New Music: The Empty Page – A Feminine Ending

Lyrically, The Empty Page’s songs are from empty; whether sung or viewed on the written page, their lyrics are full of meaning and sometimes challenging to the male gaze.

The latter is to the fore on A Feminine Ending, which the Manchester trio has described as looking at “the toxicity of anti-ageing rhetoric.” Even in the modern day of Clavicular and looksmaxxing, that burden to be perfect still falls largely on women.

A Feminine Ending is a call to arms in a way, though it doesn’t go down a barnstorming direction to get its message across. A real slow burner, primarily focused on post-punk and heavygaze – with an unexpected but excellent guitar solo along the way, it builds emotionally via Kel’s vocals. It showcases not just her lyrical skills but also how she brings those lyrics to life, thanks to the similarities between her vocal style and those of Carla Chubb and Amy Taylor. Thrilling and timely, play A Feminine Ending loudly and on repeat for maximum effect.

States the band about the driving force behind the lyrics: “The world is obsessed with youth and beauty. The male gaze dominates so much of life, and it’s exhausting for women. This is a song that celebrates ageing and breaking free of the male gaze. It’s a celebration of the liberty that comes with age, of giving less f***s.”

“But it is also a critique of the beauty industry, and women are made to feel inadequate from an early age. How this industry creates insecurity around the way we look and then preys on that feeling, selling ‘miracle cures’ for how ugly the industry itself and its gross tactics have made us feel.”

A Feminine Ending and more music from The Empty Page can be streamed and downloaded on Bandcamp. You can also hear their music on YouTube Music and Spotify. The Empty Page play London, Shrewsbury, and Liverpool over the next few weeks. Head to their Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook feeds for venue details and music updates.

Header photo by Debbie Ellis