EP Review: Girl Friend – Arrive Alone Leave Alone
Arrive Alone Leave Alone
Released 27th April 2015
Words: Lauren Grigor
Monte Carlo, the opening single and is definitely evidence of the bands ability to create synth indie electronica however in contrast to the rest of the EP this sounds quite Priscilla queen of the Desert to me. It’s catchy and fun but very disco and 80s.
I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t 100% on board with the first listen, it was hard to see what these guys were trying to do with their sound, so it was great to hear You Lead The Way which feels quite Depeche Mode with a little bit of Taylor Swift and Robyn BUT is a great stand out track and shows that these Manchester kids know their electronics. It moves the vocals into a darker and unknown territory
The last 2 songs are where this band is really going, they are tight and well produced and sound like a 4-piece has contributed all of their best talents.
Style and Substance is easily my favourite song on the EP. The vocals carelessly move in and out of falsetto, the melody is unpredictable and keeps me interested and falling in love with the song a little more with every listen.
This is obviously a band who loves their classic and contemporary electronic pop and Stop achieves this perfectly, finishing off the EP in the best way possible. It starts out slower and has so much depth to it, the vocals are beautiful and carry on those effortless falsesetto peaks. This song sounds years ahead of Monte Carlo and demands repeat listens, I wish it went on longer.
Girl Friend are part of the future of Pop music. They are creating songs that I’m getting stuck in my head and can’t wait to soak up in a sweaty club venue yet I’m also interested to see where they go from here. If they move the same way their EP does, we can expect to see some serious growth this year from a band determined to be unique in a genre that’s been done a thousand times.
Girl Friend totally have it in them.
