Penny & the Pits

"The Pits as in bad times, shit luck, sweat stains… but also cherries. Penny & The Pits is the new project from Maritime stalwart Penelope Stevens. Liquid Compactor, the debut statement from Penny & The Pits, is the result of Stevens putting their voice front and center for the first time. The songs process pain into power through the use of transformative symbols. Water, and more broadly liquid, is a recurring element. The Bay Of Fundy, The Nashwaak River and Fredericton’s Lord Beaverbrook Hotel pool all appear as backdrops. Baths come to a boil. Period blood is summoned as a source of strength. Chuds from the local bar are haunted ‘til they sweat. Perpetrators are overtaken by the turning tide. For every drop of darkness on Liquid Compactor, there are corresponding sparks of levity. This link between joy and pain is what gives the album its unmistakable fervor: it’s a celebration of healing cloaked as a gnarly romp. And this was Stevens’ hope from the outset: “When I was writing these songs, I imagined my closest femme & queer friends right up front, singing along. If I couldn't picture them rocking out, then I would set the idea aside. With this album, I'm trying to manifest the heaviness, the intensity and the joy of our lived experiences.""