New York City-based queer punk outfit Klovis Gaynor & The Urinal Cakes, the latest project of musician Klovis Gaynor, releases their debut album, SAVE ME 4 THE SPANK BANK, a confession of sexual and romantic failures.
Talking about the album, Gaynor says, “I approach depravity with reverence, perversion with excellence. I share a deep and total honesty rarely heard; exalting topics often too licentious to even discuss. I celebrate substance cravings, I beg for more piss, I detail past rapes, I contemplate my relationships with my mother, with DL men, and of course, with myselves. I created a record of honesty, hope, healing, and love. Something so singular and new yet seemingly so ancient, so experienced, so human. I am on my knees, fingers clenched together toward the heavens, begging you for spiritual, sexual, and artistic salvation. Will you save me? Will you save me? Will you save me, please?”
Formed in 2023, Klovis Gaynor & The Urinal Cakes, along with Gaynor, comprises Brayden Baird, Dane Bundschuh, Josh Hausman, and Larah Helayne.
Encompassing a baker’s dozen of tracks, entry points on SAVE ME 4 THE SPANK BANK include “PETER THE RABBIT,” which opens on a majestic, classical piano and then flows into an almost operatic punk melody that verges on glam-pop topped by angst-filled, rasping vocals.
Imagine Leonard Cohen covering Queen, and you’ll have an inkling of what “HORNED UP HAZY BABY” sounds like – raw and emotionally searing. “BABY PINK SPLIFFS” rolls out on a dark piano riding loose, potent percussion as the vocals reveal turmoil-ridden passion, urgent and fuming.
Klovis Gaynor & The Urinal Cakes in 2025, photo by Jack Beal
Klovis Gaynor & The Urinal Cakes in 2025, photo by Jack Beal
“MYSOPHILIAC” shifts sonic direction, delivering almost discordant, frenetic punk textures marinated in strident, edgy colors. A personal favorite because of its gentle, tender flow, “SPLIFFS & DILFS” features deep, melodic vocals conveying cathartic lyrics that expose genuine feelings of regret, disgust, and lust.
The album closes with the lullaby-like “MAY THE ROAD RISE TO MEET YOU.” Hints of Celtic flavors give the tune profound fervency, while the vocals start sweetly, even warmly, and then transition to a dissonant, piercing falsetto.
Packed with harsh sensations of torment and unflinching candor, SAVE ME 4 THE SPANK BANK confronts the bracketing oxymorons of life.
