Authenticity Matters: Catching Up With The Wonderland Rejects

By Dan Dellechiaie | July 7, 2026

Wonderland Rejects is a Bay Area-based trans trio whose new album Hello, Rejects mixes their raw riotgrrl punk sound with a triple-shot of grunge, blues, and funk. From Alice’s combative vocals and guitar work to Dolly’s steel chain to the face bass lines to Kitty’s riot-inducing drumming, you can’t escape the storm they brew in the studio and on stage. If you’re burnt out, if you’re angry, if you’re blue, if you’re queer, then you’ll wanna play their new tracks fucking loud. knifetwister records new york spoke with Wonderland Rejects after they finished up their Pride Month concerts.

Last time we interviewed you all, we chatted about the tense political environment in 2024 that birthed Wonderland Rejects. How does it feel to be a trans band with the American government declaring war on trans folks? Have you noticed any changes (good or bad) with your audience, with the press, with bookers, on social media, etc?

Alice Vendetta, guitar/vocals: It's intimidating being so visible in a time when being visibly trans can be a battlefield, even in so-called 'progressive' places. It's scary being on an unfamiliar stage when we don't know how we'll be received by the audience. Since the election, people have been bolder about their opinions, on all sides, so we've seen people we thought were cool be super bigoted, and folks we didn't know where we stood with have become some of our biggest supporters.

Dolly Mymes, bass: It feels invigorating to be in this band in a time like this.

Kitty Cakes, drums: I feel proud to be in this band and even more so in spite of the American government. I hope by us taking the stage time and time again we inspire others to be bold and present. I have not noticed to many changes by the outlets you mentioned but there seems to be continuous shadow bans on the socials as we gain more momentum and I see a lot of bookers making bills with mostly white male lineups which is disheartening.

With the above-mentioned fascist bullshit on the rise, how necessary are queercore and riot grrl right now?

Kitty: Goodness, it is so necessary. Queercore and riot grrl is forward facing. It is fierce. It is honest. It brings hope and voice to those that might not be ready to step out and add their voice to all of ours. There is more of us than them.

Dolly: It is more important than ever for queercore and riot grrl to exist in the current landscape.

Alice: These scenes are as important as ever; not just queercore and riot grrl, but any music scene that brings marginalized folks together in community and expression. Events like these get us off social media and having authentic interactions with one another; something that's vital to maintaining our humanity and ability to have empathy for ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

What advice would you give to young trans musicians?

Dolly: Authenticity matters most, Be you wholeheartedly in this business. And stay humble but have boundaries.

Alice: Your transition is yours, and it's not about anyone else, as is your music. Comparison is the enemy of joy, growth, and authenticity.

Kitty: I would say focus on your music and find music inspired rabbit holes to run through. Make sure you are doing self check-ins and check-ins with the people that matter in your life. And goodness, just get on that stage and be loud, proud, and you.

What inspired your departure from your raw punk sound of your debut record Goodbye Wonderland and your adoption of a new grunge/blues/funk sound on your upcoming record Hello, Rejects? What have you discovered in the studio recording the album?

Kitty: I always thought I was going to be a metal drummer but that genre existed in a version of me that no longer exists. I still love industrial beats and various techno/EDM rhythms and combining that into the genre that we are building just feels right on a molecular level. Like drumming feels correct with what we are all doing.

Alice: While I enjoyed play raw punk for guitar, and doing punk style vocals, I got to a point that I felt like my musicianship was plateauing, so I decided to get out of my comfort zone and integrate other techniques and genres. This album saw me go through a lot of musical and personal growing pains, but I'm grateful for it, and I'm excited to keep growing. As for our studio work, I utilized some new recording, mixing, and mastering methods that I gained from my side gig as a live sound engineer for Bobby Musgraves Presents and other shows, and I found them to be more effective than how I approached Goodbye Wonderland from an engineering standpoint.

Dolly: We touched upon Blues and a bit of new grunge and funk on Goodbye Wonderland, and I think we naturally leaned into that vibe even more on this album.

What are each of your favorite tracks on Hello, Rejects and why?

Dolly: Thank you, Billie Holiday. It is my favorite on this album. It has everything I like about a song, it's educational, it's boppy, and it just cooks!

Kitty: I really love the message of Sad Girl Ice cream. There are so many forces that are trying to get us turn on each other while the patriarchy runs unchecked. Sad Girl Ice Cream is what real sisterhood is about.

Alice: It's hard to pick just one that's my favorite track, as they've all inspired personal and professional growth. But if I have to pick one, it would have to be: "Thank You Billie Holiday", as it taught me a new way to play guitar and the importance of decentering my own struggles as a queer trans woman to focus on battling the greater threat of white supremacy.

Photo credit: Autumn Lang

Listening to “Thank You Billie Holiday” is like being smacked with a history book: “It’s time to celebrate where we stand / All the black artists who built this land.” Can you please recommend some tracks by the artists you praise in the song and talk about their influence on you?

Alice: For a long time, I've wanted to write a song about the Black Blues artists who built the foundation we all stand on today, as musicians. Growing up, I loved listening to Ray Charles, 4 Tops, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Billie Holiday who all showed me how beautiful and inspirational music can be; how it can move people and ultimately change the world for the better. In regards to the song, many of the artists I mentioned, namely Memphis Minnie and Sister Rosetta Tharpe essentially taught me how to play guitar. I had played other instruments throughout my life, but when I picked up the guitar a bit later in life, I wanted to empty my cup and come into it with the mind of a beginner; eager and hungry to learn from those who paved the way for us all.

