In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to highlight one of my favorite new bands, Meet Me @ the Altar. Consisting of vocalist Edith Victoria, guitarist-bassist Téa Campbell, and drummer Ada Juarez, Meet Me @ the Altar is an all female band with African-American, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ representation. Bordering the genres of pop-punk and pop-rock, the band breaks racial and gender boundaries, encouraging girls that anyone can join the scene.
Meet Me @ the Altar formed in 2015 when Campbell and Juarez met through Youtube. After holding online auditions to find a vocalist, Victoria was added to the band, thanks to her cover of Paramore’s “All I Wanted.” The band gained popularity from opening for Green Day, performing at festivals including When We Were Young and Lollapalooza, and getting one of their songs featured in a Taco Bell commercial.
In 2021, Meet Me @ the Altar’s EP Model Citizen was released under the record label Fueled by Ramen, who had previously worked with pop-punk bands such as Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, and Twenty One Pilots. The EP received mostly positive reviews and set them apart from soloist contemporaries Olivia Rodrigo and WILLOW.
On March 10 2023, Meet Me @ the Altar released their first studio album titled Past//Present//Future, inspired by their favorite 2000’s artists including Avril Lavigne, P!nk, Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Paramore, and Fall Out Boy. The album’s nostalgia gives hints of childhood Disney Channel music that will bring out the angsty teen that’s still inside of you. In the pop-punk yell-anthem opener, “Say It (To My Face)”, Meet Me @ the Altar calls out Internet haters who lack the guts to criticize them face-to-face. Inspired by P!nk’s “Don’t Let Me Get Me”, the fourth track, “TMI”, addresses topics such as self-hatred and bottling up negative feelings. The sixth track, “A Few Tomorrows”, takes a different route with a mid-tempo, emotional song. Overall, I really enjoyed the sound and the themes of this album. The title Past//Present//Future sums up the album well, taking a modern spin on 2000s music and hyping listeners up for the future of the band.
If you want to listen to Meet Me @ the Altar, one of their earlier songs I recommend in addition to Past//Present//Future is “Hit Like A Girl”. This song is perfect for empowering women this Women’s History Month. This Women’s History Month, I hope you check this band out, as well as other all-female bands to rock out to.