Goat Girl - Music, Activism and the Road Ahead.
Back in 2018 Britain was at a standstill, trapped at a parliamentary impasse, paralysed by the unfolding realities of our democratic decision to leave the European Union. With the release of their self-titled debut album, Goat Girl captured the mood of a generation caught on the wrong side of the vote. The project, dripping with self-assured punk energy and acerbic zeal, immediately cemented them as one of alternative music’s most vital political voices.
Six years on and not much has changed. Today, we find Britain still ravaged and divided. Now, as a result of the endless perpetuation of “culture wars”, the cost of living crisis and spiralling inequality, all spearheaded by the continued incompetence of an increasingly right-wing government. All the while, Goat Girl have remained a constant presence at the forefront of political discourse and now, once again, at the apex of British music.
Goat Girl. Credit: Holly Whitaker
Despite their extended musical hiatus, the band have continued to use their platform to highlight an array of social injustice. “We try really hard to be as authentic to our ethics and morals as possible, in what we decide to be a part of and what we decide to call out”, Lottie Pendlebury, the band’s lead singer, explains to me as we chat over zoom along with bandmate Rosy Jones.
Their collective willingness to draw attention to important societal issues alongside their musical output has become an integral part of the band’s collective and individual identities and a defiant act of bravery in the mire of a famously unforgiving industry. They are quick to point out however, that they are just one voice in a much bigger movement for social change, “I think it’s testament to the people that we are around and take inspiration from, bands like piglet and Leatherhead and our friends who do How To Catch A Pig”, an Instagram account that was initially “created to push back against the silencing of radical left wing art” and who regularly help fans avoid unintended complicity in systems of oppression that are convoluted and not always immediately apparent.
Goat Girl’s music has always been intrinsically linked to their activism and this is something that Lottie acknowledges stems, in no small part, from the creative freedom afforded by their label, “we’re supported by an independent label that really nurtures the creative decisions that artists make”. Unshackled, the band have always been able to do things their way both in and out of the studio and their new releases once again reflect that as they undergo yet another musical evolution. “We just make what we want to make” Rosy reaffirms, considering the band’s propensity for change.
Goat Girl. Credit: Holly Whitaker
Making the decision to carve out their own lane is a choice that has proved creatively fruitful for the trio. Setting an early benchmark in the recent post-punk revival, they rejected the allure of polished production and a more commercial sound in order to create something real, something grittier that truly resonated with them. Real, Lottie explained “necessitated us playing together in a room, not being separated in different compartments of a studio where you can’t see each other. We want to be in a room together, we want to create a sound that is absorbing and feels like we’re basically playing a gig”.
When the band returned earlier this year with ‘ride around’, a grungy guitar track that slowly melts away into a moment of euphoric, barn dancing ecstasy, it was clear that they continue to uphold those same foundational principles.
Now, they have shared ‘motorway’, the second instalment from their upcoming, third album Below The Waste, set for release via Rough Trade Records later this year.
On ‘motorway’’ the band lean heavily on the sonic palette that coloured their previous studio recording, On All Fours. A synth-laden, melodic pop song perfectly crafted for cruising through the night on one of Britain’s fabled M Roads (we’d choose the M5 with an obligatory stop at Gloucester services, of course). Discussing the track Lottie outlined how the vocal riff and theme of the song “conjured up feelings of being a kid in the backseat of a car, not knowing where you are heading but feeling content, or the fleeting moments you spend in new cities, and how the journey rather than destination sometimes feels like the main component”.
The track is also accompanied by a brand new music video directed by world famous choreographer and director, Holly Blakey who has previously worked with the likes of Florence & The Machine, Harry Styles and Rosalia to name just a few. Styling by Matthew Josephs, adds an additional layer of drama to the fantasy visuals with the dancers all dressed in archival Vivienne Westwood pieces.
Work on ‘motorway’ began during a residential recording session in Cornwall, “I think everyone had gone out for a cup of tea and I [Lottie] just started playing a synth based line and started singing over it. I recorded myself doing that on video and you can see me looking around because I didn’t want anyone to walk in. Even though we can all be very vulnerable with each other, I think there’s something about when you first have an idea, I find that I like to be alone with that for a bit and figure out what it is”.
Having laid down the initial concept, it took some time for the track to finally reveal itself to the band. “It went through lots of different iterations to get to where it is now, like a lot of songs on the album. Some of them happened quite easily but some of them went through mad journeys and this was one of them” Rosy reflects before concluding, “I remember hearing that vocal melody that Lottie had made and I just thought it was so cool and we thought, this is going to be our pop anthem”.
Riffing on these bolts of inspiration reflects how the band set about writing the rest of the record too, with each member independently bringing something new to the table. Lottie reminisces, “the way we did it for this album is we all individually made music. Throughout lockdown we’d been at it quite a lot so we decided to make a Soundcloud where we had access to everyone’s ideas, things that hadn’t been quite fleshed out or even something as small as someone humming and we just picked which ones we wanted to do”.
What became of these scraps still remains to be seen, however, those who recently managed to secure a ticket for the band’s six-date ‘Test Drive Tour’, that took them across the length and breadth of the country, would have got a sneak preview of what’s to come.
In a constantly evolving musical landscape, Goat Girl remain a reliable source of authenticity and activism. With their latest releases and the impending arrival of their third studio album Below The Waste, the band continue to defy convention and challenge the status quo. Through their unwavering commitment to their values and willingness to tackle social injustice, they continue to shape the discourse around alternative music while inspiring a new generation to stand up and speak out.
‘motorway’ is out now and Below The Waste is set for release via Rough Trade Records on 7th June 2024.
