Feminist-flavored, girl-empowering Rock music has been around since the "Riot Grrrl" movement in the 90s. However, in recent years, the Rock and Indie scenes have seen some very rad, very talented female-fronted bands come to fruition once again. One of these bands is Girlpool. Have you heard of them? Listened, maybe? If not, find a computer or phone fast--you don't want to miss these girls. This all-female duo from LA is here to demand your attention with what has been dubbed as "Folk Punk". The group has been known for tackling gender-based issues in the past, especially with tracks like "Slutmouth", where both ladies harmonize, "I go to school everyday/ Just to be made a housewife one day." With scathing societal commentary and a raw sound that is ever-so-pleasing to the ear (via uber-catchy riffs involving simple Folk-esque guitar), Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad alternate instruments and turns singing. The album has a melancholy tone, which seems to yearn for past, simpler times. With an album title like "Before the World Was Big" and album artwork that features innocent-looking children playing with toys, one can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia evoked from music that tackles societal, as well as emotional, issues--an odd mixture.
Girlpool is bad-ass band trying to get their message across in every song, but don't surmise that they lack sensitivity or emotional depth. Tracks like "Chinatown" perfectly encapsulate the soft, sensitive side of Girlpool. As the song laments about what seems to be a lost lover, inner demons are illustrated via dark lyrics. The second verse says, at one point, "I am nervous for tomorrow and today," as well as, "If I loved myself,/ Would I take it the wrong way?" Girlpool tackles everything in their lyrics from gender roles in modern society to lost love to issues with self-acceptance. And, all this is done with a simple, folksy, DIY-sounding form of Punk that keeps your foot tapping the entire way through the album. Girpool is going to be huge! Pick up/listen to their music now! We love them here at Multi-Fret. Check out our top 5 tracks from the album below:
Pretty
Before the World Was Big
Chinatown
Cherry Picking
Ideal World
We give this albuma 4.5/5! What do you give it? Let us know! Stream the album below via a YouTube playlist: