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RIFF071 - L7 - Bricks Are Heavy

RIFF071 - L7 - Bricks Are Heavy

Published: November 24, 2025 • Duration: 1:21:18

When Tuning Your Guitar Became Revolutionary

Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~80 minutes
Release: 24 November 2025

Episode Description

Neil and Chris tackle L7's breakthrough 1992 album Bricks Are Heavy, the record that proved you could be authentically punk, unapologetically feminist, and radio-friendly all at once. Between discussions of Butch Vig's game-changing production advice (tune your guitars, every take, every string) and the band's refusal to make gender their defining characteristic, the hosts explore how this LA quartet carved out their own space in the grunge landscape without ever quite belonging to Seattle.

What emerges is a portrait of an album that's aged remarkably well, a record that's both raw and accessible, spiky and melodic. From the MTV-saturated success of "Pretend We're Dead" to the infamous Reading Festival tampon incident, L7 lived loud and left an indelible mark on anyone who heard them. The hosts compare the album's production to Hole's evolution, discuss why it sits perfectly between live-through-this rawness and celebrity-skin polish, and celebrate how Butch Vig captured lightning in a bottle at Sound City studios.

What You'll Hear:

  • The Butch Vig production story: how insisting the band tune their guitars before every take transformed their sound without losing the energy
  • Why this album works as a "gateway" record into heavier music, particularly for female listeners in the early 90s
  • L7's approach to feminism: leading by example rather than making it the conversation, and why that mattered
  • The band's connections to Nirvana, the grunge scene, and how they fit into (and apart from) the Seattle sound
  • Chart performance versus cultural impact: why 300,000 US sales doesn't tell the whole story
  • Track breakdowns of "Pretend We're Dead," "Shitlist," "One More Thing," and the album's dynamic range

Featured Tracks & Analysis:

The hosts dive deep into standout tracks like "One More Thing," which Chris identifies as a slower, melancholic highlight that showcases the band's range beyond their faster punk assault. "Shitlist" gets special attention, not as a single but as the song everyone knows from Natural Born Killers, while "Pretend We're Dead" is examined as the MTV breakthrough that almost didn't happen. Throughout, Neil and Chris emphasize how Butch Vig's production sits in that sweet spot: in-tune, heavy, with drums that sound massive thanks to Sound City's rooms, but never overpolished or losing the band's essential rawness.

Tangential Gold:

  • Extended meditation on Frank Turner, Dave Hause (not Dave House), and the folk-hardcore crossover that somehow connects to L7
  • The tomato puree incident: a terrifying Sainsbury's encounter involving a large man in motorcycle gear
  • Amiga gaming memories, Quake sessions at 4am, and IRC chat networks as the soundtrack to teenage life
  • The Brian Adams and Joe Elliott vocal comparison debate that will anger both fanbases
  • Bottom-free crowd surfing, Reading Festival bannings, and why the Dillinger Escape Plan are never going back

Why This Matters:

Bricks Are Heavy represents a pivotal moment when punk attitude met professional production and created something that still sounds vital three decades later. The album proved you didn't need to choose between authenticity and accessibility, between rage and melody. L7's influence echoes through every female-fronted rock band that followed, not because they made gender the issue, but because they simply showed up, played hard, and refused to compromise.

Perfect for: Anyone who grew up on 90s alternative rock but missed L7 the first time around, fans of Hole and the Pixies looking for the missing link, and listeners who appreciate albums that reward volume while remaining listenable at any level. Also essential for anyone interested in how Butch Vig's production philosophy shaped an entire era of rock music.

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