Scottish sisters Bratakus release new single 'Turnstile' featuring Chris Dangerous from The Hives
SCOTTISH SISTERS BRATAKUS RELEASE NEW SINGLE ‘TURNSTILE’ FEATURING CHRIS DANGEROUS FROM THE HIVES
OUT NOW ON VENN RECORDS
STREAM HERE AND WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
NEW ALBUM ‘HAGRIDDEN’ SET FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 13th, 2026 VIA VENN RECORDS
PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM HERE:
Formed in 2015 by two sisters Brèagha Cuinn (Guitar and vocals) and Onnagh Cuinn (Bass and vocals) outside a small whiskey village called Tomintoul in the Highlands, Bratakus have been fiercely DIY since their inception. The band ran their own label Screaming Babies Records and with no music on streaming services and no booking agent, they have already taken the band as far as Japan, supported The Hives on tour and have secured airplay from BBC Scotland, etc.
Following the release of their ‘Final Girls’ and ‘Tokened’ singles earlier this year, which marked their first recordings for Venn Records, (the label ran by Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard of UK punk band Gallows, and previously the home of artists like High Vis, Bob Vylan and Witch Fever), Bratakus are back with a ferocious new single titled ‘Turnstile’, and news of their new album ‘Hargridden’, which is set for release February 13th through Venn.
Having struck up a friendship and mutual respect with The Hives on tour, Bratakus recorded and produced the album at Studio Gröndahl in Sweden with The Hives bass player Johan Gustafsson and new single ’Turnstile’ also features Hives beatmaster Chris Dangerous on drums.
"Johan surprised us with Chris' feature on this track,” remembers guitarist and vocalist Brèagha Cuinn. “The whole recording session was a bit of a last-minute experience, but when we were leaving Johan asked if we would mind him experimenting and adding real drums to one of the songs to see how it would sound. We said we didn't mind, and then we didn't hear anything for a few weeks. We were on the ferry on our way back from a gig when we got the email with the track and found out that Chris had actually come in to record drums for us! We played it live together in Barcelona when we were on tour with The Hives and to this day it's the only time we've ever performed with a human drummer!"
Given the band’s remote surroundings when they started, it was impossible for the duo to find a drummer in their small hamlet, let alone the neighbouring villages. Brèagha, then 18, and younger sister Onnagh, 14 at the time, had no choice but to improvise so they programmed some drum tracks, plugged in for their first practice and instantly felt like they had a band and have played like that ever since. What started out as a logistical issue is now a big part of the band’s identity and sound as a two piece, so the addition of Chris Dangerous on drums for ‘Turnstile’ adds a new unique intensity and momentum to the band’s sound.
Lyrically, ‘Turnstile’ is equally powerful and is drawn from experiences Bratakus have had where they have felt patronised and judged because of their appearance.
“I constantly get comments at our gigs about how I don't look punky enough, which is so weird to me because in my mind punk is an ideology, a way of thinking and a way of channelling your anger about things that are happening in the world, so I just think my clothes are irrelevant,” explains Brèagh. “Plus, punk is also supposed to be about expressing yourself in the way that you choose, so it always feels strange to be told that the way I'm choosing is wrong! This whole mindset extends to people repeatedly telling me how shocked they are that I have such a 'big voice' for such a 'tiny girl'. I think it's all part of a bigger societal problem where anything feminine is viewed as weaker or smaller or less powerful. If you've heard a baby screaming, then you know that what size you are has nothing to do with how loud you can be!"
Watch the video for ‘Turnstile’ HERE
Despite Bratakus’ staunch resistance to mainstream music industry practices, the young band quickly built up a following. Their unique approach to creating their art drew the attention of BBC Scotland who featured the band in two documentary shorts, Hidden Lives’ and ‘TUNE’. Author and musician, Ian Glasper wrote about the sisters in his book The Scene That Would Not Die, a deep dive into post-millennial punk in the UK. Meanwhile in the USA, legendary punk zine Maximum Rock’n’Roll wrote about the band and even BBC radio DJ Vic Galloway added the duo to his “Ones to Watch” list.
Word was spreading, and before they knew it, Bratakus were being booked for live performances in countries as far as Japan. Support slots for bands like Propagandhi, The Hives, Bis, and Discharge helped the sisters turn into a ferocious live combo. If there was ever any doubt that a punk band could pull off not having a live drummer, these two sisters are here to prove you wrong. The new album ‘Hagridden’ has been a long time coming and the band can’t wait to get it out into the world. “The first album (2017’s ‘Target Grrrl’) was mainly songs I wrote when I was a young teenager, so I'm excited to finally have some new stuff out,” enthuses Brèagha.
You can pre-order ‘Hagridden’ HERE
‘Hagridden’ track-listing:
1. Final Girls
2. Turnstile
3. Real Men Eat Meat
4. Hypocritical
5. Worth It
6. Tokened
7. Tonight
8. Behave
9. Drowning
10. Cut Us
See Bratakus live at the following dates:
18/02/2026 - Supersonic, Paris (FRANCE)
19/02/2026 - The Grace, London
20/02/2026 - The Exchange, Bristol
21/02/2026 - Star & Garter, Manchester
28/02/2026 - McChuills, Glasgow
Find Bratakus online at:
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
