Local Music Spotlight: The Shaky Harlots is the latest band to join the CorpoRat roster

Spokane label CorpoRat Records was, until the pandemic, a club made up exclusively of local groups. But since 2020, label owner Kris Martin has been expanding its roster to include the best of the Northwest independent rock scene. That move began with the signing of Missoula-based Trans Future in October, who came to Spokane to make their local debut soon after.

The latest group to join the CorpoRat family hails, rather than from the east of Spokane, from the west in Ashland, Oregon. The Shaky Harlots are a stunning addition to the roster, a powerful band of five with the intrepid Brynna Dean at the helm.

CorpoRat is released the Shaky Harlots’ debut single, “Pretty Fool,” on Friday and following it up the next week with a second single from Trans Future: “Better Days.” In some ways, these tracks are vastly different. In others, they’re wonderful complements, voices audiences will look forward to seeing more of here in the Northwest.

“Better Days” is a change from their first CorpoRat single “Just Like Me.” The song is a careful combination of restraint and explosion speckled with silences and pared back moments, but all of which exist in contrast to the booming, driving chorus. Vocalist Kateena Bell drives the track’s energetic movements, but the drums, played by Jesse Rockwood, tie the sections together.

As much as this track might rock, guitarist Chris Knudson was keen to point out that it also rolls: “Rock is only half of rock and roll. We wanted to bring a little more roll into the sound.” That roll comes from the guitars and bouncing bass of Jason Ward. It’s a synergistic, powerful combination for the band. “We’ve all cylinders firing,” Rockwood said.

Trans Future’s debut record with CorpoRat is set to be released on May 6 and will feature the two already-released singles as well as eight new tracks.

The Shaky Harlots share much with their Missoula labelmates. For one thing, “Pretty Fool” is similarly dynamic, similarly pushed by the vocals and held together by the band. But where Trans Future opted for a bouncier, lighter sound, “Pretty Fool” is dark and weighty.

Dean alternates between a soft, almost murmuring verse and a screaming chorus, which comes at its climax to sound almost like Clare Torry in “The Great Gig in the Sky.” “I was just imagining the ocean,” Dean said. “It’s chill, and you’re on the edge of it, and then all of a sudden, there’s a motorcycle and then a car crash.”

Quite the chaotic mix, much like the sonic influences the band cited: “We love the blues and classic rock and roll, but we also very much enjoy poppy stuff,” guitarist and writer Laramie Crow said. Bassist Kaity Arango also added garage rock to the mix. When asked what type of music the band makes, Crow said, “We don’t know!”

Part of that is the sheer range of their music. The other part is that the Shaky Harlots are still getting to know themselves. The group of five was only united in its entirety just before they joined CorpoRat. Bailey and Kaity Arango, lead guitar and bass, respectively, are making their recorded debut with this track.

“They’re the backbone,” drummer Andrew Peel said of the two new additions, tying the group together sonically and in their dynamics. Speaking of their dynamics, the Shaky Harlots, like their music, are sort of an interesting bunch. A lot of music has been made already, so to set yourself apart, there is something to be said about being a little odd.

During another interview with The Spokesman-Review, for example, Dean said, “We’ve currently got a projector running with our name superimposed over a public domain Claymation of a man peeling a banana.”

It was a bizarre moment, but certainly one that characterized the type of experimentation that might lead to a piece like “Pretty Fool,” which developed out of a clever mix of two different song ideas.

“Our initial charts for that song still give me anxiety,” Arango said. You’d never guess it, though, listening to the final product. It’s not trim, by any means, but perfectly measures out its doses of loud, soft and raging.

As new signees to CorpoRat, the Shaky Harlots will be making their Spokane debut at the Big Dipper on March 23 with labelmates Kung Fu Vinyl. Judging by Arango’s description of seeing the band before she was in it (“electric,” “starstruck”), it won’t be a set to miss.

Follow Trans Future and the Shaky Harlots on Instagram @transfuturegram and @theshakyharlots, and look out for their releases on all streaming platforms on Friday and March 25, respectively. Also visit CorpoRat’s website corporatrecords.com.

Julien A. Luebbers can be reached at julien.luebbers@gmail.com.