It seems I had missed the boat on the 2020 release, but I’m all caught up now, and fellow emos and punks of the early 2000s listen up because girlfriends is a band you need to listen to! In fact, it should be mandatory listening! If this is the start of the new wave of emo and punk bands then I’m all for it.
Seriously though, girlfriends self-titled debut packs 14 songs worth of angst and quick beats to last a lifetime. I felt myself reaching for the eyeliner and hell, I may have even put it on! Each track was so fun that it came off to me as more of a punk record. Reminded me of the early Blink-182 days when almost none of their songs reached the three minute mark. That’s mean everything was quick and punchy, which I feel like we all desperately need a whole year into a pandemic. I first heard their lead single, “California” many months back and sort of assumed it’d be a while before anything full-length came from this duo, but I was surprised to learn at the start of this year that an album had already been released!
Other instantly catchy tracks joining the lead single are “Jessica,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” and “Where Were You” featuring one of the punk rock’s favorites, Travis Barker. I was also a fan of the song “Over My Head” because it featured The Used’s Bert McCrackin! Can’t go wrong there, really. Now, I will say that the first half of the record really impressed me with its punk roots, but the second half switched over a little bit into the pop category. Not my favorite, and nothing made me cringe harder than the song “Sugar on Her Lips.” Spare yourselves. Despite the pop tendencies of this second batch, there were still plenty of catchy beats and heartfelt lyrics that stood out.
Who knew all it would take was a break-up to spawn this awesomeness! That’s right, former white-boy rapper, Travis Mills, is rocking lead vocals of this new band, and he went through a fairly decent high-profile break-up early last year. For the past three years he had been dating Riverdale star, Madelaine Petsch, and while the two split amicably, the lyrical content of girlfriends’ songs seem to say that it effected him deeply. Hey, heartbreak makes for good music, and as long as playing them is cathartic, then there’s no harm to it! I would love to think that these guys would have thrived at Warped Tour, so hopefully they can fit in somewhere else when the world opens back up. Maybe some gritty intimate shows will be their bread and butter. Either way, I can’t wait!