Navigating the waters between ferocious Rock, Post-Punk and noisy/delicate Pop, Girl Friday is a true sum of their influences, walking their own path. The LA-based band pays little regard to conventions, may it be through the absence of a designated singer, (they all share duties), or their unexpectedly structured songs that keep the listener on their toes. The tightly wound vocal harmonies frequently contrast their straight-forward, meaningful lyrics, pairing perfectly with the music’s balance of energy and melody. Their debut LP Androgynous Mary, was released in August through Hardly Art Records. With such a strong follow-up to their 2019 EP, Fashion Conman, we can’t wait to see the band come alive in concert…one day!
Each name one song that you consider “perfect songs” and explain why or what they mean to you.
Vera (Guitar): Here Comes The Sun – NINA SIMONE
There’s a certain type of hopeful feeling she conjures in this song – a hopeful feeling that is experienced and mature and has seen a lot of darkness. It reminds me of my Babcia who was a refugee of war and spent years in Siberian concentration camps – yet she remained so unconditionally loving to all. This song always brings me to tears and reminds me of the moments of hope that happen right after a tragedy.
Libby (Bass): Forever it will be My Girl – THE TEMPTATIONS
This song reminds me of my dad. He taught me how to play bass and guitar and we would always practice together to old Motown records on his old blue leather couch. I was always so hooked on the guitar line and was incredibly stoked when I finally learned it on guitar. Not to mention David Ruffin’s spectacularly memorable vocal. It gives me a bit of bliss everytime I hear it.
Sierra (Guitar): Disenchanted – MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
Ooooo baby, this song has its very own furnished loft apartment in my heart. I must’ve heard it for the first time when I was around 13, and I remember thinking that this was the kind of song I wanted to write. It made me aware of the power you can wield if you say exactly how you feel without holding back, and how that doesn’t always have to be overtly aggressive. “Well I was there on the day they sold the cause for the queen / and when the lights all went out, we watched our lives on the screen / I hate the ending myself, but it started with an alright scene,” is such a mic drop of an opening phrase…how DARE they!
Virginia (drums): All I Wanted – PARAMORE
Paramore was the first band I was ever into, and I remember listening to all of Riot! on repeat throughout middle school. Brand New Eyes came out when I was in high school soon after I had seen them live for the first time. All I Wanted is the last song on the album and it is such a satisfying track to end on. It’s a pretty simple song, but everything feels huge and important, and Hayley’s vocals on that are absolutely incredible (see 2:44 when everyone drops out and she hits that high note *chef’s kiss*). That song is really fun to scream along to in the car, especially when you’re 15, but also when you’re 26.
Which music genre do you listen to the most? List your five favorite albums in that genre.
Vera: (Ambient) Music for Airports – BRIAN ENO
Libby: I have no idea. What I listen to changes by day. As of late, I have been enjoying KATE NV’s Room For The Moon and CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG’s IRM.
Sierra: It really depends on the mood, but MARILYN MANSON’s Antichrist Superstar is a go-to for me, especially when I want to put on my highest platforms and mouth “You’re such a dirty dirty rockstar” at myself in the mirror.
Who is your favorite rapper of all time? Name one song that best exemplifies what makes them great.
Vera: The Mind – KRS ONE
Libby: Big For Your Boots – STORMZY
Sierra: DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN’s part in Clint Eastwood by GORILLAZ is timeless and boundless.
Virginia: Work It – MISSY ELLIOTT. Missy is an iconic rapper, but I also love that her style continues into her videos. You can tell that she enjoys working with her collaborators and is just having a lot of fun.
What’s the album you’ve listened to the most in your life? Do you still listen to it?
Vera: Blue – JONI MITCHELL. That record comes back to me all the time. I couldn’t count how many times in my life I have listened to it.
Libby: Odelay – BECK. I listen to it very very often. I never get tired of it.
Sierra: I’ve already mentioned this opus of an album, but The Black Parade by MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE is an absolute masterpiece. Sometimes I’ll go a few months without listening to it, and when I revisit it, I always feel like it’s the first time I’ve ever heard music.
Virginia: Actor – ST. VINCENT.
What are some of your favorite song lyrics? Lyrics that have been important to you or that had an impact on you? Either a specific line or song, or the general work of a particular lyricist.
Vera: LEONARD COHEN is one of my favorite lyricists. This line came to mind from You Want It Darker.
