WHO ARE THE GIRLS? review - They're badasses
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Who Are the Girls? is the debut album of British punk duo, Nova Twins, released in 2020 by 333 Wreckords Crew. Nova Twins consists of Amy Love and Georgia Smith, two lifelong friends who had originally started up Nova Twins in 2014 under the name BRAATS. Since then, they've renamed, got some pretty impressive praise from folks like Tom Morello, and have been picked up by THE FEVER 333 frontman Jason Aalon Butler's independent label, 333 Wreckords Crew. I found out about them by Wikipedia diving through Butler's page, and was intrigued. I have been listening to them for about a month or so, and have to say, this is exactly my kinda shit.
Are you tired of shitty instrumental performances from "rock" bands like Imagine Dragons? Well, look no further than this album, in which Amy and Georgia take their guitars and profoundly murder them in the way that a Tom Morello would. And yet, as many Rage Against the Machine vibes as this album gives me, I must stress that these two succeed in doing their own thing that is pretty awesome in its own right. But if you're someone who's been dying for that record-scratching, energized kinda rap metal, you'll probably dig the hell outta WAtG?. Amy's rapping and screaming likewise kicks ass on the instrumentals and can get pretty grimy (in a good way). Her voice suits this project perfectly; aggressive, dominant, loud, occasionally creepy or seductive, never glamorous. Though the lyrics are rock solid with a few sick quotables in their own right, they aren't anywhere near as political as one might hope of a potential heir to the RATM legacy. Which I think Nova Twins could really be, if they wanted.
The album kicks off with the explosive "Vortex." Which is, by far, the best song off the album and a phenomenal liftoff. If it doesn't make my top 10 at the end of this year (assuming I do one, lol), you are free to assume I've been body-snatched. I ADORE this song, I'll listen to it nonstop, back-to-back for hours and it never bores me. Which either means the remainder of the album eventually disappoints somewhere in its tracklist by falling off or that the album is golden. Unfortunately, it's the former--but! It still kicks ass for the most part. Where it loses its footing is with track 8 of 10, "Ivory Tower," so there's 7 fucking bangers back-to-back before you get hit with a snag. "Undertaker" regains the momentum nicely, but then the closer, "Athena" is a bit of a mixed bag. Its chorus is electrifying, but the way it starts off is obnoxious as hell. So the bulk of this album is incredibly cathartic and excellent.
So yeah, I really recommend this, despite my quibbles with its back-end. Highlights include Vortex, "Devil's Face," "Taxi," "Not My Day," and "Play Fair." This is an incredibly raw album that has no interest in ever sounding sexy--well, unless you count the instrumentals, which are pretty sexy, and some of Amy's more darkly seductive delivery. I mean, I'd get it if you had a thing for these kinda rough, commanding vocals--I for one, um, might (okay, I do)--but my point is that that's not the point. This is a down and dirty record that drags you through the muck. I mean that as a compliment--that's the atmosphere they're shooting for, after all, innit? Who Are the Girls? gets a 9/10.
Awesome
Summary:
While Who Are the Girls? fumbles towards the ending, it remains an altogether kickass debut, and I can't wait to see more of these girls.
Who Are the Girls? is the debut album of British punk duo, Nova Twins, released in 2020 by 333 Wreckords Crew. Nova Twins consists of Amy Love and Georgia Smith, two lifelong friends who had originally started up Nova Twins in 2014 under the name BRAATS. Since then, they've renamed, got some pretty impressive praise from folks like Tom Morello, and have been picked up by THE FEVER 333 frontman Jason Aalon Butler's independent label, 333 Wreckords Crew. I found out about them by Wikipedia diving through Butler's page, and was intrigued. I have been listening to them for about a month or so, and have to say, this is exactly my kinda shit.
Are you tired of shitty instrumental performances from "rock" bands like Imagine Dragons? Well, look no further than this album, in which Amy and Georgia take their guitars and profoundly murder them in the way that a Tom Morello would. And yet, as many Rage Against the Machine vibes as this album gives me, I must stress that these two succeed in doing their own thing that is pretty awesome in its own right. But if you're someone who's been dying for that record-scratching, energized kinda rap metal, you'll probably dig the hell outta WAtG?. Amy's rapping and screaming likewise kicks ass on the instrumentals and can get pretty grimy (in a good way). Her voice suits this project perfectly; aggressive, dominant, loud, occasionally creepy or seductive, never glamorous. Though the lyrics are rock solid with a few sick quotables in their own right, they aren't anywhere near as political as one might hope of a potential heir to the RATM legacy. Which I think Nova Twins could really be, if they wanted.
The album kicks off with the explosive "Vortex." Which is, by far, the best song off the album and a phenomenal liftoff. If it doesn't make my top 10 at the end of this year (assuming I do one, lol), you are free to assume I've been body-snatched. I ADORE this song, I'll listen to it nonstop, back-to-back for hours and it never bores me. Which either means the remainder of the album eventually disappoints somewhere in its tracklist by falling off or that the album is golden. Unfortunately, it's the former--but! It still kicks ass for the most part. Where it loses its footing is with track 8 of 10, "Ivory Tower," so there's 7 fucking bangers back-to-back before you get hit with a snag. "Undertaker" regains the momentum nicely, but then the closer, "Athena" is a bit of a mixed bag. Its chorus is electrifying, but the way it starts off is obnoxious as hell. So the bulk of this album is incredibly cathartic and excellent.
So yeah, I really recommend this, despite my quibbles with its back-end. Highlights include Vortex, "Devil's Face," "Taxi," "Not My Day," and "Play Fair." This is an incredibly raw album that has no interest in ever sounding sexy--well, unless you count the instrumentals, which are pretty sexy, and some of Amy's more darkly seductive delivery. I mean, I'd get it if you had a thing for these kinda rough, commanding vocals--I for one, um, might (okay, I do)--but my point is that that's not the point. This is a down and dirty record that drags you through the muck. I mean that as a compliment--that's the atmosphere they're shooting for, after all, innit? Who Are the Girls? gets a 9/10.
Awesome
Summary:
While Who Are the Girls? fumbles towards the ending, it remains an altogether kickass debut, and I can't wait to see more of these girls.
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