Inspired by a Craigslist ad titled “NEW RECORDING STUDIO 25$ HR. 420 FRIENDLY”, esoteric conceptual artist Sam Pocker began to daydream about what kind of record his inner 12-year-old self would make if given the opportunity. Within a week he had accidentally written an entire punk album despite having limited knowledge of the genre’s music. After sending a demo to producer Paul Kostabi (White Zombie, Dee Dee Ramone, Youth Gone Mad, Psychotica, Dead Heavens) they agreed to work on the record and brought in legendary punk producer Geza X (Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Germs) to assist with the recording.

In under a month the trio put together a familiar yet new take on punk rock as seen through the lens of a middle-aged tween with both a limited and expanded vocabulary. The ten tracks reflect on issues such as the quality of service at the post office, difficulty purchasing the correct sized trash bags, and the dichotomy of the relationship between the sisters in HAIM.

Calling the band The Pregnant Vegans because “It was the angriest thing I could think of” and both recording and releasing the record almost immediately was what Pocker referred to as his “DIY 8 ½ moment”.

“I literally made enough records to put out a box set this year and I was just burned out from overthinking,” he said, “and I just wanted to do something loud, dumb, unplanned, and a little more brutally honest and unguarded than my other works had been. I’m including the opera I wrote this year in that statement.”