Church Girls—Philly’s emerging indie-punk outfit—delivers urgent catharsis on The Haunt (out NOW on Anchor Eighty Four Records) providing “a glimmer of hope amidst nihilism,” says bandleader Mariel Beaumont. The record tackles themes of addiction and despondency in a poetic will to move forward towards healing and developing healthier habits. The group has been busy since their last, critically acclaimed EP, Cycles. The band is currently on their longest U.S. tour yet, in support of their sophomore LP, The Haunt (out now via Anchor Eighty Four), produced by Scott Solter (Spoon, St. Vincent, The Mountain Goats).
The post-punk aggression of The Haunt combined with Beaumont’s undying ploy to “pour gasoline and burn everything in our wake (in order to rise from the ashes)” foster controlled anger in the name of sapping the noxious and unwelcome return of addiction. The title track’s bruising rhythms and arresting guitar melodies catapult Beaumont’s vocals to the edge of the album’s wry, indelible refrain: “I’m so sick of shoving dirt in a bottomless pit.” Replete with gang vocals, the band relishes their ability to let the dirt shower over musty skeletons with dizzying guitars, subtle organ stabs and sticky bass lines. Consisting of Mariel Beaumont, Joseph Wright (guitar), Vince Vullo (bass) and Julien Varnier (drums), Church Girls conflate and implement fervor, breezing past the listener in all of one minute and 39 religious seconds on the title track. Church Girls make it wholly transparent, that they’re able to defeat mundanity and combat addiction by using their musical agility as a weapon, to snuff out meaninglessness, no quarter.
“These songs are personal, but also occasionally from the perspective of close friends or family members. Similar to prior themes, we’re trying to understand those close to us, who might be going through a rough time, whether it’s with addiction or divorce; it’s also a daily balance of—okay, how much am I supposed to be helping myself and how much am I supposed to be helping others?” Beaumont asks.
Parquet Courts, Can, Daughters, IDLES, Protomartyr, PUP, Interpol and Dinosaur Jr. are all staples in Church Girls’ repertoire of rock and post-punk influences. The Haunt contains some of these edgier, fuzzier, bristly moments that espouse physicality and give way to a more captivating live performance. “We’ve been going after something more tribal, a transcendent quality where you can feel it in your chest. That’s how I feel like we connect with our audience the best,” says Beaumont. “We play a little harder and faster now. I scream a little bit more. We’ve also been enjoying the regularity of mosh pits at our shows.”
Glide is thrilled to premiere the video for “Could’ve Been” (below) by Church Girls a riveting exhibition of rock combines noisy melodic rock of The Pixies and a mirage of ferocious indie that recalls Car Seat Headrest. Church Girls make an undeniable dent upon first, listen mixing a first impression and also leaving enough to discover upon further listens,
“Could’ve Been” is about watching someone you love self-destruct. It’s a relatable feeling. The concept of the video is that we’re each being haunted by ghosts, but it’s really just ourselves getting in our own way,” says Beaumont.
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