Music Feeds’ Love Letter to a Record series asks artists to reflect on their relationship with the music they love and share stories about how it has influenced their lives. Here, Marihuzka “MC” Cornelius of Sydney band Bloods confesses her love for Gossip’s third album, Standing in the Way of Control (2006)
Sydney punk band Bloods released their third LP, Together, Baby!, in September 2022. The trio of vocalist and guitarist Marihuzka “MC” Cornelius, drummer Dirk Jonker and bass player and producer Mike Morgan spent longer on Together, Baby! than either of its predecessors. The album includes the singles ‘BOSS’ and ‘I Like You’ featuring Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace.
Bloods’ Love Letter to Gossip’s ‘Standing in the Way of Control’
MC: Dear Standing in the Way of Control,
We met when I was young and finding my footing in the world. It was a time where I felt without a safety net. It was just me and the vastness of what lay ahead and there you were, like a beacon of light, cheering me on, holding my hand, lifting me up with every listen.
It’s not just that you made me want to dance every time I put you on, or that you represented a level of cool I could only dream of aspiring to. It was the outsider-ness, the fight, the grappling with societal expectation, the desire to scream as loud as you possibly could to be heard. You articulated all the frustration, confusion, desire and hope I was feeling and made the vastness feel so exciting.
You were the sum of your parts. Beth [Ditto], your voice piercing through every cell in my body from the first time I heard it on your record Movement. The urgency and anarchy wrapped in a soulful, huge, beautiful bright ribbon.
Nathan [Howdeshell], aka Brace Paine, the unexpected and jagged guitar/bass arrangements you delivered matched the power of Beth’s vocals and created a dance with swords on upbeat songs like the title track and ‘Eyes Open’, and provided a delicate blanket on tracks like ‘Coal to Diamonds’.
Hannah [Blilie], you brought a groove to the band that was undeniable and irresistible. Songs like ‘Your Mangled Heart’ and ‘Listen Up’, where my body would just surrender to the rhythm, unable to fight the urge to bounce around whenever they came on, even in public spaces.
Thank you Gossip and Standing in the Way of Control for being there to fuel the fire in my heart and belly. You reminded me that being an outsider in a world that felt so constructed was something to be proud of. You made me feel less alone, and in those moments of confusion, you reminded me that letting go and surrendering to the rhythm made everything better.
Bloods with Laura Jane Grace – ‘I Like You’
- Bloods’ new album, Together, Baby!, is out now.
Further Reading
Sydney Outfit Bloods Share Their Ferocious Femme-Fronted Playlist
Watch Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace Perform at the Infamous Four Seasons Total Landscaping
