There are many things that continue to excite me in the music world. One of my favorite things when it comes to listening to new music is stumbling upon a certain kind of record. This kind of record is the one that may not be your favorite right off the bat, but you can tell it will become one with repeated listens. This is exactly the way I felt after listening to the newest record from California indie rock band Girls. After releasing their debut album, titled Album, Girls began gaining a lot of momentum. Their popularity and hype only grew after releasing their EP Broken Dreams Club. Now they have come back for the dreaded sophomore album, an album that shows more experience and more maturity, Father, Son, Holy Ghost.
One of the first things this album has going for it is its ability to latch you onto it pretty quickly. The later tracks may be harder to get into but the first two tracks are catchy and loveable. Beginning with “Honey Bunny,” you quickly get the idea of just what makes this band so alluring. Frontman Christopher Owens’ charismatic and charming voice swiftly entertains listeners. Owens’ simple, honest, and quirky lyrics are also points of interest. The second track “Alex” may not be as catchy as its predecessor, but it’s here that the lyrics really shine. Owens’ description of this Alex character is so vivid and interesting that it’s hard to ignore.
Girls throws listeners their first curveball of the album in “Die.” Driven by fast guitars, this song has Owens singing with a sense of urgency. The lyrics are also quite “quirky” (if you want to call them that) with lines like “We’re all going to straight to hell” and “We’re all gonna die.” Following this fast rocker is one of the album’s slower songs, and one of biggest growers, “Saying I Love You.” This particular heartbreak track may not be too appealing on first listen, but it eventually grows to be one of the album’s best. With its surf-rock influenced guitars, “Saying I Love You” is a lot more than just a ballad.
What really shows the time and thought put into the album are the longer songs. First single “Vomit” is an example of this. Beginning as a slow acoustic track, it steadily escalates to a tremendous gospel-like song. Following “Vomit” is “Just a Song” which quickly shows its potential. Starting with some fingerpicking it eventually introduces some background strings, which meld together perfectly. The last of the longer tracks, “Forgiveness” is the most straightforward. Quietly starting with the acoustic guitars, it builds up to its final climax as the other instruments join in one by one.
Girls has gone up and above to make an album better than Album. They’ve crafted some pretty sweet and catchy indie pop songs, but at the same time have made an album that takes some time to grow. Upon first listen you might not feel a connection with Father, Son, Holy Ghost but in time you may grow to love it.
