Girls Names - The New Life

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 2011, again by Tough Love in Europe and West Coast label Slumberland Records in the US. October 2011 brought the excellent "Black Saturday" single, a frisky slice of dark, driving pop. Earlier this year the band released "A Troubled See" as one side of a split 7" with Weird Dreams, also on Slumberland/Tough Love. "A Troubled See" startled with it's stark precision, pointing to a new direction.

Girls Names are now hinting at making their boldest and most exciting record to date. New single "The New Life" clocks in at over 7 minutes and takes you on a journey that mirrors the feelings of a band living and working in economy stricken Northern Ireland - the perfect soundtrack of the bleakness to where they exist. The B-side is a mesmerizing, dubbed-out JD Twitch Optimo remix of the single.

This year the band 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" before heading off on a triumphant Spring/Summer European tour culminating on their biggest and most successful shows to date at the prestigious Primavera sound festival in Barcelona.

A new full length is currently being finished off but for now it seems Girls Names are intent on making a lasting impression with "The New Life." It certainly feels as though the band is ready to enter a new phase in their existence and the way they've grown and honed their sound shows that they're not afraid to take risks.

"The New Life" 12" is out now on Slumberland Records (North America)/Tough Love (Rest of World).