I pretty much hate everything about Girls.  The ludicrous name, absolutely ridiculous “look” of the band, and interviews like these, where the duo of Chris Owens and Chet White come off as vapid, pretentious pill-heads, the sum of indie-rock’s “weird for the sake of weird” fashions, rivaling their buddy Ariel Pink in some sort of outsider-rock ego arms race.  Then there’s Owen’s “crazy religious” upbringing, perfectly concocted for the discerning rock-writer to salivate over, and the HYPE, oh jeez the hype: Pitchfork awarded the group a spot in their 500 songs of the decade before they’ve even issued a full length.
But here’s the rub: The songs are airtight (another trait they share with Ariel Pink), and despite my natural inclination to despise the band as the no-talent hacks they come across as, the tunes mostly justify the buzz, or at least justify putting up with it. Â Girls specialize in the kind of shimmery pop and junky rock n’ roll that’s perfect for the last nights of summer. Starting at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, Sept. 14th, you can stream their debut album, irritatingly titled Album, at True Panther Sounds. Â I haven’t heard the full length yet, but if the strength of their singles thus far is any indication, putting up with obnoxious color scheme of the site will mostly be worth it.
Love this review. I had the opposite initial reaction to Girls. Before they had an album, they played the Capitol Hill Block Party, and Owens wore a bunch of makeup and heels, and his guitarist was wearing this windbreaker even though it was the hottest summer day and the club had no air conditioning. Probably because of pills. They looked great, and sounded great, until I got bored of listening for an actual tune through the noise, and then left. Wasn’t until a while after the album came out that I heard “Lust For Life” on the radio, where I could actually hear the lyrics. Now I’m addicted to Girls/Album, or at least “Lust For Life”, “Laura”, and “Hellhole Ratrace”.
Good day.