Chastity Belt take cues from both the politics of the riot grrrl scene and the intricate, moody guitar-based sound of early-'90s bands like Sleater-Kinney and Autoclave. While their 2013 debut No Regerts deftly balanced goofball wit and feminist satire, principal songwriter Julia Shapiro moved into deeper and more personal themes on 2017's I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone and 2019's Chastity Belt as their music became more nuanced and sophisticated. Recorded after a five-year layoff (caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic), 2024's Live Laugh Love added a dash of the group's old wit while anchoring the songs in their languid guitar interplay. Chastity Belt formed in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2010. The band consisted of lead vocalist/guitarist Julia Shapiro, bassist Annie Truscott, drummer Gretchen Grimm, and guitarist Lydia Lund. The group quickly integrated irreverent humor into their seemingly serious musical presence. Apart from witty and cutting lyrical content, the band named their first locally circulated demo recordings Fuck Chastity Belt and later shot press photos that portrayed Shapiro wearing a chastity belt made out of a raw steak. They continued this trend when releasing their proper debut, No Regerts, in 2013, subtly but intentionally misspelling "No Regrets" as one might on a horribly, ironically botched tattoo. The band toured heavily in support of No Regerts, and returned in early 2015 with sophomore album Time to Go Home on their new label home of Hardly Art Records. Chastity Belt traveled to Portland, Oregon, to record fresh material with producer Matthew Simms in the summer of 2016. The result was I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone, a more dour and personal third album that was released by Hardly Art in June 2017. After health concerns forced Shapiro to take a break from touring following the album's release, the band took a brief hiatus and Shapiro cut a solo album, Perfect Version, that Hardly Art brought out in June 2019. The following September, Chastity Belt returned with their self-titled fourth album, which found the group refining the more mature musical approach that dominated I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone and Perfect Version. The COVID-19 pandemic grounded Chastity Belt's touring plans for 2020, and Julia Shapiro found herself living in a punk rock house with a handful of friends as the lockdown left her stranded and unable to travel. The experience proved to be unexpectedly positive and inspired a new set of songs, many dealing with themes of community and friendship. The group gathered for recording sessions between January 2020 and November 2022, and the highlights were compiled into the group's 2024 release Live Laugh Love, their first LP for Suicide Squeeze Records. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi