Girlpool, as a duo, has gone through quite a bit of transition, both personally and musically, over the past half-decade since releasing their eponymous debut in 2014. On a personal level, co-singer/songwriter Cleo Tucker came out as transgender and has started transitioning as his bandmate, Harmony Tividad, has been struggling with her mental health. As a band, what began as two friends strumming guitar and bass while yelling out angsty, socially conscious lyrics has morphed into a much more mature sounding band complete with drums and bass.
The majority of the duo’s new album What Chaos Is Imaginary weaves back and forth between shoegazy rockers and Elliott Smith-inspired lamenting pop songs. Tracks “Hire” and “All Blacked Out” immediately bring to mind albums like XO and Roman Candle as the guitar picking and swinging drum beat replicate Smith’s signature sounds. Songs like “Where You Sink” incorporate gauzy guitar effects and muffled drums to create a perfect shoegaze song. Tucker’s deeper vocals pair well with Tavidad’s on the album much more so than previous albums. This is best exemplified on the title track as Tucker’s ethereal background vocals lend a perfect balance to Tavidad’s. One of the standouts on the album, “Hoax and the Shrine” really shows how much the duo has matured in their songwriting. While the track harkens back to their stripped down instrumentation, Tavidad’s vocals are soft and haunting as opposed to the angsty yells of the past.
On What Chaos Is Imaginary, Tucker and Tividad have created an album that find the duo embracing their personal changes while still writing honest and deep lyrics. The harmonies and melodies on the album are far above those on past albums. While their musical influences are at times painfully obvious, the duo manages to put their own spin on each track. Fans of the band will find themselves listening to the album again and again. Those that didn’t care much for the band in the past should definitely give the album a listen and might find themselves converted.
Photo Credit: Ilana Kozlov
