Posted by ‘On All Fours’ is the sound of Goat Girl stepping into their own. Produced by Dan Care, it’s a little less spiky round the edges than the eponymous debut – a statement equally strident, but considered in its stances and elegant in its rage.
They don’t tolerate nonsense when clashing with creeps (‘I have no shame when I say step the fuck away’ tossed out matter-of-factly on opener ‘Pest)’. And there’s moments of proper musical expansiveness and play: Jazz in the Supermarket serves up wonky, tripped-out funk with post-apocalyptic goggles on. They toy with a bunch of styles and broader instrumentation, even sprinkling disco on its poppier edges. ‘They Bite On You’ smoulders, all vampiric sensuality and moodiest guitar.
‘Sad Cowboy’, the first single, leads us a walk through disorientation before synth swiped straight from an 90s banger lifts us to ravier lands – though it sounds like there’s tears on the dance-floor. Bittersweet abounds in the everyday details (‘P.T.S.Tea’) while ‘Anxiety Feels’ is the first song I’ve heard vocalise a panic attack from the inside: both vulnerable and strong in its admissions. This is proper modern pop music: fierce and intelligent in its explorations, defiant and cool in its tone. Wondrous.
8/10
Words: Marianne Gallagher
– – –
– – –