If you think wearing a kitschy uniform to your job is a drag, try zipping up a “Girl Suit” every time you step outside. As a genderqueer person, Megan From Work leader Megan Simon is no stranger to begrudgingly slipping the outfit off and on, ping-ponging between a performative “girl” costume and their authentic presentation. But on their new single, they’re sloughing off expectations for good.
Simon’s Manchester, New Hampshire project released “Girl Suit” last Friday (August 30), revealing the first single and title track of their forthcoming debut album. It’s a peppy surge of soft punk that dances atop Simon’s discarded suit, gouging holes in their once-obligatory facade. “Lately I’m thinking / I’d rather be honest than consistent,” they cry out on the bridge.
“The title track and much of the record are about feeling the pressure to perform in ways that are both consciously and unconsciously imposed on you,” they tell Vanyaland. “In relationships and in society as a whole, I’ve felt the pressure to behave and present in ways that seem to be more palatable or pleasing to others. Wearing these masks can feel like acts of self-betrayal and have led to feeling isolated and misunderstood, which are recurring themes on this record.”
Simon adds: “As a genderqueer person, there are certain realizations of past conditioning, but with them comes a hopefulness that those around you can let you exist outside of boxes that you may have been placed in.”
Tune in below.