ALBUM REVIEW – GOAT GIRL: UNDER THE WASTE: Silent Radio

Goat Girl is an indie rock trio consisting of Lottie Pendlebury, Rosy Jones and Holly Mullineaux. The band has gone through a few member changes since their debut album in 2018, which introduced the world to their ambitious bluesy post-punk sound. However, there were quite a few disappointing moments on this album, notably the melodies which often fell flat. The band’s 2021 record, On All Fours, transformed their folk punk sound into a more artistic rock approach that relied heavily on synths to create these new wave dance tunes. Unfortunately, this direction seemed much more watered down and less impactful than their debut.

After experimenting with their sound for so long, it’s obvious that Goat Girl’s third studio album, Below the Waste, is where they found the sound they were looking for. This time, we are offered a more fleshed-out and psychedelic style. Having been disappointed by the inconsistency of their last two albums, I arrived completely surprised by the improvements made; the loud and irregular moments are what really keep me engaged, with some innovative ideas displayed elsewhere.

The album begins unpredictably with “Reprise,” a short, atmospheric interlude that attempts to set the mood of the LP through the use of ambient noise and layered vocals. From there, the track flows into the intoxicating “Ride Around” and “Words Fell Out.” The former takes an industrial rock sound that features grunge guitars, and the latter has a more stripped-down post-punk feel.

This project often focuses on addiction work, with the band being very open about having written a few tracks due to drummer Rosie Jones’ struggles with addiction and the fact that they sometimes needed a lot of support. This can be seen through songs such as “Words Fell Out”, which contains moving lyrics, such as “I’d talk to empty eyes, we’d talk a lot, we’d tell each other what’s going on” and the track “Tcnc”. being an acronym for “Take Care Not Crack”.

From there, we smoothly transition into “Where’s Ur <3,” where the album begins to deteriorate slightly. The main problem with this project is how much of the tracks seem to drag on, making the whole thing feel like a bit of a slog to get through. Sure, there are a few gems like “Tonight,” which is one of the weaker tracks on the album, but at some point the slower tracks become a little too tedious.

Overall, Below the Waste is Goat Girl’s most creative album, leaving behind the more guitar sound they had become accustomed to and replacing it with a psychedelic pop feel. There are a few disjointed moments that result in a lack of engagement, but it’s very nice to see an improvement in the production since the band’s last track, mainly thanks to John “Spud” Murphy taking on the role of co-producer and mixing engineer, the same producer behind the sounds of black midi’s work. There’s also better execution of the interludes scattered throughout the LP that feel like they’re building some sort of atmosphere before quickly moving on to the next song. After refining their sound with this record, it would be very intriguing to see what they can offer with future releases.

Goat Girl: Under the Waste – Exit 7th June 2024 (Gross trade)

Goat” frameborder=”0″allowfullscreen> Girl – the words fell (Official Video) (youtube.com)