Scottish Sisters Bratakus release new single "Tokened"
Bratakus, once described by the BBC as ‘the most remote band in the UK’, 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. 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 single earlier this year, which marked their first recording 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 storming new single titled Tokened.
Lyrically, Tokened challenges the perceptions that many female musicians still face to this day where they are often made to feel like ‘the token girl band’.
“It's based on many experiences we've had as women playing music being thrown on first at gigs so that the cis male line up appears more equal” states Brèagha. “Also, festivals that put all the bands with women on the Thursday, before the actual festival starts, and bill it as a day to ‘empower’ us.”
"Acts like this feel like a massive cop out to save people from tackling the real issues,” continues Onnagh. “There's some awareness of the need to address the gender gap in the music industry but so much of what's dressed up as genuine attempts at progress end up feeling like you're getting thrown crumbs in what are still hugely male dominated spaces. We're then told we should be feeling grateful about it.
"It's about wanting to be booked based on genuine recognition of what you're doing as a band and the music you're making, rather than feeling like your opportunities are coming from an empty form of box ticking so that guys feel like they can pat themselves on the back for putting in minimum effort."
The song’s life-affirming video was filmed with some of the participants of 2024s Girls Rock Glasgow, an organisation dedicated to empowering girls and gender-expansive young people through music, creativity, confidence-building, and community. Their mission is to narrow gender imbalance in the music industry while contributing to the overall mental well-being of all participants by instilling life skills, resilience, and fostering a strong sense of identity.
You can stream Tokened on your preferred platform HERE, and watch the official video below:
"Our first ever gig was at the first Girls Rock Glasgow fundraiser back in 2015 and we've both volunteered as teachers ever since, so it felt very special to have them involved. Like a total full circle moment. We're still here, they're still here and we're all fighting against tokenism together,” explains Brèagha.
"It seemed really fitting that it was for this song in particular. It's exhausting sometimes feeling like you're constantly fighting for your space as a band and can leave you feeling disillusioned, but being involved in a project like this is totally hope-restoring. These kids are the future of music, and we feel so privileged to be working with them and to have the opportunity to be involved in a community of women and gender expansive people that totally support and empower each other and make great music and art while doing it! It's an organisation we hold very close to our hearts, and we knew as soon as we were starting to plan our videos that we wanted to have them involved,” says Onnagh.
"A particular highlight for me was the spontaneous conga line that the kids started while we were playing, I'm definitely going to request conga lines in the pit from now on” laughs Brèagha.
Tokened will feature on the band’s first album for Venn Records, due in 2026.
