Raw. Lyrical. Absolutely punk.

Formed at Berklee College of Music by lead singer and songwriter Zoey Gulotta, the band brings together rock and roll angst with poetic lyricism and storytelling rooted in the tradition of Patti Smith and PJ Harvey.

Zoey’s vocals shift between raw intensity and spoken word, while Lincoln Rasmussen’s face-melting guitar, Cassius Foote’s grooving bass, Andrew Atkison’s piercing synth, and Jameson Sanborn’s energetic drumming, create a sound that is urgent and alive.

Since relocating to Seattle, Fatal Femmes have built a sound that is equal parts confession and confrontation. Zoey writes about the childhood trauma and abuse she experienced growing up in New York with rotating mother figures, a narcissistic, angry, and neglectful father, and learning how to fend for herself at too young an age. She writes about looking for love, sometimes in the wrong places, and the glory that comes with finding good love. She writes about existential angst: financial struggle, rebelling against authority, and a society that has been conditioned to be isolated and cold. She writes in a way that doesn’t ask for pity, but instead captures listeners to show them that you can overcome anything and turn it into something beautiful. No matter how angry or ugly, you can make it into a piece of art and decide to observe it, gain strength from it, share it, connect people with it, and live for it.

For live shows, the meaning of the music is coupled with a cohesive stage presence of the band, seen in black and red, leathers and lace, and dark graphic eyeliner, creating an edgy and feminine appearance. Show-goers come in matching eyeliner and patterns as they watch the band perform their music in a way that says “We aren’t afraid to take up space”. From moshing, to gasping, to holding hands, to head banging, to dancing and letting loose, they leave with Fatal Femmes merch in hand feeling struck, awoken, and a little bit more free. And very sweaty.

Listeners tend to compare them to: PJ Harvey, Destroy Boys, Mannequin Pussy, X-Ray Spex, Amyl and The Sniffers, and Die Spitz. 

The name “Fatal Femmes” has quickly spread across the PNW, the band beginning with local DIY shows to playing the Museum of Pop Culture and Capitol Hill Block Party in less than a year.

The band is in the process of recording their debut album, recorded and mixed by Ken Stringfellow of The Poises, R.E.M, and Big Star, and mastered by Howie Weinburg (Also worked on records by: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jeff Buckley, Fiona Apple, Soundgarden, Ween). They are working with multiple film and video teams to record narrative music videos for every single to be released leading up to the album.

They have come up with creative routes to crowd-fund the project. They started with a live living room session, recorded and mixed, paired with a Go-Fund-Me page. They went on to planning an independent music festival at the Punk Rock Flea Market in the heart of Capitol Hill, Seattle. This two-day festival featured 7 hot local rock bands, art vendors, and skating, and received sponsorships from local surrounding businesses. The event sold over 250 tickets and served to be wildly successful for all involved.

Both old and new, classic in rock and roll spirit but futuristic in creative sound, Fatal Femmes are a force to be reckoned with, and a band you couldn’t look away from, even if you tried.