“They’re lining up the prisoners, and the guards are taking aim. I struggled with some demons, They were middle class and tame. I didn’t know I had permission to murder and to maim. You want it darker.”
Libby: This is so hard. I think FEIST’s Baby Be Simple is the first thing that comes to mind.
“I’ve been on fire made from my thoughts. I thought up my life by. Out then back in, that’s the way to begin but I had to climb down into today and give up the pain I held myself up by.”
Sierra: Teenage Angst was the first song I ever heard by PLACEBO that made me fall in love with them and their lyrics.
“One fluid gesture, like stepping back in time / trapped in amber, petrified / and still not satisfied / airs and social graces, elocution so divine / I’ll stick to my needle and my favorite waste of time / both spineless and sublime.”
Virginia: Thanks, Earthquake – DRIFTLESS PONY CLUB. This band is very good. I recently rediscovered them and this song has always been a favorite.
“Earthquakes never lie / You can see the truth in the whites of their eyes / Kissing your hand and slapping your back / Making you feel like a welcome mat.”
Do you have an absolute all time favorite band or musical artist? What makes them so special to you?
Vera: SONIC YOUTH will forever hold the title in my heart for best ‘band’. For me it’s a mix of the strength and sheer volume of their back catalogue and their ability to mess with song structure and throw curve balls even after so many records. They are a band I always return to and seek qualities of SY in other bands. Thurston and Lee’s experimental guitar with Kim and Steve holding it down.
Libby: JOY DIVISION and WARSAW. Ian Curtis’ voice always resonates with me whenever I listen. I always felt every inch of the songs sink deep into my very dramatic self. Especially, throughout the album, they really heavily echo Ian’s voice while his vocal continues to pummel through the track. It’s phenomenal. I mean, Bernard and Pete’s intertwining guitar lines take the cake for me. NOT TO MENTION Stephen Morris’s drumming style. Everything they are, I love.
Sierra: I am a full-on broken record about my favorite bands. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE was the first band that I loved so much I didn’t know how to contain it. I used to joke about how I would write my college thesis on them, and then – SPOILER ALERT – I actually did. To me, they were and are this glorious beacon of weirdness, acceptance, revenge, camp, and high conceptual drama among other artists who thought they were too cool to wear makeup and cover themselves in blood.
Virginia: I usually say ST. VINCENT, just because she’s done it all and I enjoy most everything she puts out. BUT SURPRISE, I’m going to say HAYLEY WILLIAMS because both in PARAMORE and as a solo artist she always gives 1001% to everything she does. Yes, she’s naturally got a lot of talent but she has also put in the WORK. She also just seems like a kind, sincere person who has grown from all her experiences, both good and bad. If I had the opportunity to chat with her I would definitely take it.
What are your ten favourite albums of all time (all genres)? Name a standout track on each of these albums.
Vera: if I’m going super classic…
Let it Be – THE REPLACEMENTS – Unsatisfied
Transformer – LOU REED – Perfect Day
Libby: Reachin’ – DIGABLE PLANETS – La Femme Fetal
The Noise Made By People – BROADCAST – Unchanging Window
Sierra: Aside from those I’ve already named
Without You I’m Nothing – PLACEBO – Without You I’m Nothing
Brand New Eyes – PARAMORE – All I Wanted
Virginia: The Woods – SLEATER-KINNEY – Let’s Call It Love
Do you remember the first time music had an impact on you?
Vera: I have a specific memory of dancing in the kitchen with my brother listening to Animals by PINK FLOYD and just the feeling of my mind being blown.
Sierra: After I first saw the music video for Helena on MTV in 2005, I would come home from school every day, kneel in front of the TV, and wait for it to come on. Until then, I’d been listening to a lot of Classic Rock with my family, and I realized that MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE could be my band. I, a very dramatic 6-7 year old, felt so seen by them and realized then and there that I needed to begin my transformation into a store brand Gerard Way.
What were you listening to in elementary school? Then in high school? How much of that music is still a part of your playlists today? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
Vera: My parents listened to 60’s stuff like JANIS JOPLIN, THE BEATLES, EVA CASIDY, VAN MORRISON. My elder sister who was like my second mum played me lots of 90’s R&B. Then I got more into stuff my siblings showed me. I listened to RADIOHEAD, JEFF BUCKLEY, ELLIOT SMITH and local kiwi Punk and Hardcore.
Libby: First ELTON JOHN and the TEMPTATIONS, then BECK and BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE. I did listen to a lot of K-pop and J-pop when I was in high school, but it doesn’t hit the same spot for me anymore, so I haven’t listened since. Most everything else I still listen to.
