“Smart, decade bending, sarcaso surf-creeps”
Coming off their freshly awarded medal of honor from the Boston Phoenix as best garage act, Girlfriends have released the 7” single Gov’t Seizure.
The single song is a speedy side-winding cobweb drawl that groovily drags its feet at the end. The B-Side “Creep Stuff” is just as much fun as a lazy tempo experiment. The way the band records themselves is really key to the sound. It wouldn't be the same if it was cleaner. Just like their self-titled cassette, the overdriven vocals and white noise splashes from cymbals and amps punctuate both the sound and the lyrics, recalling some older decades. The production also has a few interesting subtle touches, like spontaneous laughter, coughing and rhythmic gargling.
The lyrics are reminiscent of vocalist and songwriter Ben Potrykus’ previous project, Christians & Lions. Songs like “Stay Warm” and “Skinnyfists” touched upon political issues using activist poetics. The approach is similar here, but a lot more aggressive. For example, “if we're the unwashed masses, then what's happened in the D.O.C? I dunno if it's blood but I’m damn sure that no one's hands are clean.” It’s loud, in your face music with loud, in your face lyrics; very D.C. punk rock. Not only are these songs politically conscious, but these kids also have culture. “Creep Stuff” references Fransisco Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son with the lines, “even Saturn kept his halo, or at least his rings, when devouring his children…I keep throwing up, spitting, vomiting while offing my offspring.” Not bad for six messy minutes of garage surf rock.
Hopefully this will be the first in a series of 7” singles and hopefully they’ll unleash "Cave Kids" upon the world soon on one of them!
// Aurora 7 //
//June 2010//
//Jamaica Plain, MA //
// Recorded by Jerry MacDonald at the shop in Weymouth, MA //
// Mastered by Aardvark //
// Art by Lenora Symczak //
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