Album

Performer: Girls
Distributor: Distribution Select

Notes: Personnel: Tom Marzella (drums). Audio Mixers: Girls; John Goodmanson. Recording information: San Francisco, CA (2008); Santa Cruz, CA (2008). Photographer: Sandy Kim. As yet another indie pop band heralded by a snowstorm of internet praise largely the result of three brilliantly shot heroin chic videos for "Hellhole Ratrace," "God Damned," and "Lust for Life," Girls' 2009 album--simply titled ALBUM--actually proved itself worthy of the hype upon its release. Comprised of two free-spirited San Francisco burnouts (one appearing relatively clean cut, the other greasy haired and disheveled) JR White and Christopher Owens go for the Mellow Gold with their take on D.I.Y. California pop. Where the similarly blog-toted Wavves offered a pill-popping, pot-fueled skater's perspective on fun in the sun, Girls offer up a similarly thrifty, drug-addled ode to the warm climate, but filtered through a pair of green-tinted hippie shades. In their brand of lo-fi, they opt to go against the momentary trend of recording in the red, and instead utilize an earthy approach, with clean Ariel Pink guitar twang and Spiritualized psychedelic reverb. White plays the producer role, acting as a fly on the wall at times, and at others layering shoegaze swells to fill the backdrop of Owen's minimalistic, squeaky-voiced guitar ballads. Simplicity is the duo's ally, as is their knack for keen Beach Boys melodies. As a whole, everything's relaxed and dreamy, perfectly matching the '70s aesthetic of their videos.

Rolling Stone (p.105) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] gorgeous songs that range from Buddy Holly-style rock to prom balladry to the strummy epic 'Hellhole Ratrace.'" CMJ - "[W]hile 'Goddamn''s hedonistic verses carry trace inflections of the Thin White Duke, 'Hellhole Rat Race' bears a far more somber Costello-esque vocal." Billboard (p.36) - "[T]he duo manages to make sweet pop music devoid of cynicism." Q (Magazine) (p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The abiding mood is of boy-next-door heartache, while the songwriting draws heavily on bigwigs such as Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson..."

San Francisco duo Girls make druggy, ethereal pop in the spirit of Spiritualized and Ariel Pink. Christopher Owens was born in Florida, son to a mother and father who were actively involved as members of the Children of God cult, and spent most of his childhood drifting. At 16, Owens raised enough money by playing guitar on the streets for a plane ticket to Amarillo. He eventually wound up in San Francisco, soaked in the scene, met JR White, and, as Girls, began to make vibrant music which decorated the vibrant hooks of early rock and 1960s girl groups with psychedelic swirls, soulful flourishes, and indie rock chaos.

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