Goat Girl “S/t”

This debut has arrived on a wave of expectations with various media outlets desperately trying to declare the new saviours of UK indie rock. That may be an unfair measure for the band to live up to given this is just their debut. But it highlights the need for the emergence of leading players in the current music scene.
Certainly, with tracks like the brooding and menacing “Burn The Stake” and “Creep” there is a sense that this is a band with an increased level of intensity. Together with songs like “Slowly Reclines” there is a feeling that they are capable of capturing the imagination of a hardcore group of fans.

These are not songs for the fainthearted though, “The Man With No Heart or Brain” is a psychedelic brainstorm that lives up to it’s title! Equally “Lay Down” is a woozy trip of melancholic melody.
That’s not to say that they aren’t alert to the importance of having some more immediately attention grabbing and perhaps more sympathetic sounding songs like “Cracker Drool”. A clear case in point is the recent single “The Man” which has had considerable airplay on BBC 6 music . It’s not surprising as it’s a corker of a track which to us seems like The Velvet Underground covering a Bangles song (but we might be alone in that!). Together with “Little Liar” and “Country Sleaze” they’re the sort of songs that will set off a wave of enthusiasm at a gig.

Does this album live up to the hype? Quite possibly yes. But what is most important (and pleasing) is that there is no sense the band are trying to appease anyone with this release. It’s a powerful and demanding release that both challenges and pleases the listener. Importantly, that is what the music industry needs, a band that is capable of generating a reaction. We have a market that is saturated with music, but Goat Girl are one of the few bands who seem to be approaching it with a sense of confrontation. This will hopefully spark a reaction amongst other bands and help to revitalise the indie scene.