Casual Wednesday: Masking The Disbelief
Have you ever felt so frustrated with the state of things that they threaten to burst forth out of you? Some artists imbue this with their art in the most spectacular ways. Meet Casual Wednesday and her brand-new single ‘I Wonder if I’m High’.
Image Credit: Josh Negură.
Natasha Petrou’s Casual Wednesday project began with the unfortunate combination of breaking four bones in her leg during a roller derby accident as the pandemic started in 2020. Like most people, Petrou was isolating at home during her recovery, only her recovery was coupled with a high dosage of painkillers – inducing hallucinations.
The visions led to ‘Visions’, a track Natasha uploaded to Soundcloud which was later picked up by a promoter who offered her a gig. The name Casual Wednesday blossomed from a fruitful brainstorming session in a pub on a Wednesday. ‘Visions’ became the title track of the first Casual Wednesday EP, featuring other fan favourites such as ‘Belly of the Beast’ and ‘Sunset over Dagenham’.
Hailing from Essex and based in North London, Casual Wednesday plays gigs around the English capital with her band The Hump Day Boys. We caught the four-piece at The Lexington supporting Junodef and Just Kids in September 2024 and were blown away by the band’s stage presence, their connection with the audience, and vibrancy of their music.
Casual Wednesday is a champion of feminism and between songs would comment on the state of the world, which only added to the intensity of the music. One such break had Natasha saying there had been so much bad news surrounding women in that particular week, she didn’t know where to start. Despite being first on the bill, the room was packed and fans occupied the front of the stage, having memorised all the words from the ‘Visions’ EP. I had the sense I’d been missing out on something special.
Casual Wednesday’s music is a combination of pop-rock, punk and a smattering of shoegaze, the latter of which can be heard on her new single ‘I Wonder if I’m High’.
‘The dark is growing teeth and so the cold has got its claws in. The light behind your eyes resides behind as winter draws in…’
‘I Wonder if I’m High’ begins at pace with dual guitars, setting the tone for its electric folk verses and lines future live crowds are bound to latch onto, ‘You’re begging for some fire instead you’re given global warming.’ Casual Wednesday’s first soaring chorus remains unaccompanied by the band as the meaning of the song becomes clear. The narrator takes herself outside for a breather, ‘Now the clouds are crying with you, wonder when he will forgive you, if it even makes sense to, so do you forgive him too?’ Despite what anyone may tell you, sexism towards women is still both rife and normalised in today’s society, even within relationships.
A crisp rhythm section accompanies the second verse, with a subtle bassline and wordless backing vocals from Wednesday off to your left. Hearing the chorus without the words makes you appreciate what a gripping melody this is.
Even with lead guitars and full drums, ‘I Wonder if I’m High’ goes up a notch still with its bridge, ‘Take me by the hand, lead me to a safe space…’ An explosion of frustration comes with screaming guitars, ferocious drums and devastating vocals that tip into a hard rock falsetto Muse’s Matt Bellamy would be proud of. Though partly recorded at home, the song is co-constructed by producer Isaac Ashby at his General Waste Studio, a shipping container on the south coast, with mastering by MPG Mastering Engineer of the Year Cicely Balston.
By comparison, the song’s forthcoming music video is closer to what you’d experience at a Casual Wednesday gig. Shot by Josh Negură and featuring The Hump Day Boys, the four-piece are pictured in all their gig regalia, wrapped in wreaths of flowers, and dressed in bright colours against a backdrop of an Essex seaside blue sky. The music video is a real embodiment of the energy this band brings to the stage, delivering a sense of fun, vitality and defiance to a track with a darker subject matter.
‘I Wonder if I’m High’ won’t be appearing on Amazon, find out why in our Q&A with Casual Wednesday below. We also ask Natasha what kickstarted the songwriting for this single and working with Isaac Ashby, Josh Negură, performing live and much more.
Image Credit: Josh Negură.
1. Your new single 'I Wonder if I'm High' addresses the reality of everyday sexism towards women. I can only imagine the myriad of things that could've kickstarted this song, but how did the songwriting begin?
I created a playlist back in 2017 called “Winter’s got its claws in”, for songs that represent the cold that starts creeping in as the inevitable winter comes, and I realised that I had the same feeling when walking home at night as a woman, and knowing that the inevitable fear would creep in from not knowing if you’d make it home alive if there was a man walking home behind you. The picture began to build from there and I decided to explore more of the theme. It then started to form a narrative of performance, one that women do as a way to mask the utter disbelief and rage we carry due to having to live life normally despite knowing we are under siege by misogyny at all times.
