Girls (band)
Encyclopedia
Girls is an indie rock
band from San Francisco, California
. Made up of two key members, Christopher Owens (1979) who is the main writer and Chet "JR" White who plays bass and produces. The band's lead singer, Christopher Owens, is a former member of the Children of God cult. The New York Times compared the band's sound to Elvis Costello
, Buddy Holly
, and The Beach Boys
.
A former member of the band Holy Shit with Ariel Pink
and Matt Fishbeck, in an interview with Exclaim!
magazine, Owens related much of how being part of the Children of God cult informed his childhood and his music. While there, he was not allowed to listen to music from outside the group, but was allowed to watch movies from which he absorbed music like Queen
and Guns N' Roses
. Girls' Album is an "overflow of expression", as Owens could do whatever he liked on the album without worry for boundaries.
The band released their second full length album Father, Son, Holy Ghost on September 9, 2011 in UK/Europe and on September 13 in the USA. On July 20, 2011, they released "Vomit" from their upcoming album as a free download. This was followed by a video of the same song in August. "Honey Bunny" is the second cut off the record and will receive a proper single release in vinyl and other formats. On November 7, 2011, Girls announced a standalone single, "Lawrence," to be released on a heart-shaped vinyl on November 28, 2011. The song was written as a gift to Felt
lead singer Lawrence Hayward
.
Besides its two official members the band has recorded and/or toured with: Ryan William Lynch, Garett Godard, Matthew Kallman, Darren Weiss, Dan Eisenberg, John Anderson.
rated their single "Hellhole Ratrace" at 383 of the top 500 songs of the 2000s. Their 2009 debut album Album
received a rating of 9.1/10 and was rated the 10th best album of 2009 by Pitchfork. In 2010, their EP Broken Dreams Club was rated the 22nd best album of the year by Pitchfork. In 2011, "Vomit" and "Honey Bunny", the first and second single from the band's second album, received "Best New Music" designations from Pitchfork and a "Song of the Week" designation from The Tune
. Their newest LP, "Father, Son, Holy Ghost" has received much acclaim with Pitchfork rating it a 9.3
magazine lead singer Owens suggested this is now a more occasional indulgence. More recently, in an interview with Pitchfork Media
Owens outlined his method of touring without drugs, spending several days withdrawing from the opiate addiction that he struggles with all other times. The group played the ATP New York 2010
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010.
Girls will begin touring again on 3 September 2011, playing across the USA, Canada, Japan, UK, and Europe.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Made up of two key members, Christopher Owens (1979) who is the main writer and Chet "JR" White who plays bass and produces. The band's lead singer, Christopher Owens, is a former member of the Children of God cult. The New York Times compared the band's sound to Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
.
History
Upon arriving in San Francisco (via Amarillo, Texas), Owens met White, a Bay Area native who was raised in Santa Cruz, California. White began recording bands in his parents' garage. Upon meeting, the two developed a strong bond and interest in similar music, as well as a shared background in Punk/Hardcore music. Shortly thereafter Owens and White started recording what was to later be their debut album, titled Album.A former member of the band Holy Shit with Ariel Pink
Ariel Pink
Ariel Pink is a Los Angeles-based recording artist who is sometimes associated with the freak folk scene.-Biography:...
and Matt Fishbeck, in an interview with Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
magazine, Owens related much of how being part of the Children of God cult informed his childhood and his music. While there, he was not allowed to listen to music from outside the group, but was allowed to watch movies from which he absorbed music like Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
. Girls' Album is an "overflow of expression", as Owens could do whatever he liked on the album without worry for boundaries.
The band released their second full length album Father, Son, Holy Ghost on September 9, 2011 in UK/Europe and on September 13 in the USA. On July 20, 2011, they released "Vomit" from their upcoming album as a free download. This was followed by a video of the same song in August. "Honey Bunny" is the second cut off the record and will receive a proper single release in vinyl and other formats. On November 7, 2011, Girls announced a standalone single, "Lawrence," to be released on a heart-shaped vinyl on November 28, 2011. The song was written as a gift to Felt
Felt (band)
Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band led by Lawrence, whose surname was never listed in any credits or press; the band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus"...
lead singer Lawrence Hayward
Lawrence Hayward
Lawrence Hayward , known simply as Lawrence, his surname never used in credits or press, is best known as the singer, songwriter and guitarist of British indie band Felt.-Felt:...
