verses while creating the spotlight on the lyrics,” the band says. “They speak true to current events and the absurdity about victim-blaming. The verses and the spoken part in the bridge are a play on perspective where the lyrics are problematic sayings that occur very often.”
The song is an answer to the redundant discarding of and disbelief in women, more often in situations of sexual assault or misconduct. The anger and resentment are felt in every word sung, and every beat that accompanies the strong lyrics.
“We wanted to maintain the upbeat, powerful and punchy feel that we typically opt for in our songwriting,” the Lef7overs say. “We decided to put out this single because it is the first song that is entirely written by all current members of the band.”
“Paranoia” was written at the height of the pandemic, in the summer of 2020.
Perhaps the most poignant part of the song, where the rhetoric of victim-shaming is mocked, is the bridge.
The music lowers to background sound, with a light touch to the cymbals from the drummer, a gentle strum on the guitar and the underlying bass line as a female voice says:
She shouldn’t go out alone
What was she expecting, dressed like that?
She’s so dumb
She’s just looking for attention
Who does she think she is?
She needs to cover up
Nobody wants to see that
“Our goal is to write music that normalizes women’s anger towards male-dominated narratives and empowers women’s voices by creating different scenarios that replicate real-life experiences,” they say. “We wish to continue expressing feminist viewpoints and to create art that can be consumed by all!”
The Lef7overs is an all-female group, with a Riot Grrrl flare and a 90s punk-rock influence. The group now includes Meghan Mulvaney on vocals, Corrina Fisches on bass, Victoria Turner and Carol Ribeiro on guitar, and Liane Saccal on drums — however, that wasn’t always the case.
Formed in 2016, the band’s name was a funny play-on words as a result of an interesting situation. At a fundraiser for what is now called Rock Camp Montreal (but at that time, known as Rock Camp for Girls — a Montreal-based organization that promotes self-esteem, skill-building and critical thinking skills for girls, non binary, trans and gender non-conforming youth aged from 10 to 17 through collaborative music composition and performance), Turner, along with two other girls (Sarah and Maryam) were the last to be picked out of a draw and asked to cover songs from the popular all-girl 80s Rock band, L7. Thus the name “The Lef7overs” was created.
Ribeiro was recruited online, alongside another now-former member, Belgin, and the band was complete. The chemistry was instant as they set off to play a number of shows together, covering predominantly and solely all-girl groups like L7.
Mulvaney joined the group later on, a friend-of-a-friend situation, when the former singer had to leave, and her arrival inspired the Lef7overs to begin writing their own material, launching their own material in 2018. That same year, Fisches joined on bass, and Saccal became their drummer in 2020.
“Although there are fewer women in punk, we are telling our own story by challenging the male hegemony in the punk scene,” the band says. “With it will come the sexism and nasty comments, but we stand by uplifting each other to create more visibility, not only for us but for everyone everywhere! We are grateful to have the opportunity to express ourselves and be part of such a supportive community!”
Make sure to stream The Lef7overs’ newest single on all platforms, and follow them on their socials for updates — the latest being the upcoming album launch on 4 June, at Turbo Haüs!
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