Machine Girl
Machine Girl have always operated as an inimitable, inventive, and individual sonic
phenomenon. The newly trio’d—Matt Stephenson [vocals, producer], Sean Kelly
[drums], and Lucy Caputi [guitar]—fortify a punk exoskeleton with electronic alchemy
and cinematic ambition outfitted for an uncompromisingly heavy attack. Rave, metal,
punk, and pummeling electronic (and real) drums collide and splinter like shrapnel into
kaleidoscopic blasts of vibrant color and visceral sound.
After amassing millions of fans, hundreds of millions of streams, inciting critical acclaim,
and captivating at cap crowds in nineteen (19) countries YTD in 2025 so far, the band
continue to elevate on their seventh full-length LP, Psycho Warrior.
“I’d been reading analytical psychology and the writings of Joseph Campbell and Jung,”
recalls Matt. “There’s a concept of the collective unconscious and these archetypes that
we innately have. We adopt different personae in order to get through the day. In
essence, you complete yourself by facing your shadow self. To do so, you must accept
the less savory aspects of who you are. There’s a lot of validity to these theories. Right
now, we’re a very psychologically damaged culture and society. We’re being pushed
over the edge with social media and technology. Any chance of resistance against these
systems starts in the mind, so this was the genesis of Psycho Warrior.”
Machine Girl carved out an incomparable lane upon arrival in 2012. Stephenson’s 2014
full-length debut LP, Wlfgrl, achieved bona fide cult status shocked to life by “Out by 16,
Dead on the Scene,” “Ghost,” and “Mg1,” which reeled in north of 43 million Spotify
streams and counting. Their sound proceeded to completely reinvent itself across each
LP that followed - Gemini [2015], …Because I’m Young Arrogant and Hate Everything
You Stand For [2017], The Ugly Art [2018], U-Void Synthesizer [2020], and 2022’s
two-part Original Soundtrack for the video game Neon White. Most recently, 2024’s MG
Ultra incited the most enthusiastic critical applause of the band’s career so far. Pitchfork
professed, “Their music together plays like the soundtrack to the final boss level of
some finger-blistering bullet hell,” and Dazed mused, “it’s hard to imagine a better
soundtrack for the revolution than Machine Girl.”
The latter LP also set the stage for Psycho Warrior, functioning as a prelude.
“MG Ultra is the setup,” reveals Matt. “It explores mind control and brings attention to
the overall concepts. It’s Act 1. Sonically, it’s more rave-y, but the songs seem hopeless
conceptually. Psycho Warrior was made after, and it follows as Acts 2 and 3 of the same
arc. Lyrically, it’s more empowering and anthemic. We worked out a lot of the framework
with bass guitar and more punk and metal elements.”
Machine Girl recorded this body of work at Civil Defense Recording Studio between Jan
– June 2025 in New York, allowing their vision time to naturally take shape.
Now, the single “Come On Baby, Scrape My Data” layers a guttural bassline atop a
woozy old school computer loop, conjuring a frenetic bounce from the depths of
cyberspace. Matt’s upbeat punky cadence warbles and wheezes on the verses until
culminating on a glitchy chant, Wanna know me? Wanna own me? Wanna clone me?
F**k you, you can blow me.
“It was written after experiencing something creepy and fucked up either with A.I. or the
surveillance state,” he reveals. “My phone knows me way too well—which is a feeling
we’ve all gotten very used to within the last ten years. The song teases big tech
companies, taunting them to come and try to take our data and identities. It’s a pretty
decisive way to open up the record in terms of attitude.”
Elsewhere, brain-rattling beat-craft sets the tempo for “Rabbit Season.” Neon keys
chime and echo off in the distance, and a snappy hook takes hold, “I love the feeling.”
“With Machine Girl’s lyrics, I’ll take some dystopian or dark subject matter and flip it into
something more lighthearted,” he notes. “I took the concept of conspiracy rabbit holes
and used it to make a bouncy dance track. ‘Rabbit Season’ is obviously a reference to
Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny. It discusses the cartoonish world of conspiracies and
false, subjective realities people are trapping themselves inside of.”
Then, there’s “Dread Architect” [feat. Drumcorps]. A relentless drum-n-bass barrage
crashes into manic screams underlined by groans of fuzzed-out feedback and
laser-precise synths.
“To me, ‘Dread Architect’ is almost the antagonist of the whole double-LP,” he states.
“It’s the worst of our war-hungry billionaire class leaders who are seething to create a
horrible future. We’re witnessing the destruction of the environment worldwide. Mark
Zuckerberg and all of these billionaires have already built bunkers for the apocalypse.
They’re trying to get out of here and go to Mars. It’s grim and fucked up. Drumcorps is
the de facto metalcore breakcore producer extraordinaire. He provided some super
gnarly guitar tracks for us to chop up and use too.”
Back in October 2024, the band had welcomed Lucy as a live member. Formally etching
out her place in the fold, she handles lead vocals on “Ignore The Vore.” Matt adds, “It’s
the first track where my vocals take a backseat, and Lucy is front-and-center. It was an
exciting experiment, and it’s a new form of Machine Girl.”
Nearing the six-minute mark, the epic “Psychowar” revolves around the chug of
distorted guitars, piston-like percussion, and paranoid pleas a la, “Pass me the
Kool-Aid.”
“The goal was always for it to be prog rock-level, epic, and freaky,” he grins. “It’s linked
to the central theme. The lines, ‘Fight your Psychowar,’ refer to confronting the parts of
yourself you don’t want to confront, overcoming them, and becoming mentally stronger.
The first half is darker. On the second, you’re picking yourself up, working on your shit,
fighting your ‘Psychowar,’ and becoming a Psycho Warrior.”
In the end, Machine Girl tap into the sound of self-actualization. It’s gritty, dirty,
unpredictable, beautiful, and utterly brilliant.
“We really want the music to be life-affirming,” he leaves off. “Catharsis is important in
the world of Machine Girl. This is probably the most cathartic album we’ve made.”
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