This year, we’re going to have a whole week of 2014 retrospective pieces covering such topics as our DJs’ favorite music videos, live shows, twitter presences, album covers, and more! Our first post in this vein, fittingly, is the ‘Best Newcomer’ distinction, which goes to…

Girlpool

Courtesy of Alice Baxley.

Delightfully in your face, Girlpool’s debut EP is seven tracks of scraggly twang and heartbreak smooshed into skeletal punk melodies. Calling back those younger years when your way of seeing the world was what mattered most, WVAU’s 2014 ‘Best Newcomer’ writes songs that sound like raw scraped knees and rebellion.

Somehow, Los Angeles’ Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad own the sound waves simply, with only one guitar, one bass and two bold voices. They braid these sonic strands together and streak them with purple creating a sound that is sassy and set free. And live, their composure and ease on stage exposes even more than impressive musicianship. Listen closer and and you’ll hear cuts that go much deeper. 

Courtesy of Alice Baxley.

The contents of Girlpool’s lyrics are perhaps some of the most honest portrayals of girlhood. Each song is a diary entry or a feeling that was hard to swallow. The word choices are blunt and often ironically unladylike yet speak to the insecurities and relatable experiences we ladies have all felt at some point. In “Slutmouth” lines like, “I don’t really care about the clothes I wear/I don’t really care to brush my hair/I go to school every day/just to be made a housewife some day” exemplify the pressures and confessions of what it is like growing up in the 21st century. It is a bit haunting to hear “I hid the key just in case he wanted me” (“Paint Me Colors”) and reflect upon its relatable accuracy. 

So it’s pretty awesome that 2014 was graced with the presence of these music scene rookies. And it was even more awesome to witness the crowd’s dumfounded reaction when the duo played “Jane” during a CMJ showcase at Death By Audio – why are some so pleasantly shocked when girls shout out loud from the heart?

Tune in tomorrow for our top five music videos of 2014!