.
Besides its two official members the band has recorded and/or toured with: Ryan William Lynch, Garett Godard, Matthew Kallman, Darren Weiss, Dan Eisenberg, John Anderson.
Critical acclaim
Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
rated their single "Hellhole Ratrace" at 383 of the top 500 songs of the 2000s. Their 2009 debut album Album
Album (Girls album)
Album is the debut album by the indie rock band Girls. It was released September 22, 2009 on True Panther Sounds.-Reception:Initial critical response to Album was extremely positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has...
received a rating of 9.1/10 and was rated the 10th best album of 2009 by Pitchfork. In 2010, their EP Broken Dreams Club was rated the 22nd best album of the year by Pitchfork. In 2011, "Vomit" and "Honey Bunny", the first and second single from the band's second album, received "Best New Music" designations from Pitchfork and a "Song of the Week" designation from The Tune
The Tune
The Tune is an animated film by American filmmaker Bill Plympton.-Plot summary:Del, a hard-working songwriter, is trying to write the perfect song for his slimeball boss, Mr. Mega, so he can keep his job and his girlfriend Didi...
. Their newest LP, "Father, Son, Holy Ghost" has received much acclaim with Pitchfork rating it a 9.3
Touring
The band toured Europe and returned to the U.S. in late 2009 for a national headlining tour. They are known for the use of drugs whilst making their first album, though in a 2009 interview with StateState (magazine)
State.ie is an Irish website and formerly a monthly music magazine, which launched in March 2008 and folded in January 2009 having published a total of nine issues...
magazine lead singer Owens suggested this is now a more occasional indulgence. More recently, in an interview with Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
Owens outlined his method of touring without drugs, spending several days withdrawing from the opiate addiction that he struggles with all other times. The group played the ATP New York 2010
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010.
Girls will begin touring again on 3 September 2011, playing across the USA, Canada, Japan, UK, and Europe.
Albums
- AlbumAlbum (Girls album)Album is the debut album by the indie rock band Girls. It was released September 22, 2009 on True Panther Sounds.-Reception:Initial critical response to Album was extremely positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has...
(September 2009, True Panther Sounds) #136 Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #3 Billboard Top Heatseekers AlbumsTop HeatseekersTop Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... - Father, Son, Holy GhostFather, Son, Holy Ghost (album)Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the second album by the indie rock band Girls, released September 13, 2011 on True Panther Sounds in the United States, September 12, 2011 on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile in Europe, September 7, 2011 in Japan on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile and September 14 in Mexico on Arts &...
(13 September 2011) #37 Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #119 UK Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
Singles
- "Lust for Life"/"Morning Light" (July 1, 2008, True Panther Sounds TRUE008)
- Format: 7" vinyl, limited to 500 copies
- "Lust for Life" – 2:25
- "Morning Light" – 2:36
- "Hellhole Ratrace" (July 6, 2009, Fantasytrashcan FANTASY001)
- Format: 10" vinyl
- "Hellhole Ratrace" – 6:57
- "Solitude" – 3:44
- "Lust for Life" (September 7, 2009, Fantasytrashcan FANTASY002)
- Format: 7" vinyl
- "Lust for Life" – 2:25
- "Life in San Francisco" – 2:21
- "Laura" (November 9, 2009, Fantasytrashcan FANTASY004)
- Format: 7" vinyl
- "Laura" – 4:52
- "Oh Boy" – 2:41
- "Morning Light" (February 22, 2010, Fantasytrashcan FANTASY005)
- Format: 7" vinyl
- "Morning Light" – 2:36
- "End of the World" – 3:35
- "Heartbreaker" (November 15, 2010)
- Format: CD