A raucous punk album which explores being trans?! Against Me! may have just redefined ground-breaking with their catchy and powerful new record Transgender Dysphoria Blues. Against Me!’s sixth album is the band’s first since founder, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Laura Jane Grace came out as transsexual in 2012. Transgender Dysphoria Blues deals head on with being trans, and touches on death, love and politics, in a bam, bam, bam of catchy knockouts, respecting the origins of punk with its in your face lyrics. There are no niceties here, this album is wild right from the first track Transgender Dysphoria Blues, where Grace’s gritty voice cries “You want them to see you as they see every other girl; they just see a faggot!” over frenetic drums and guitar. It’s immediately addictive and instantly empowering. There is no let up, with the album quickly slamming into True Trans Soul Rebel, which flips the listener upside down by pitting utterly painful lyrics against catchy hooks, then the clanging Unconditional Love makes way for a moment of pure angry punk power in Drinking With The Jocks, which has lyrics we probably shouldn’t repeat. Then things get political in the form of Obama Bin Laden as the Crucified Christ, an apparent hit at conservative religious nutjobs, as the album continues with track after track that will hit you in the gut and get you dancing wherever you are, whether in your driver’s seat, at your desk on in your lounge. It even has something of a power ballad in Black Me Out and a slower love song with the unlikely title Two Coffins, which is sweet in a dark punk kind of way with lyrics like “In the dark of our graves our bodies will decay. I wish you'd never change,” and “How lucky I ever was to see the way that you smiled at me. Your little moon face shining bright at me. One day soon there'll be nothing left of you and me.” The whole thing may be over in just 28 minutes, but if you love punk rock, you will be hitting the button to start this album playing all over again. Let it take you on a ride – and make sure you crank it the fuck up! Have a listen below (not suitable for youngsters, some lyrics may offend) Jacqui Stanford - 30th January 2014