Girls Names - A Troubled See

Formed in January 2009, Girls Names quickly garnered recognition outside of the confines of their hometown of Belfast with the release of their eponymous debut EP in 2010 through New York's Captured Tracks. A mini-album through London imprint Tough Love soon followed, setting the foundations for their critically acclaimed debut LP Dead To Me, released in April last year again by Tough Love in Europe and cult West Coast label Slumberland Records in the US.

Girls Names return in 2012 and are hinting at a slightly different direction and its all the more positive for it. This new single titled ‘A Troubled See’ makes up one half of a 7” split with label mates Weird Dreams. The release will be available from Tough Love records on 25th June and Slumberland Records the following day. The track itself has a wonderful simplicity, an endearing guitar hook that pulls the hip muscles back and forth yet staying that side of the dirty track where it’s ok to hang out. The band will also be playing a handful of shows in May including a performance at Primaverafestival in Barcelona.

After a successful tour of Europe in October last year supporting stand alone single ‘Black Saturday’, Girls Names began to hint at a possible directional shift away from their often misperceived surf and indie-pop roots into something more a kin to Krautrock and Psychedelia. Indeed, the band has expanded to a four-piece and has spent the last six months in virtual seclusion honing and developing a more progressive and expansive sound, feeding on the darker sides of Echo and The Bunnymen, Spacemen 3, The Birthday Party and David Bowie's Low.

So here we are in 2012 and Girls Names are going to come out of hiding with a sophomore record and right now ‘A Troubled See’ is as solid an introduction to the forthcoming chapter as you’re going to get.

Release/catalogue number: SLR 176