“Antevert my uterus and birth you all / Anarchy can only be about a girl,” sings Miss June vocalist and guitarist Annabel Liddell, who’s putting her medical degree to good use with terms like “antevert”.

Released in May into a world where the Alabama abortion ban was just signed into law, which prompted renewed conversations about the place of abortion in New Zealand’s Crimes Act, “Best Girl’ is a raging anthem reasserting female self-ownership. Nicki Minaj often likes to employ a motif of birthing people she has dominion over in the rap game (“All these bitches is my sons”). Miss June’s lyric, “Antevert my uterus and birth you all”, is a rousing declaration of dominion over ourselves and our worth, even if others don’t agree.

Liddell calls Miss June a “high energetic four-piece band with elements of punk and rock and no wave and sometimes even a little pop.” For a generation where whispery vocals paired with synthetic beats and an indifferent attitude has been the style du jour, the Auckland band’s unabashed belting and earnest statements feel like a splash of cool water. The band is fresh off a world tour and now playing shows in Wellington and Auckland for the release of their debut album Bad Luck Party. Punk is alive and it’s in New Zealand.

Tour dates

Wellington: San Fran Bath House, Sep 6

Auckland: Auckland, Galatos, Sep 7