2. You partly recorded this song with Isaac Ashby at General Waste Studio, what did Isaac bring to the track? What parts were recorded at home?
Isaac brought his expertise on the rerecording of some of the parts, including the drums and some of the guitars. He helped me build the power and energy in the middle section by creating layers and direction, and set up the drums in a way that sounded tight but menacing. I recorded the main vocals in another studio (Studiolab in Essex), but recorded everything else, including the vocal harmonies and lead guitars, in my bedroom. The most important thing that Isaac brought however, was belief in my track. I’ve brought my songs to producers before who take it as an opportunity to shape my music into their vision, but Isaac really respected the direction I wanted to take it in, and did everything he could to get it there.
3. The arrangement for this single is phenomenal. When you began writing, did you visualise the song in its final form? Or do those details emerge over time?
Firstly - thank you! A bit of both for me. I can often visualise a song in its entirety and it’s a race against the clock to get every layer recorded before it leaves my mind. I definitely understood the shape I wanted the song to take from the offset, but it was experimentation that got me to where it is now. I often hear the instrumentation before I have the lyrics mapped out, and the desperation in the lyrics, especially in the bridge, directly mimics the desperation heard in the instruments.
Image Credit: Josh Negură
4. You and the band spent some time with Josh Negură making the music video, what was that experience like? What was your favourite moment from that day?
We actually shot it over two days, over a year and a half apart. I think my favourite bit was him sending me the final copy a few days ago, it’s been so long in the making! It was our first proper music video together, so a lot of learning. Josh, the band, and myself really gave it our all however, and packed in an awful lot of filming into two days with no crew or assistants. I have to hand it to Josh for listening and believing in my crazy ideas. We spent the two days filming in a tiny Essex seaside town, with the locals looking on and thinking “what the hell is going on??”
5. This single, or any of your music won't be released on Amazon. What's the reason for your boycott? When did it start?
I haven’t used or engaged with any Amazon product since 2016, when I first read about how they were treating their workers. Some workers were dying on the floors of the warehouses due to exhaustion, pregnant women were being worked way too late into their term and having to piss in buckets as they weren’t allowed breaks, and they continue to do all they can to avoid paying any taxes in the UK. Jeff Bezos is one of the shining examples of pure greed and selfishness, and he does not deserve a single penny of mine. I’m quite a politically charged person, and it wouldn’t be right for me to engage in a company like that considering my morals.
6. I caught the band live last year at The Lexington which blew me away, introduce the band! How did you meet everyone?
Thank you! This was one of our favourite gigs ever. So Casual Wednesday is actually just me! My band is called The Hump Day Boys, and they perform live with me. They are all absolutely fantastic musicians and people, and they have helped me shape the live shows into the unique and all-encompassing experience it is now. Cam, my incredible guitarist, was introduced to me through my fantastic bassist Lucas, who was introduced to me through another musician who was depping for my bassist at the time. Jacques, my drummer, actually went to the same school as me, but I had no idea as I had already left 6th form by the time he had joined year 7 (he makes me feel old!) - but he saw me play live at another gig where the promoter had actually stepped in as my drummer! As I’m a solo project, I never really had a regular band playing live with me, until I met these boys. We may be playing my songs on stage, but it is truly their show; the energy and passion they bring on stage is honestly something to behold.
7. Something you don't get at a lot of indie shows are costumes and decoration - tell me about the flower adornments, have you ever played a gig without them?
We tried it out at the next gig after day 1 of filming for the music video, and we realised it just looked really cool! It helped us get into character for the ethereal nature of some of the songs, and it helped us to stand out from other bands, and look more unified as a band. Before that, I didn’t wear flowers and I didn’t even wear a bikini, can you imagine that!
8. Important question: Are you still doing roller derby?
I’m not, but I still roller skate and I do still watch derby matches. I’m watching London’s team Batter C Power play on May 10th!
9. Also an important question: What's next for Casual Wednesday?
I have two gigs and a festival date coming up this year, and three more songs that I’m going to be releasing as part of an EP…but more on that later! Other than that, the usual nonsense of kicking off, prancing about, and writing songs out of any ideas that grab me and don’t let go.
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The music of Casual Wednesday is available to download and stream in all the usual places, except for Amazon.
Alternatively, visit her Bandcamp and Soundcloud for more music.
View Casual Wednesday’s Linktree for more information on upcoming gigs.
Follow Casual Wednesday on Instagram @casual_wednesday, on Facebook @casualwednesday, Twitter @casualwedz and on Bluesky @casualwednesday.bsky.social.
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