Bratakus – Hagridden

Bratakus is one of those bands we interviewed back in 2016, when they were still new to the scene. The duo consists of sisters Brèagha and Onnagh Cuinn, who formed Bratakus in the picturesque village of Tomintoul in the Scottish Highlands. The place may be famous for its whisky distillery, but the siblings told us they were probably the only straight edge vegans in their village. And even though they come from such a remote, secluded place, they also come from a punk family with punk ethics, with their father Angus Quinn playing in some of the most important anarcho-punk and crust bands to come out of Scotland.

In the ten years since we published that interview, Bratakus have come a long way, steadily crafting their own distinct sound and finally releasing their long-awaited debut album Hagridden in February 2026. The record contains ten tracks of short, stripped-down punk rock with biting lyrics and a clear riot grrrl influence. Brèagha’s guitar cuts with razor-sharp rifs and accuracy, while Onnagh’s bass thunders underneath, giving the songs their punch and power. Both of them sing with angry, duelling vocals that move from snappy shouts reminiscent of singers like Brody Dalle (I’ve never been a fan of The Distillers, but I can’t deny the similarity here), to harsher, hardcore growls.

Every song is full of unbridled passion, anger, and the occasional flash of melody, drawing from early punk rock to riot grrrl without ever losing its direct, pissed-off urgency. With a minimalist setup of only two girls on guitar and bass, the band used a drum machine on previous releases, but they’ve stepped up on Hagridden with live drums from their producer Tommy Duffin, and even The Hives’ drummer playing on some of the tracks.

The lyrics follow the same themes Bratakus have tackled since the beginning, including feminism and fighting patriarchy, veganism and animal rights, media brainwashing, and how normalized sweatshops have become in our society. And when it comes to things like choosing a vegan diet, boycotting evil corporations, and buying sweatshop-free merch, we often hear that “there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism.” Yet I agree with thinkers like Murray Bookchin, who argued that while you can’t live a 100% ethical life within capitalism, you can still try to maintain a higher ethical standard.

That is one of the beautiful things about anarchism, that it brings ethics into socialism instead of mere dialectical materialism. One can try to live an ethical life, one can concern themselves personally with what is less exploitative and better for humanity, other animal species, and the planet. One can protest, and one can work with projects where people learn how to take control over their lives and follow ethical choices, even if they cannot fully do so until there are fundamental social changes. And I think punk bands talking about veganism, straight edge, the BDS movement, or anti-sweatshops are pushing us to search for a liberatory sensibility and a liberatory ethic that can be ingrained into daily life. For vegans, the song “Real Men Eat Meat” is a real highlight of the record, with its chorus, “there’s no such thing as real men”, challenging meat eating and machismo with lyrics that recall Carol Adams’ The Sexual Politics of Meat.

With these ten fast, diverse, and incredibly angry tracks, Hagridden is a definite contender for punk album of the year to me. Previously, the band released all their recordings completely DIY through their own Screaming Babies Records, but Hagridden comes through Venn Records, which I hope will bring them to a new audience. With other two-piece feminist punk bands like Lambrini Girls gaining fame and momentum, I really hope Bratakus get more love too. They truly deserve it.