Sierra: I grew up listening to the BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN (my mom’s all-time favorite band), QUEEN, EAGLES, and other Classic Rock bands. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE was my gateway drug into the world of “emo” music, which morphed into PANIC! AT THE DISCO, TONIGHT ALIVE, ALL TIME LOW, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, PIERCE THE VEIL, etc. in high school. I must say, I still revisit what I listened to in high school and completely jam out from time to time. Lots of unfortunate misogyny aside, it takes me back to making the very grave and conscious decision to wake up 3 minutes earlier every day to put on black eyeliner for school.
Virginia: I think the only CDs my parents really owned were greatest hits albums. There was some Rock/Pop (DEAN MARTIN, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, THE MOODY BLUES) and R&B (GEORGE BENSON, SADE). In elementary school, my art teacher introduced me to the BEATLES (she burned me a CD of Magical Mystery Tour), and my friend’s dad introduced me to Punk (THE RAMONES, THE CLASH). High School was when I got pretty into ST. VINCENT, TUNE-YARDS, THE STROKES, THE WHITE STRIPES, CAKE, PARAMORE, THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS, TEGAN & SARA, NELLIE MCKAY, and RADIOHEAD. I still enjoy all of the above 🙂
What beloved music do you share with your parents? Any specific memories?
Vera: My mum always had a crush on LOU REED which is certainly something in common.
Libby: My mom taught me how to harmonize while sitting in the pews at church. We’d sing old hymns every Sunday; The song How Great Thou Art is the first song I remember hitting the harmony on. She’s kind of a stickler for being in tune, so she would always correct me even when I thought I was right.
Sierra: My mom and I both love QUEEN, and I got to write a paper in college about her love of LED ZEPPELIN. My dad, bless his heart, used to listen to ONE DIRECTION with me, and every once in a while I still hear him humming The Story of My Life. We also sing a lot of old camp songs + lots of SIMON AND GARFUNKEL around the fire when we go camping together.
Virginia: I don’t think my mom really cares much for most of the music I like haha. But we definitely both share an intense love of NORAH JONES and would always play her albums in the car. My mom and I used to also go to a lot of local musicals together and those are really fond memories.
What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve ever seen? What makes them stand out?
Vera: I think I can speak for Libby as well when saying Thurston Moore at Desert Daze. I think it was pretty life changing for both of us. It felt quite spiritual and made me view music and live performance in a new light.
Sierra: Seeing NINE INCH NAILS at the Hollywood Palladium was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Trent Reznor’s complete authority/complete release on stage were almost otherworldly to witness.
Virginia: I saw WOLF ALICE at The Fonda and it was so good. I had never listened to them before or even heard of them, but my friend happened to have a plus one since she was photographing the concert. I went along and was completely mesmerized during the entire set. All their songs were amazing, the performance was stunning, and the whole crowd was just there for everything.
Is there any band that you’ve always wanted to see live but never had the chance to catch them? Any classic show that you wish you could have experienced?
Vera: I feel like STEREOLAB would be amazing live. Otherwise PATTI SMITH and maybe someone outrageous like GG ALLIN.
Libby: CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG and MAZZY STAR.
Sierra: I’m talkin NINE INCH NAILS covered in mud at Woodstock in 1994, PLACEBO at Brixton Academy in 1998, genuinely any HOLE show, MARILYN MANSON in the “we’re playing seedy clubs and getting arrested in Jacksonville” days.
Virginia: YEAH YEAH YEAHS in the early 2000’s in NY would have been a time, or maybe the B-52’s in the 80’s.
What is the most impressive band you’ve toured with? The one that you just had to watch every night? Did you learn anything from them/by watching them?
Sierra: We’ve been wildly lucky to have toured with THE BETHS and MARIKA HACKMAN. The Beths’ insanely well-oiled live shows inspired us to work through rough patches in our set and realize that playing cleanly together is a really important foundation for breaking the rules and introducing chaos later on. Marika then helped establish some lightness on top of that, because even though I was so nervous to be playing her music as well as our own, she reminded us that at the end of the day, it’s a complete joy to play music, regardless of if you fuck up your set.
What are some of your all-time favorite music books and/or zines, documentaries, biopics?
Patty Schemel’s Hit So Hard: A Memoir is one of my favorite books about music, especially because she so honestly dissects the glamour that I, despite my knowledge to the contrary, engage when I think about the Grunge scene.
