PBY - Medb / The Council Estate Dreamer shares single ‘Public School Pussy’

Medb premiers her new single ‘Public School Pussy’ and talks to us about the challenges of social class differences in schooling.

For how much you can claim that society has evolved and that the widespread access to commodities has contributed to an illusory sense of wealth, social class polarization is still a defining trait of British culture.

Belfast singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist Medb’s life was always determined and affected by the difficult interactions between social classes. A council estate soul in the snobbish environments of grammar schools and Russel Group universities. Medb put these feelings into her latest single ‘Public School Pussy’, which anticipates her full-length debut album Eternally Baby Bunny, due later this year.

“The song,” explains Medb, “is about the intersection of class and girlhood with playground politics that set the precedent for who we socialise with for the rest of our lives. It’s a song for everybody from a disadvantaged background who’s felt they need to water themselves down and become small to fit in and fade away.”

Medb unapologetically pictures herself as “a scuzzy-looking working class weirdo trying to imitate the airs and graces of the beautiful posh girls around her.” The singer’s aesthetics - a blend of Lana Del Rey and a character of Anna Biller’s Viva - shows Medb’s witty playfulness with her retro references. Winking to the pink-dressed 1960s Playmates, the Belfast artist uses overtly feminine aesthetics to re-affirm her strong and distinctive female identity.

Medb’s retro boujee yet playful aesthetics is a distinctive trait of the artist.

A certain appeal for theatrics surely inspires Medb’s production and attitude, as witnessed by the creative input provided by her lockdown Gossip Girl binge watching sessions. “The series’ underlying nuances about class and unwritten social norms struck a chord in me,” explains Medb, “reminding me of my own experience with the public school system.”

‘Public School Pussy’, in fact, references Gossip Girl’s character Blair Waldorf because she’s who the artist wanted to be like in her adolescent mind. “Untouchable and in control. And now I know it’s not that simple,”adds Medb.

With its echoing guitar à-la Brian Jonestown Massacre ‘Public School Pussy’ is a catchy bedroom pop song with fascinating social nuances, which aims as much to Beach House as to the nostalgic-romantic pop of Kate Bush and Fiona Apple.

‘Public School Pussy’ is out on all music streaming platforms on May 26th.