Vivian Girls
Although only a band for a little more than a year, the Vivian Girls charms have already worked their magic on their short road to “out of nowhere” status. With their irresistable mix of 60’s girl-group sounds, punk, post-punk and shoegaze, the ‘Girls have mastered blurring the lines of genres and coming up with something aggressive yet beautiful; simple, gutsy music with a lot of class and melody.
But it’s not so out-of-nowhere as it seems. Cassie Ramone (gtr, vocals) and Kickball Katy (bass, vocals, drums) were longtime friends from high school, so when Frankie Rose (drums, vocals, bass) and Cassie decided to start a band, Katy seemed the obvious choice to complete the lineup. Spurred on by sharing common (and uncommon) influences, the girls started writing material and playing live pretty quickly in their adopted hometown of Brooklyn. Within the first couple of months they had already developed a strong local following, supporting acts like Jay Reatard, Japanther and King Khan & BBQ Show as well as finding kindred spirits in other locals like Crystal Stilts, caUSE co-MOTION! and The Woods, with whom they’ve shared many bills and helped develop a local scene.
Turning some heads at SXSW and a few national tours this year, the ‘Girls came back to NYC brandished with a new, powerful weapon: a killer debut single, Wild Eyes, on the Plays With Dolls label. The record was a can’t miss for even the snobbiest of music geeks, mixing the girl-group harmonies of the Shangri-Las, the ‘gaze-iness of My Bloody Valentine, and the urgency of the Wipers. Can’t lose with that trifecta, and it’s something they’ve proved over twelve inches as well as seven…
Featuring an A-Side full of hope and a B-Side almost without any, the self-titled debut LP on Mauled By Tigers stirred so much pandemonium on the internet that it sold out in just a few short days. Such a cohesive and fully-realized debut wouldn’t be left to languish in the world of the “Out-Of-Print”, but don’t fret! Even before its release, it was picked up by indie/garage powerhouse In The Red Records, former home of the Black Lips, The Ponys and Jay Reatard. With a repress on LP and CD due in the early Fall, the newly minted Vivian Girls obsessives can breathe a sigh of relief knowing it’ll be available again.
With a single on up-and-coming indie Woodsist, and another on new home In The Red, the ‘Girls show no signs of stopping the assault on your heartstrings. With an upcoming year full of touring and recording a follow-up LP, expect to see the Vivian Girls working their charms not far from your house, your turntable or your neighbor’s ears.