Sometimes, a cry of “girls to the front” sounds more like the chant “PMDD!” The abbreviation — short for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and the title of Gymshorts’ newest song — is an unexpected but effective rallying cry at shows, as the Providence band has discovered.
“As soon as we started playing it live, I saw an immediate response from women in the audience,” says Gymshorts singer and guitarist Sarah Greenwell. “It’s so cathartic and moving to see people, particularly women, screaming ‘PMDD’ along with me and I can’t wait to see more of it. It makes talking about it easier and I’m proud to help spread awareness.”
The song’s arrival earlier this month (April 4) is the latest step in Greenwell’s journey with the condition — a road she’s been on for the better part of a decade, although she went undiagnosed for years. When experiencing issues like exhaustion, severe back pain, and moodiness, a doctor (and Greenwell herself) initially categorized the symptoms as PMS. In reality, she was living with PMDD: An extension of PMS that often causes severe behavioral changes and can last up to two weeks. The disorder is frequently misdiagnosed, even though it effects as many as 10 percent of people who menstruate.
“I started becoming really aware of it when I stopped drinking about eight years ago,” Greenwell tells Vanyaland. “I had started exercising regularly and eating pretty healthy, but was noticing every month I was falling into these really intense weeks of extreme fatigue, body dysmorphia, debilitating lower back pain, and just overall intense mood shifts. I was arguing with my family and partner about stuff that normally wouldn’t bother me. It’s hard to explain, but I just really didn’t feel like myself for a week, sometimes two, and it was so frustrating since I was doing all this work to get my mind and body to a healthier place.”
She adds: “For a long time, probably give of those years, I just wrote it off as normal PMS stuff, but something still felt off and I started doing some research, read about PMDD and it sort of just clicked. I talked to my therapist and we’ve been working on it ever since. Therapy is cool, but writing the song was the most therapeutic shit I’ve ever done.”
Finally equipped with answers about what she was experiencing, Greenwell and Gymshorts penned “PMDD,” a jagged tune that zigzags through her experience with the condition. Like any worthy punk song, “PMDD” feels like a kick in the kisser, and uses its rage as a common ground for folks experiencing the same disorienting symptoms. It joins a handful of similarly spiky tunes about reproductive health from other contemporary groups, à la “Crimson Wave” by Tacocat and “Abortion” by Mommy Long Legs.
“It’s always kinda scary to write something so personal and vulnerable but I’ve always found comfort in making light of dark stuff,” notes Greenwell. “It’s been empowering to own something that disrupts my life… It makes me feel good to imagine that a song I wrote could help someone who is going through something similar. When I see girls going nuts at these shows, I’m like ‘fuck yeah!’ This is a movement!”
Tune in below.