Is there any classic / universally acclaimed artist that you missed out on when they first came out and discovered way later? Any artist that you didn’t like at first and learned to appreciate over time?
Vera: That’s a great question. I was late to the game with KATE BUSH which confuses me because she is outstanding.
Libby: Oh my god, absolutely. I didn’t have much exposure to any Alternative music as a child since I was homeschooled. I didn’t listen to the BEATLES, ENO or much of Thurston Moore until I got to college. Let me tell you, music can change u real quickly.
Sierra: Thank GOD I got on the BRITNEY train as a ridiculously young child, so there was no missed opportunity there. I didn’t know most of my favorite bands until high school or later, mostly because alternative scenes in the ‘90s were a bit too late for my parents to have been super involved, but a bit too early for my siblings to have been exposed to them and bestow unto me.
Virginia: It’s never too late to appreciate a good artist 😉
Do you have an artist that you love in a genre that you don’t usually listen to? What makes them stand out? (Eg: I don’t really listen to much Country but I love Hank Williams)
Vera: I don’t really listen to much Country, but I love HANK WILLIAMS.
Libby: I don’t listen to much Hank Williams, but I love Country.
Sierra: My roommate absolutely hates how much I love the Hairspray soundtrack. Sometimes I fool myself into thinking I don’t like musicals, but the SECOND I hear anything from Sweeney Todd or The Phantom of the Opera I revert to pure bliss.
Do you have any unpopular music opinion that you would like to defend? Something that you love and yet can hardly find anyone to agree on how great it is?
Libby: I do not trust the musical opinion of any music lover who only listens to one genre of music.
Sierra: I have been completely obsessed with MIKA since 2007, and absolutely nobody can tell me that his divadom isn’t crucial to the functionality of modern society.
What band or artist do you believe has achieved the most flawless sequence of 3 records in a row?
Vera: ENYA
Libby: ENO and ELTON
Sierra: BLAENAVON with That’s Your Lot into Everything That Makes You Happy into Demoitis. The absolute nerve!
Virginia: ST. VINCENT’s Actor, Strange Mercy, and St. Vincent.
Can you think of a band or artist that put out only one fantastic release (album, EP or demo) and then disbanded? One that you really wish would have kept going?
Vera: So many. I would have loved more solo LAURYN HILL.
Sierra: BLOODY KNEES have only put out two EPs and that’s a crime as far as I’m concerned.
Virginia: SPLENDORA gave us the Daria Theme Song, as well as songs for both TV movies, but sadly they only released one album: “In the Grass”.
What albums have been on heavy rotation lately?
Vera: TELEVISION PERSONALITIES – Yes darling but is it art?, ONDA VAGA – Fuerte y Caliente, STIC – Workout 2 and MOONDOG – H’art Songs
Libby: BRIAN ENO & CLUSTER’s joint album, CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG – IRM, MOSEY SUMNEY’s Aromanticism.
Sierra: MARILYN MANSON – Antichrist Superstar, PAUL MCCARTNEY – McCartney, EZRA FURMAN – Transangelic Exodus, GORILLAZ – Plastic Beach, GEORGE HARRISON – All Things Must Pass.
Virginia: PHOEBE BRIDGES – Punisher, SOCCER MOMMY -Color Theory, VAGABON – Vagabon, CRY BABE – Further Away, ILLUMINATI HOTTIES – Free I.H., SASAMI – Sasami.
What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
Vera: My brother – ALBERT RIVER (note: formerly known as A.U.R.A.).
Sierra: Also my brother! He has a new album out called Silo by THE ALTOGETHER.
Virginia: SUZIE TRUE, FATTY CAKES AND THE PUFF PASTRIES, SHUNKAN, ROSIE TUCKER, GOON, KEVIN NICHOLS
Is there a band that you’ve discovered live recently that blew you away?
Sierra: KILLS BIRDS’ live performance floored me.
Virginia: I had so much fun at a MODPODS concert earlier this year. Everyone in the audience was dancing.
What are you listening to right now, while answering these questions?
Vera: Libby texted me a KATE NV record which put me in a hole, so listening to Kata by them right now.
Sierra: I started listening to The Boy Who Knew Too Much by MIKA to reaffirm my militant love for him. Good Gone Girl just came on, and there’s no telling what I might do about it!
Virginia: Psychopomp by JAPANESE BREAKFAST
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