Girl Band Detail First New Album in Four Years, Release Sharp New Single

Dublin-based noisemakers Girl Band have returned with a thundering new track from their new album The Talkies, out Sept. 27 via Rough Trade.

“Shoulderblades” is sharp and acetic. Abrasive, scraping guitars and caustic, deafening drums fade in and out as vocalist Dara Kiely explodes to life and slowly builds an unsettling momentum. Chokes and crackles of loud noise shatter around Kiely as he brings the song to its cacophonous and disturbing end.

The new single is accompanied by a frightening music video featuring dancer Oona Doherty moving erratically in frames of blue and red (with her twitches appearing two steps removed from your worst nightmare). The video was directed by longtime collaborator Bob Gallagher, whose previous work with the band earned him a nomination for best director at the 2016 Berlin Music Video awards.

The band also announced details of their forthcoming sophomore album. The follow-up to 2015’s Holding Hands With Jamie, The Talkies was produced by bassist Daniel Fox and recorded at Ballintubbert House, a stately home in Dublin whose mysticism inspired the concept of the album, which drummer Alan Duggan calls “an audio representation of the house” in a statement.

The band will embark on a short U.S. and U.K. tour in support of The Talkies, the band’s first shows since cutting their 2017 tour short for health concerns.

Check out the band’s new single, the album’s official artwork and tracklist, and their upcoming tour dates below. You can preorder The Talkies here ahead of its Sept. 27 release.

The Talkies Artwork:

The Talkies Tracklist:
01. Prolix
02. Going Norway
03. Shoulderblades
04. Couch Combover
05. Aibophobia
06. Salmon of Knowledge
07. Akineton
08. Amygdala
09. Caveat
10. Laggard
11. Prefab Castle
12. Ereignis

Girl Band Tour Dates:

October
02 – Chicago, Ill. @ Beat Kitchen
04 – Allston, Mass. @ Great Scott
05 – Philly, Pa. @ Boot and Saddle
06 – Washington, D.C. @ Songbyrd, DC
08 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Elsewhere

November
02 – Manchester, U.K. @ Academy 2
05 – London, U.K. @ Electric Ballroom
07 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique
10 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Le Guess Who
12 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
14 – Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
22 – Dublin, Ireland @ Vicar Street