Scottish sister duo Bratakus are back stronger than ever with their new single ‘Turnstile’ – and it’s a total rager. Out now via Venn Records, the track features none other than Chris Dangerous of The Hives on drums, adding live fire to the band’s trademark feral energy.
Lyrically, ‘Turnstile’ is drawn from experiences Bratakus have had where they have felt patronised and judged because of their appearance.
“I constantly get comments at our gigs about how I don’t look punky enough, which is so weird to me because in my mind punk is an ideology, a way of thinking and a way of channelling your anger about things that are happening in the world, so I just think my clothes are irrelevant,” explains Brèagh. “I think it’s all part of a bigger societal problem where anything feminine is viewed as weaker or smaller or less powerful. If you’ve heard a baby screaming, then you know that what size you are has nothing to do with how loud you can be!”
‘Turnstile’ marks the latest glimpse of their upcoming album Hagridden (out 13 February 2026 on Venn), recorded at Studio Gröndahl in Sweden with The Hives’ Johan Gustafsson. The result is snarling, stripped-to-the-bone punk anthem about defiance, identity, and refusing to shrink yourself for anyone else.
“Johan surprised us with Chris’ feature on this track,” remembers guitarist and vocalist Brèagha Cuinn. “The whole recording session was a bit of a last-minute experience, but when we were leaving Johan asked if we would mind him experimenting and adding real drums to one of the songs to see how it would sound. We said we didn’t mind, and then we didn’t hear anything for a few weeks. We were on the ferry on our way back from a gig when we got the email with the track and found out that Chris had actually come in to record drums for us! We played it live together in Barcelona when we were on tour with The Hives and to this day it’s the only time we’ve ever performed with a human drummer!”
Formed back in 2015 by sisters Brèagha and Onnagh Cuinn in a tiny whisky-soaked Highland village called Tomintoul, Bratakus have been flying the DIY flag high from day one. No manager, no booking agent, no problem — they’ve toured Japan, played with Propagandhi, Bis, and Discharge, played a LOUD WOMEN show at the Hope & Anchor (of course) and turned plenty of heads (and eardrums) along the way.
Catch Bratakus live:
18/02/2025 – Supersonic, Paris (FRANCE)
19/02/2025 – The Grace, London
20/02/2025 – The Exchange, Bristol
21/02/2025 – Star & Garter, Manchester
29/02/2025 – McChuills, Glasgow
and online: FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM YOUTUBE
Hagridden is out 13 February 2026 via Venn Records.