As we understand that all popular music comes from Blues, including punk and riot grrl, it's my opinion that Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Billie Holiday, Big Mama Thornton, and many other women of that era are the original riot grrls. They not only encountered sexism in the music scene, but systematic racism too (something Black women are still dealing with today).

Some of my favorite Memphis Minnie tracks are: "You Can't Rule Me", "I Got to Make a Change Blues", and "In My Girlish Days", as I love her lyrics and learned a lot from her strong rhythm guitar and slides. For Sister Rosetta, while I'm not a Christian, I do appreciate her lyrics, as they're not preachy, as a lot of Christian artists can be, but rather, she talks about the human condition, and finding light when everything's dark. I learned a lot about playing lead guitar from her, namely in the intro of the song "Strange Things are Happening Every Day". I love also her song, "Nobody's Fault But Mine".

"Thank You Billie Holiday" has become a staple of our live sets - if there's any one thing I hope our audiences take away from our shows is that Black people built the musical foundations we stand on, just as they've built most of the things we have in this country as a whole. If we can embrace that truth, we can take an important step toward eradicating white supremacy, which in my opinion, is the root of all of our world's problems, including: sexism, homophobia, transphobia, capitalism, etc.

Dolly:  I mean, I don't think you can go wrong with any track by any artist mentioned in Thank You Billie Holiday. However, one of my personal favorites is Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. My very first rock and roll tune.

Kitty: This song that Alice wrote has absolutely opened my mind to the origins of the music we love today. I would say I have no specific recommendations but I am so delightfully lost in their music and message.

“Desirable” sounds like two middle fingers raised high to the reactionary, submissive pop that’s rampant right now. It reminds me of one of my favorite Amyl and the Sniffers’ songs, “Capital.” What inspired this song?

Kitty: The drums I do for this song is inspired by questions of my own such as: Men, why do you feel entitled to catcall women as they walk by? Men, why do you feel like you are owed our time and/or attention for commenting on our posts? Men, do you feel like you can do whatever because your porn addicted Swiss cheese brain never faces any consequences?

Dolly: Personal pain is what inspired Desirable.

Alice: This one's very personal to me. I came out as trans in 2009 and was immediately corraled into the mentality of my femininity and the entire success of my transition being dependent on what straight men think of me. And unfortunately, I was very young and impressionable; caring so much about 'fitting in', that I became someone I'm not, putting everything into being what men wanted me to be, instead of being the woman I wanted to be. Essentially, my transition saw me take one mask off, just to put another one on, but eventually, I got to a point where I no longer needed the validation of men (or anyone else for that matter) and I finally became the woman I am today, based on my approval alone; my transition and femineity are for me. As we have a lot of young women who listen to our music and come to our shows, we wanna lead by example, that femmes of all sorts, cis and trans alike, don't need to be submissive and accommodating to the male gaze.

PunkNews, April 2026

“Better Than Yesterday” is a rallying cry for the burnt out: “Don’t let yesterday ruin our today / It’s hard to let go, but I know we’ll find our way.” What is that “way” that you hope we’ll find? What is your utopia?

Alice: It's not about any one particular way for anyone to be, ‘cause everyone has different perspectives and values. But rather, it's about a life lesson that helped me focus on being a better person. It's the idea of being 1% better every day; something I hope for everyone. Being 1% better every day looks like different things to different people; some days we take a step back, but as long we're actively working towards being a better person, there's always hope for a better tomorrow.

Kitty: The “way” that leads to my utopia is one of critical thinking, practicing empathy, welcome growth and learning, and the hope that folks can transcend beyond their past indoctrinations.

Dolly: The way is simply this, challenge yourself to get better in any area of your life. 1 percent better each day. Start small and let it snowball, we may not achieve Utopia, but maybe a little more patience and understanding for one another would be possible.

Can you name some bands that you’ve played with that are your comrades, your day ones?

Kitty: The Lilies, Everything but the Everything, Katie from Agony Aunts, Mitch from Circle of Ruin. Seriously these souls bring precious care to the Bay Area music scene.

Dolly: Bands Like Everything but the Everything, Phantoms Forever, and Charm World are definitely comrades of ours.

Alice: We've had a lot of bands around the Bay Area who have believed in us since we began, such as The Lilies, Everything but the Everything, Charm World, Kind Void, Circle of Ruin, Phantoms Forever, and many others.

Is there anything else you’d like to say that we haven’t already covered?

Alice: Be the realest you and stand up for your neighbors who are under the threat of oppression. Like any other brutal time in the past, we'll only make through it by standing together.

Kitty: I wanted to say that I really really love our new album. The whole experience is draped in strong messages and an overall evolution of sound. I am so proud of us.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

Dolly: I want to thank my chosen family and all the Rejects out there! I see you and I love you! Thanks knifetwister records for having us!!! Rock on!!!!

Kitty: I want to thank Alice and Dolly for all the hours that went into this recording and all the shows that encapsulated the process. I am a better person in this life because of them.

Alice: As I did last time, I want to thank my bandmates Kitty and Dolly for being a part of this beautiful journey with me, along with our producer Autumn, who believes in us.