Bought to Rot
Bought to Rot is the debut studio album by American rock band Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers. The group consists of Laura Jane Grace (lead singer of Against Me!), Atom Willard (drummer of Against Me!) and Marc Hudson (long-time sound engineer and collaborator with Against Me!). The album was released on November 9, 2018, on Bloodshot Records, a Chicago label that Grace approached when she discovered the label's headquarters was a few blocks from her residence. The album's title refers to the difficulty of Grace having written the album's songs, but  feeling that they were not suitable for an Against Me! record, which was expected to be the album Grace would release in 2018. Background and recording. Laura Jane Grace announced in July 2018 that the band she had performed previous solo tours with since 2016, The Devouring Mothers, had recently completed Grace's second solo record together, to be released on Bloodshot Records in Autumn 2018. The band's members since its inception have been Grace and Willard from Against Me!, as well as long-time producer and collaborator Marc Hudson. The album is said to be heavily influenced by  the works of Rowland S. Howard and Tom Petty, and includes collaborations with other artists. Despite "Bought to Rot" being announced and released as the first record with The Devouring Mothers, it is in fact the second album the trio have recorded together. The first album recorded by the three was done so in 2017, and was entirely made up of the Mountain Goats covers, which approached record labels refused to release due to its lack of originality. Following a period of turbulence in Against Me!, the songs were recorded quickly in order to have them finalised before Grace underwent  surgery shortly after the record's release, so as not to have the songs "rot" like surplus groceries bought. Grace later confirmed in January 2019 that she had undergone facial feminisation surgery as part of her transition. The album was announced for preorder on 29 August, with an immediate release of "Apocalypse Now (& Later)" (the fourth track on the album) on streaming services. On 11 October, "The Airplane Song" began streaming online, followed by "Reality Bites" on 25 October. Before being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Against Me! covered the song "Reality Bites" as a full band in  two live shows in March 2020.