Big Joanie’s new music sharpens some of that scratchiness and deftly refines their Spector-ish pop melodies. The result is full-bodied rock songs that will be hard to ignore when their debut album arrives next spring. One new song titled “Cut Your Hair,” which Steph wrote about a relationship on the rocks, is a prime example of an introspective punk ballad done right, and “New Year” is a self-affirming anthem with the wilful refrain, “I want it now / I need it now.” Just like on their cover of “No Scrubs,” the combination of their voices creates a friction that recalls the dueling vocals on Sleater-Kinney’s heartbreak classic, Dig Me Out. (Chardine used to sing along with the Olympia trio in her bedroom, she remembers with a laugh).

Outside the band, Chardine is a prominent activist and the founder of London’s Stop Rainbow Racism Campaign, which aims to get rid of racist performances from LGBTQ spaces; Steph is a journalist writing incisively about music and politics, and Estella teaches guitar to young girls. Part of their motivation for being visible is to make sure that punks of color don’t feel, as Steph puts it, like the “odd one out.” As an antidote to this, they all work together on London’s Decolonize Fest — a music festival by and for POC punks, held at the central axis for their home city’s punk community, DIY Space For London.

“People misremember their history,” says Steph in a no-nonsense tone. “We have an equal part in this history as anyone else. There are so many different people of color that started rock and roll and punk. Now, you can hear the Decolonize Fest name, or our band name — it’s a central point to say that this exists, this is normal, and this is how you can keep going.” And if you have Big Joanie’s dedication, you might just be unstoppable.