Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie
- Written by Robert Crozier
For a new band releasing the debut album, Girl Band are under no illusions about the sound and image they wish to portray.
The noise assault from the Dublin based fab four has been honed over their live performances and previous EP releases; they certainly made an impact at this year’s Great Escape festival when we first encountered them.
Their debut album Holding Hands With Jamie consists of nine new tracks as they attempt to capture the fierce punk sound that has seen them gain rave reviews from their recent US tour. This album was recorded on their return to Dublin.
The explosion of noise starts right from the off with a violent assault upon the ears via the instrumental ‘Umbongo’. Their latest single ‘Pears For Lunch’ follows in a similar vein as lead singer Dara Kiely spews out lyrics that are barely audible.
“I look crap with my shirt off” growls Kiely. This is enough to convey the sheer power and awe that the band are beginning to generate around the world that has left many who have caught their live performances open-mouthed. ‘Baloo’ and ‘In Plastic’ continue the onslaught with a screeching crazed cacophony of sounds that our ears have never experienced. This is all a precursor to the standout track of the album.
‘Paul’ is one of those tracks that you simply have to keep listening to over and over again. The first few times it’s almost because you don’t really believe your ears. The track builds and builds into an amazing crescendo that has an almost orgasmic ending. The thrashing guitar and barely audible lyrics only add to the intensity and ferocity that this track contains. We strongly recommend that you listen to this very loudly and very quickly.
Their sound is so unique that it’s a struggle to describe. They certainly can’t be pigeonholed into a genre and what a wonderful thing that is. Sometimes it’s just refreshing that a band comes along and leaves you scratching your head and distrusting your ears and asking yourself, “What the hell is this?”
The wonderful confusion is continued with ‘Texting An Alien’, a slightly less intense track, but that intensity returns on the wonderfully titled ‘Fucking Butter’ which we assume is an anti-dairy spread song. There are barely audible lyrics concerning other spread-related products but the reality is that we simply don’t know what it’s really about. It’s certainly loud and it’s intense and it’s in your face.
We highly recommend this album for anyone with a curious ear as it’s something we feel has not been heard before. We would also highly recommend catching them on their upcoming UK dates as this is just the beginning for Girl Band.