Single cover for “Babble, Babble, Babble”
Official bio: Emerging from an enchanted forest in the infamous Bridgewater Triangle, Alyssa Gallagher and Jae Yahkèl Estes imbue their own unique artistic sensibilities into apocalyptic doom pop music that is tempered with a grain of hope.
I want to shout about Trigger Discipline from the rooftops. In my book they are the act that everyone should know about and right away. But before we get to the music, let me tell you about the area the band comes from as New England is quite an important key to understanding Trigger Discipline and what they do.
Allow then this Polish American to say a few words about the history of my other home as so many European music writers just don’t get it at all. Sure, you can review music without the background but the issue here is that people do want to include extra information but without having any understanding or willingness to explore the topic at hand. The number of pieces that misconstrued and perpetuated lies about music scenes across the Pond that I came across recently could form a basis for the twelfth season of American Horror Story. And that is not counting that infamous article proclaiming REM was an influence on the Seattle scene. Nice try but it just didn’t happen.
Anyway, New England. Funnily enough it’s almost as big as the United Kingdom itself (or the “Old Country” as the settlers called it). It stretches across six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The region is incredibly diverse. From rolling hills and mountains, lakes to wetlands, harbours and beaches. It borders New York (to the west) and Quebec and New Brunswick (Canada`s two large provinces) to the north. It is a home to dramatic and often violent events (Boston Tea party, six confederate wars with New France) that contradict the beauty of national landmarks (Appalachian Trail, Martha`s Vinyard, Cape Cod). New England hospitality is proverbial. During summer the population of The Vineyard goes from 16K to almost 200k people and owning the house in the region is often seen as a status symbol. At the same time New England has twice the poverty and inequality than, for example, Washington State. The wars and prosecution almost wiped out First Nations in the area (in the early 17th century Wampanoag – a coalition of 24 tribes were counted in their thousands, barely 80 years later just 40% of all tribes existed). Despite Rhode Island outlawing slavery quite early in the day, it was a common occurrence for Black or Native men to be sold and forcibly removed from their homes. Since most of the early arrivals from the United Kingdom were Puritans – women in the area were considered not only culturally, but also intellectually inferior. Regarding females as sinful and evil was commonplace and resulted in prosecution known as the witch trials of Salem. Nothing defined New England like going after the most powerless in society, sparked by coerced testimony from an enslaved Native woman named Tituba.
Trigger Discipline at The Catacombs of Paris -photo by Misandra De Moneys
Tituba`s incredible stories of shapeshifters, demons and pacts with the devil became a lens through which the region would be seen for centuries. Suddenly entire areas were cursed (Saco River in Maine is said to be under the spell cast by murdered Natives or former slaves) or haunted by vampires (like the town of Exter in Rhode Island where a certain Mercy Lena Brown was feasting on her family members). Fantastic beasts such as BigFoot were spotted and in the 1950s, flying saucers and alien technology sightings were more common than in Roswell.
If that`s not spooky enough for you – all H.P. Lovecraft`s stories take place in a fictional Miskatonic County, Massachusetts. Bram Stoker`s Dracula was based on the story of Mercy Brown. Fox Mulder was born on Martha`s Vineyard. Speaking of The X Files, the series dedicated over 30 episodes to New England alone, four of them solely to the town of Worcester that for reasons we don’t need to explain is nicknamed “Haunted Worcester”
With its folklore, bloody past and superstitions all six states of New England were promptly given their own Bermuda Triangle – locally known as Bridgewater Triangle. The mecca of all things unexplained is also the home of Trigger Discipline.
New England holds a special place for our family. It is Vermont, where my great grandfather landed after his perilous journey to America at the beginning of XX century. Great grandpa Dabrowicz quickly adapted to the dramatic history of the state, fondly remembering his time there as “Job years” (referring to a character in the Bible) and promptly leaving for Greenpoint.
There is a particular dichotomy to New England. From one side you have the picturesque gingerbread cottages (at the Cape Cod) and grand heritage homes of Providence. On the other hand, one has to deal with the murky, the dangerous and the paranormal. The duality of beauty and horror. And I can’t find a better description of Trigger Discipline. The music they make on record is vastly different to their live shows. As a duo they compliment each other and bring unique abilities to the band. Each of them is also incredibly accomplished.
Jae is a chef, founder of Chili on Wheels (a program providing free vegan meals to homeless and disadvantaged people, that now encompass all of the region), activist and multi-instrumentalist, (check out his work with XNessessityX – best straight edge hardcore since Shelter`s “Mantra”). Few years ago, Jae had a terrible accident that resulted in him being proclaimed dead and which required a hospital stay for a long time. Despite the trauma and surely huge medical bills (please remember Americans do not have NHS), he returned to music as soon as he was able to walk. That’s a true sign of a strong character if you ask me.
Alyssa has no smaller role in Trigger Discipline than her partner. She is a singer, plays saxophone, works as a tattoo artist and jewellery maker. She is also an astrologist specializing in tarot reading and is responsible for stage costumes.
The band have been active since 2021 when they released their demo “Watching”. A year later they published the EP “American Gothicc” (named after a famous painting by Grant Wood) and a string of successful singles: “Cruel Summer”, “Every Day Is Halloween” and “War Is Over”. Somewhere around the release of “Cruel Summer”, Trigger Discipline was signed to Bella Union management. I have always had a soft spot for Bella Union. They have like a sixth sense for picking up the most amazing artists that appear on my radar (they also manage NYC based folk artist War Violet about whom I have been rambling about to anyone who wanted to listen for a good year or so).
I can safely say that “Cruel Summer” was my own summer hit of 2022. It was both dark and incredibly groovy, poppy but with this bleak, twisted undercurrent. It was a bit like watching “I Know What You Did Last Summer” with those posh kids hanging out in a serene seaside town but you know there`s a hook murderer lurking off screen.
In January this year Trigger Discipline visited the UK and played impromptu gig in front of Stonehenge. Honestly, how can you not love this band?! Rhetorical questions do not need the answers, but if you are asking when you can see the band in concert, then check the very ending of this blog.
On July 11th 2023 the duo released their newest song “Babble, Babble, Babble” and it`s possibly the finest example of why Trigger Discipline should be considered as leaders in the doom pop genre. Joining sombre elements of goth/metal with upbeat melodies that characterize pop music isn’t exactly new but in recent years, artists such as Baby Storme, Banshee or Tom Saint have something important to say about the world. Post Punk Magazine described Trigger Discipline in the following way: “the band highlights the darkness of this dystopian and surreal era permeating every facet of life in the United States.
In their music, Jae and Alyssa do not spare anyone: cops (“A Coward At Best”), preachers at megachurches (“Every Prophet in Her House”) or system of oppression that lead to riots following the death of George Floyd (video to “3 and 4 and 5”). In “Babble, Babble, Babble” they take on loudmouths and I have a feeling this is a song about social media. All the influencers posting about karma, self-proclaimed zealots targeting minorities, TERFS and other online bullies – opinionated, without a doubt and having absolutely no clue what they are saying. I had a laugh the first time I heard the single. It felt like the band took the thoughts out of my head and turned my own feelings into a song. If you too feel overwhelmed by people who have zero self-awareness, even less to contribute to society but a blue tick and a set of harmful opinions – then this song is for you. Over the last few weeks “Babble, Babble, Babble” was a soundtrack each time I had to block another troll on Twitter.
Musically the single is an upbeat, almost playful pop banger that reminds of Bananarama at their best. It’s driven forward by electronic beats and Alyssa`s charming vocals with a splendid trumpet solo right in the middle. If this song was released in 1980`s, Trigger Discipline would be huge and you`d see them on Top of the Pops. I usually don’t like the nostalgia that plagues the music scene in 2023 but I will make an exemption for the duo.
Trigger Discipline at Salford Lads Club – photo by Bella Union
However please note that there is more to Trigger Discipline than 80s aesthetics. They may sound retro on “Babble, Babble, Babble” but live they are a completely different act. They morph into their proper gothic selves and bring out their full sonic eclecticism. Alyssa can easily go from sounding dreamy like she is Hope Sandoval to properly punky and challenging a la Siouxie Siux. Jae is multitasking between guitars, synths, computers, samples and backing vocals. On stage Trigger Discipline are unstoppable multidisciplinary artists who fear no labels or concepts. They walk their own ways and set standards for themselves.
And they prove my theory that looking for something different in music than mass produced sounds is important for every listener. You can`t live off veggie burgers alone, no matter how tasty they are. What you really need is a proper, well-balanced diet. And Trigger Discipline is that.
The duo is coming back to the UK for several gigs in Bristol (September 6th), London (September 11th) and Brighton (September 19th). So far, no Manchester, but I do remain hopeful that us folks in the North will not be forgotten. Come on Bella Union we have this awesome small venue called Castle Hotel which would be perfect for the band. Or even Night & Day. It would be a proper night! I`m bringing a few friends and we will be dancing in the first row. Do we have the deal?
Tickets for the UK live shows can be found here:
https://www.songkick.com/artists/10195068-trigger-discipline/calendar/countries/2-uk
Follow Trigger Discipline on socials, this is an order!
https://americangothicc.com/
https://www.facebook.com/triggerxdiscipline
https://www.instagram.com/triggerxdiscipline/
https://triggerdiscipline.bandcamp.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@triggerxdiscipline
https://www.youtube.com/@triggerxdiscipline
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Ha5qz7dxeLfg78OmKpDhN
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 