A quick guide to Nobro's Polaris-shortlisted album, Set Your Pussy Free

Nobro's debut album, Set Your Pussy Free, is one of this year's 10 Polaris Music Prize-nominated albums, and CBC Music's Shortlist Shortcut series is back to help music fans learn the key details about each shortlisted record.

Dig into the stories behind the Montreal band's album, the tracks you need to know, and the perfect summer activities to complement your listening. 

You can also listen to The Ten radio special on Set Your Pussy Free here.

Artist:

Nobro.

Album:

Set Your Pussy Free.

Polaris Music Prize history:

This is Nobro's first Polaris Music Prize longlist and shortlist nomination. 

Notable players:

Every song on the album was co-written by all four members of the band: singer Kathryn McCaughey, guitarist Karolane Carbonneau, keyboardist and percussionist Lisandre Bourdages and drummer Sarah Dion. The only other person credited as a co-writer is Thomas D'Arcy, a Toronto producer and engineer who worked on Nobro's two earlier EPs, 2020's Sick Hustle and 2022's Live Your Truth Shred Some Gnar. 

Set Your Pussy Free was produced and mixed by Dave Schiffman, a multi-Grammy winner who has worked with Adele, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Charli XCX, Vampire Weekend and Pup. 

Story behind the nominated album:

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away people's constitutional right to abortion. The day after that news was announced, Montreal punk band Nobro performed a show in the States. Lead singer McCaughey was angry and frustrated, and introduced one of the night's songs by telling the audience: "This next song is dedicated to setting our vaginas free!" While Nobro isn't an overtly political band, just being a group of women onstage, performing unabashedly loud music, can be a political statement at a time when women are still fighting for bodily autonomy. 

This off-the-cuff comment from McCaughey stuck, and inspired the title of Nobro's debut album, Set Your Pussy Free. Over the course of 30 minutes and 11 ferociously fun tracks, Nobro asserts one's right to party, take drugs, make mistakes, pick yourself back up and do it all over again. On the opening track, "Set That Pussy Free," McCaughey brings it back to that 2022 evening, reminding listeners that having fun and exerting your freedom to do that, especially as a woman, is an important act of resistance. "Put your hands real high 'cause you've had enough," she sings. "Wave them all about like you just don't give a f--k/ set your pussy free."  

Channelling punk acts like Joan Jett and the Ramones, Nobro churns out high-octane anthems that are equal parts raucous and catchy. On "Let's Do Drugs," the band turns the idea of a wild, debaucherous night on its head by making it a cheeky song about aging, with lines like, "I got some gravel and some Tylenol 3!/ A guy at work said he'd sell me some weed!/ I think I saw sales of Whippit whipped cream!" Adult responsibilities also creep up on "I Don't Feel Like It," where McCaughey admits: "I know I got dues to pay/ but hey can I just pay them later/ and yeah I got shit to do today/ but you know what?/ I don't f--king feel like it." 

At every turn, the members of Nobro are just trying to be themselves and listen to their gut feelings — like when McCaughey outlines the band's origin story on "Where My Girls At," or later highlights the importance of friendship, especially the bond she shares with her bandmates, on "Gimme More (Party Through the Pain)." Set Your Pussy Free not only leaves you buzzing with energy, it also empowers its listeners to do whatever the hell they want, whether that's partying or protesting.

Standout songs:

'Delete Delete Delete'

"Delete Delete Delete" isn't even two minutes long, but it packs a ferocious punch. Over a flurry of guitars, bass and drums, McCaughey powers through a list of reasons why the internet is exhausting. Packing in everything from fights on Reddit to navigating thirst traps, Nobro makes it easy to understand how one can get sucked into, and lose themselves in, the online abyss. "I don't wanna be on the internet" is a simple line, but a satisfyingly cathartic statement to shout at the top of your lungs on repeat, hopefully away from the glare of any screens. 

'Where My Girls At'

This song tells the origin story of Nobro, from McCaughey getting out of a relationship with another musician and refusing to be labelled as "just another ex-girlfriend" to buying a bass and starting her own band. Even though its lyrics are specific to McCaughey's experience at times, the song's rallying cry on the chorus is a call to action to pick up an instrument and start a rock 'n' roll band of your own. 

'Gimme More (Party Through the Pain)'

A continuation on the themes of friendship explored on a track like "Where My Girls At," "Gimme More (Party Through the Pain)" is an ode to perseverance and getting strength from those you love. "But when I see your smiling face/ I wanna party through the pain," McCaughey sings, acknowledging that life will knock you down sometimes but friends will always be there to pick you back up. As an album closer, this track not only sends you off with a heaping sense of optimism, but its electrifying sing-along melodies will power you through the rest of your day like a strong shot of espresso. 

Recommended if you like:

Joan Jett, the Ramones, Pup, the OBGMs, Amyl and the Sniffers, Blink-182.    

Summer activity pairing:

An album this rambunctious deserves to be paired with your wildest summer nights. Grab some drinks with your BFFs and party like a rockstar. 

Don't miss Shortlist Summer: a season-long showcase of the 10 albums shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize. Read the weekly Polaris Shortlist Shortcut feature at cbcmusic.ca/polaris and tune into The Ten radio special every Sunday night at cbc.ca/listen.