Single Of The Week
Girls At Our Best!: Warm Girls (Record Records).
Never underestimate an independent. The small labels are no longer the guaranteed bastion of first-class quality control they might have been a couple of years ago, but those writing them off entirely are doing so at their own peril. Even in a great week for singles, the unsung outsider is always liable to pop up from nowhere to assert itself at the top of the pile.
Enter Girls At Our Best!, this week’s swinging surprise package!
‘Warm Girls’ is a slice of superbly crafted pop, a bitter swipe at the stupid marriage syndrome and all the sanctimonious civil ceremony that can entail:
“I sing and I write and my fiancé and I love to travel/All the girls are so friendly/We do enjoy this life so much/We’re all such wonderful friends/And I love little children…”
The economic raunch of swirling gothic guitars and crisp, controlled female vocals are counterpointed by the slap and swish of a disco backbeat as the Girls deliver an ironic tirade which steers well clear of the customary Cortina-and-semi clichés. Musically, there are a few subtle similarities to anyone from The Raincoats through Delta 5 and Penetration to Siouxsie, although nothing detracts from the fact that ‘Warm Girls’ is very much a fresh, original record
Adrian Thrills
Adrian Thrills wrote for the NME, so this is probably from there. He currently writes for the Daily Mail.