Violet Grohl Has a Message for Punk Guys With Narrow Minds — and It Slaps

Violet Grohl has been staking her own claim since well before the debut album announcement, and “Cool Buzz” is the clearest statement yet of where she stands. The song is about punk guys who preach progressive politics in public and then quietly close the door on women in their own musical spaces. Grohl doesn’t rage about it — she taunts, coolly, over music built for windmill kicks and circle pits. The video, directed by Niki Milan Houston, drops this Friday.

Be Sweet to Me arrives May 29 on Auroura Records/Republic Records, recorded at producer Justin Raisen’s LA home studio with musicians assembled in the spirit of the Wrecking Crew session players. The reference points Grohl keeps returning to are heavy hitters like Pixies, Soundgarden, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, The Muffs, L7, Cocteau Twins, and Juliana Hatfield. They are all baked into the record’s DNA without it ever feeling like a costume. This is her own thing.

Earlier singles “THUM,” “Applefish,” and “595” showed the range — muscular riffs, cinematic tenderness, sharp hooks — and “Cool Buzz” pulls it all into focus. Grohl also heads out on her first-ever headline dates this summer, including two nights with The Breeders. Pre-order the album below.

Pre-order Be Sweet to Me ↗

1“THUM”

2“595”

3“Bug in the Cake”

4“Last Day I Loved You”

5“Big Memory”

6“Mobile Stars”

7“Often Others”

8“Applefish”

9“Cool Buzz”

10“Pool of My Dream”

11“Plastic Couch”