SEX ISSUE
Logan used to be a pastor. Now, they’re a drummer for the queer rock band Pinksqueeze. For Logan, discovering new music was key to their coming out.
“I came out a little later in life; I actually used to be a pastor,” Logan said. “I was 27 when I came out, and right before that, I had started listening to this album by a band called The Aces, it was called ‘When My Heart Felt Volcanic,’ and all of the words in the songs were very obviously gay, and kind of in your face about it.”
Logan explained that they came out for the first time at an Aces concert because the band had “paved the way and given me words to express my sexuality that I didn’t have.”
Logan alongside bandmates Ava, Anna and April, who didn’t want to use their last names for privacy reasons, each had their own life experiences, ultimately allowing them to create their first full-length album, “Be Gay Have Fun,” which was released on May 12, 2023.
“[The songs] are about a lot of our queer experiences, but also the things that we have been going through at the time,” Logan said. “We realized that some common themes were talking to your inner queer child and queer joy.”
Songs like “Straight Girl Crush” and “Queer for Clout” come from personal experiences that the members of Pinksqueeze felt highlight the queer experience.
“[Straight Girl Crush] is actually the first song I ever wrote,” April, the bassist, said. “Which I know is kind of crazy, but it is the 100% true story of me meeting and falling in love with my current partner, who we met at a craft club.”
April explained that when she was younger, she didn’t have access to learning about queer identity and hopes their music can help educate others. The band aims for their music to have a queer-positive and accepting presence to encourage others to feel comfortable with their identity and relationships.
“Music can be one of the more like, sex-positive, acceptable media that’s even out there to have I think, has really helped my relationship with that,” April said.
Pinksqueeze has worked hard on making music that feels like a safe space where people can celebrate themselves and feel seen. They call Chicago home, and Chicago seems to love them back.
“It’s such a community, and this is something we talk about sometimes it’s like, no other city has,” Ava said. The band talks about how much love the music scene in Chicago has given them and the experience of working with other artists. “It can be us and like a band that sounds completely different than us, like polar opposite.”
Still, Ava said there could be more diversity within the Chicago scene.
“We love the Chicago music scene. We also recognize the music scene can be segregated like the whole city of Chicago is,” Ava said. “We hope to see that change into a more integrated music scene.”
The band is currently working on new music and ready to launch a new era. April announced that a good hint for their next era is the word “shiny.”
People can catch Pinksqueeze next at Metro on Feb. 23 with UNIFLORA and SHARP PINS.