Girls are one of this year’s word of mouth success stories, much like Bon Iver in 2008. Frontman Christopher Owens also has a fascinating story, with a childhood spent in the Children Of God cult, followed by immersion in punk music and the patronage of a rich Texan art philanthropist.
That, though, is the back story. The real point of interest is the music and its hazy depiction of summer, beaches, love won and lost. The music is lush and romantic, tugging on the heartstrings with a goofy grin.
Unsurprisingly, given the twists his life has taken, Owens hasn’t been blindsided by the hype and praise their debut has received. “We were pretty confident about the album,” he says. “I guess we knew it was good but you never know how things are going to go. We’re happy that the album’s getting out to people and they are hearing it.”
Owens and producer Chet Jr White didn’t make things easy for themselves by naming the band Girls and the album Album (try Googling either). There was no grand statement behind the album title – just necessity. “I didn’t really want it to be self-titled – œcause I thought that was boring, but we didn’t really have a title for the album so we just called it what it was. It’s our way of calling it a debut album.”
White is the crucial second member of Girls, having arranged and produced the album; giving it its unique and nostalgic sound. “It was very important. It was just as important as my songwriting,” states Owens. “I knew what I wanted to do as far as recording the music. I wanted a distinctive sound but it would have been impossible without someone who knew how to execute those ideas. It was easy for us to communicate, I could give him my ideas pretty easily and he could bring them to life. That was the key element to making the recordings.”
The rest of the Girls line-up has been somewhat of a revolving door, with Owens and White using the talents of friends and associates to fill out their live shows. “We had a week to switch our guitar players – œcause the last one quit. Ever since our first show we’ve played with loads of different people; it’s kinda been our style. We usually work with friends we like or think are talented but usually those friends have their own projects so at some point they want to quit and do their own thing, or they never really join fully in the first place.
“We just agree to do a tour or play a few shows so we’re pretty used to working with different people all the time. It’s fun and everybody brings their bit of flair to the sound. I think I would feel weird at this point working with people who weren’t friends,” confesses Owens.
Owens’ childhood in Children Of God has been a big talking point, but he plays the impact it has had on his music. “It’s definitely part of who I am and I write about my personal experiences and my feelings and stuff. I’m sure it has a lot to do with me personally but as far as the band and the sound, that’s all pretty current stuff that we’re influenced by. It has something to do with my make-up, but I don’t know about the bigger picture, it’s probably not as important as people make it out to be.”
Owens does acknowledge that the specific communal role that music played in the cult has helped shape his songwriting philosophy. “I feel like it was a very important build-up to the way I approach music, using it as something that is very therapeutic. It has a real purpose. I meet a lot of people that do music to become popular or do something that everybody likes, as opposed to something that makes you feel good. I think that’s something I learnt from playing that religious, community based music. It’s all sort of designed so that you go through an experience when you play it. A lot of people say it is music they can’t really describe and I think that’s an element from my past,” admits Owens.
Once Owens left Children Of God and set about experiencing all of the good and bad things that he was shielded from, he realised there was an overwhelming amount of music to discover. “Growing up, there was no secular music allowed. There were a few oldies that were considered okay but for the most part we just played and listened to the music that was written within the group – very religious music.
“I still haven’t got to a lot of things I know I should listen to, there is just so much music. I listened to things my friends would recommend or stuff that I was drawn to from listening to the radio or watching MTV. There are all these classic bands that have a really strong image still so I would always be curious about checking them out – like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Cure and stuff like that. You can go to the mall and see all this stuff from these old bands and it makes you think that you should find out what it is about.”
That Girls can meld pop, indie, new wave and sixties sounds together so seamlessly points towards a resurgence of melodic songwriting in indie circles. Owens agrees and views it as a grassroots movement that is now getting wider attention. “I can see a big trend in pop melodies coming though. It’s pretty refreshing; it’s music that people like and it’s different to a few years ago when people were playing more noisy stuff or less pop-oriented music. I think it’s cool. Pop music has always been around but there’s a trend of DIY pop music popping up and it’s interesting to see what people do at home.”
Australian audiences keen to hear Album loud and in person shouldn’t have to wait long, with dates being currently finalised and expected to be in the early months of next year.
“I don’t know specifically but I know it’s in the works. We’re talking with people from Australia and trying to set that up now. I’m not exactly sure on the details but it will be soon,” Owens confirms. The perfect summer album may just well end up being the perfect summer gig too.
Girls’ Album is out now on Pod through Inertia.
