Heavens to Betsy Preview 'Baby's Gone' With New Single: Listen

Heavens to Betsy Announce First Release Since 1994, Share New Single 'Ain't Never Goin' Back'

Heavens to Betsy, the pioneering punk duo of Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer, have announced their first release since their split in 1994. The project, titled Baby's Gone, is an archival album that Kill Rock Stars will release on October 16, as reported by both Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.

The album comprises a previously unreleased demo tape, originally recorded by Bratmobile's Molly Neuman in February 1992, along with the 1993 and 1994 EPs These Monsters Are Real and Direction. According to Pitchfork, the demo tracks make up half of the new release, with the EPs bundled into the 16-track LP. Rolling Stone adds that the album will be available in two special vinyl variants, CD, cassette, and a limited-edition release of the original demo tape with re-created artwork.

To accompany the announcement, the duo released "Ain't Never Goin' Back," the first single from Baby's Gone. Both outlets describe the track as anthemic and raw, and it is one of eight demos that comprise half of the release, according to Pitchfork.

A Reunion and a Revisit

The announcement follows a reunion tour announcement in June, as noted by Pitchfork. Over the summer, the group also performed a surprise reunion show in Portland, Oregon, and announced a tour starting October 16 at Fine Line in Minneapolis, according to Rolling Stone.

In a statement, Sawyer reflected on the decision to revisit the project: "I wasn't sure if I would ever revisit Heavens to Betsy, and then when we started talking more about it, and feeling how relevant the subjects are today, almost even more so than they were back then … it just seemed like just the perfect opportunity to be doing this." She also spoke about the personal significance of the reunion, saying, "Just to know each other again as adults and as mothers, it's really cool. Once we started playing again, it was like muscle memory."

The Demo Tape and Its Subjects

The demo tape was recorded with the assistance of Molly Neuman, who also provides new liner notes for the release. Tucker spoke about Neuman's role, saying, "Molly's such a leader, and she's such an intellectual. She grasped right away that it was important for young women to have these tools to express themselves. She was so confident and so unafraid to just be like, 'Yeah, why don't I just record that for you? I'll just check out the Tascam from the AV library at Evergreen and do it.'"

According to a press release cited by Pitchfork, the subjects of the music include rape culture, intersectional politics, body shaming, and celebrations of female friendships, queerness, and community. Rolling Stone notes that the music written in the Nineties railed against sexual harassment, traditional gender roles, racism, and privilege.

Tracklist

The full tracklist of Baby's Gone has been published, though the two outlets differ slightly on the first track. Pitchfork lists it as "Good Food," while Rolling Stone lists "Good Good." The rest of the tracklist, as reported by Rolling Stone, is as follows: "Factory," "Seek and Hide," "Stay Dead," "My Red Shelf," "Ain't Never Goin' Back," "Baby's Gone," "My Secret," "Me & Her," "Monsters," "Playground," "Firefly," "Direction," "Get Out of My Head," "The Ones," and "Driving Song."