Julie Ruin is the independent record produced by Kathleen Hanna

Kathleen Hanna

Kathleen Hanna is an American musician, feminist activist, and punk zine writer. In the early- to mid-1990s she was the lead singer and songwriter of Bikini Kill, before fronting Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s...

 under the name Julie Ruin in 1997, while taking a break from Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...

. It touches upon feminism

Feminism

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...

, crocheting, aerobics

Aerobics

Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...

 and resisting police abuse. It was mostly produced in Kathleen's apartment in Olympia, Washington

Olympia, Washington

Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...

. Despite this project mostly being known for the album, Kathleen Hanna started collaborating with her friends Sadie Benning

Sadie Benning

Sadie Benning is a video maker, visual artist, and musician.She first made her name in the early 1990s as a teenage video maker from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Raised by her mother in inner-city Milwaukee, Benning left school at age 16, primarily due to the homophobia she experienced...

 and Johanna Fateman

Johanna Fateman

Johanna Fateman is a writer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. She is a member of the post-punk rock band Le Tigre and founded the band MEN with Le Tigre bandmate JD Samson.-Background and career:...

 in order to create a live version of Julie Ruin. This group would go on to become Le Tigre

Le Tigre

Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...

.

In December 2010, Kathleen Hanna and former Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...

 band mate Kathi Wilcox

Kathi Wilcox

Kathi Wilcox is an American musician. Currently the bass player in The Julie Ruin, she has previously been in bands such as Bikini Kill, The Casual Dots and The Frumpies.- Music :...

 previewed a performance of their new project The Julie Ruin at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn.

Track listing

1. Radical or Pro-Parental (2:15)
2. V.G.I. (3:48)
3. A Place Called Won't Be There (2:52)
4. Tania (2:41)
5. Aerobicide (2:54)
6. Apt. #5 (3:13)
7. My Morning Is Summer (3:15)
8. I Wanna Know What Love Is (3:36)
9. The Punk Singer (2:07)
10. On Language (2:06)
11. Crochet (2:01)
12. Interlude (0:51)
13. Stay Monkey (2:56)
14. Breakout a Town (2:22)
15. Love Letter (3:08)

T-Shirt Contest

In 2010, Kathleen Hanna held a t-shirt contest for Julie Ruin on her blog. The winner was Joshua Elowsky, who designed a shirt with a microphone and a venus symbol

Venus symbol

The Venus symbol is a depiction of a circle with a small cross below it. The symbol is historically associated with the Roman goddess Venus or the Greek goddess Aphrodite...

combined on it.