Before they had an album, GIRLBAND! had a house: a terraced house in Nottingham where rehearsals regularly turned into parties and the police turned up more than once. That house became a meeting point for friendships, romances and experiences that would eventually shape their self-titled debut. Formed in 2022 by Georgie (vocals and guitar), Kay (bass) and Jada (drums), they’ve spent the last few years touring across Europe. True to their DIY spirit, they recorded the album at Fisher Gate Point, with Georgie producing. GIRLBAND! brings together ten songs about friendship, desire, mistakes and finding your place in a world that seems determined to make things hard for you.
GIRLBAND! mix 90s alternative rock with British indie, classic rock and touches of folk-pop. What holds it all together is Georgie’s warm, slightly raspy voice, which can sound close and easy-going one moment and tear into a big chorus the next.
The album opens with “Neighbour’s House”, bright and expansive, with something of Sam Fender’s heartland rock, but with a more powerful, guitar-driven sound. “Say Something” turns melancholy, recalling the less pop-leaning side of Belly, while “5 AM” pairs the electricity of The Donnas with the 90s swagger of Letters to Cleo. The 90s influence continues in “She Said”, with echoes of The Breeders, and in “Right on Time”, whose heavy opening riff brings “Zombie” by The Cranberries to mind before the song moves towards classic rock.
“This Is Not Goodbye” returns to the expansive indie rock of the opening track, along the lines of The Big Moon but with a more epic feel. “Televised” brings clean guitars and a folk-rock touch, while “All My Friends” combines the vocal intensity of 4 Non Blondes with a darker atmosphere. “Again Again Again” catches you off guard with sunny pop-folk, and “Cooking” closes the album with acoustic guitar, an intimate performance and laughter from the session left in the recording.
But there’s a lot more to this album than guitars. The house in “Neighbour’s House”, with its door always open, stands for friendship and freedom, but also the nostalgia of knowing those moments won’t last. “5 AM”, “She Said” and “Televised” celebrate the spontaneity of falling for someone and wanting them, through queer encounters and plenty of chemistry, while “Say Something” faces the morning after a night of excess. “Right on Time” is about making peace with your own mistakes, and “This Is Not Goodbye” about how hard it is to walk away from a relationship that stopped working a long time ago.
The album’s most vulnerable moment is “All My Friends”, which deals with mental health and feeling lonely in a room full of people. Then “Again Again Again” takes that unease out onto the street, tackling job insecurity, the housing crisis and cuts to public services.
GIRLBAND! make their debut with an album full of personality, energy and songs that talk about life without dressing it up. Through the good times and the not-so-good ones, they capture how hard it can be to grow up without losing your appetite for fun along the way. It’s well worth a listen, but above all, don’t miss the chance to see them live, because that’s where this trio really came into its own.
Listen to GIRLBAND! in full here.
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