As mentioned, Darger-referencing Vivian Girls are one of those newer Brooklyn bands we can’t stop listening to. The trio nail a C86 sound (see Shop Assistants) with layers of J&MC feedback and three-part harmonies that hit like Spector girl groups as much as early Slumberland noise-poppers (see Black Tambourine). Speedier songs like “All The Time,” “Wild Eyes” and “Never See Me Again” bring back K stalwarts Tiger Trap. For all the references, Cassie, Katy, and Ali bring their own spin (and hooks) to the table. They initially released their self-titled full-length debut on Mauled By Tigers in a vinyl-only edition of 500, but it sold out quickly so In The Red’s reissuing it as a CD and LP this fall. “Where Do You Run To” is one of its duskier, slower-paced gems.
If so inclined, you’ll hear “Wild Eyes,” “Tell The World,” “Never See Me Again,” and “Such A Joke” at the Girls’ MySpace. Before the re-release of the album, there’ll be a 7″ featuring two exclusives, “I Can’t Stay” and “Blind Spot.” More on that soon.
Vivian Girls is out 10/7 on In The Red. As of tonight they’re on tour, often with the excellent Crystal Stilts, but also opening for Fucked Up:
08/01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn *
08/04 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
08/05 – Montreal, Quebec @ Zoobizarre *
08/06 – Toronto, Ontario @ Sneaky Dee’s *
08/07 – West Lafayette, IN @ Zooleggers *
08/08 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean *
08/09 – Chicago, IL @ Ronny’s (Mauled by Tigers Fest)
08/11 – Columbus, OH @ Café Bourbon Street *
08/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rickety House *
08/13 – Washington, DC @ DC9 *
08/14 – Chapel Hill, NC @ The Cave *
08/15 – Baltimore, MD @ Nerve Center *
08/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Pi Lam *
08/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Death by Audio
09/02 – Brooklyn, NY @ Death by Audio *
09/06 – New York, NY @ East Village Radio Festival
09/12 – Swarthmore, PA @ Swarthmore College
09/19 – New York, NY @ Cake Shop
09/20 - Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club
09/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Danger Danger Gallery
09/24 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
09/26 – Memphis, TN @ GONER FEST
09/29 – Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light #
09/30 – Greenboro, NC @ TBD #
10/01 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar #
10/03 – New York, NY @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise %
10/12 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott $
10/13 – Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theatre $
10/15 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom $
10/16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel $
10/17 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar $
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary $
10/19 – Washington, DC @ Rock And Roll Hotel $
* w/ Crystal Stilts
# w/ Tyvek
% w/ Dark Meta
$ w/ Fucked Up
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these girls are great. i can’t get enough of them right now. i can’t wait to see what they do in the future. i’m expecting pretty great things.
hey that was great. ive been meaning to give them a listen.
cute girls does not a good band make.
Very smart observation, sir, but these girls really aren’t that cute. Could it be that you’re just a sexist jerk who would accuse any female band of using their looks to get to the top, or do you use that same line of logic against Vampire Weekend?
sexist? no.
intelligible person with a discerning ear? yes.
leave it to brooklyn to make a lack of talent hip…
Well guess what, this Intelligible Person With a Discerning Ear happens to like this band, although your air-tight piece of critiques certainly gave me pause.
Can’t speak for the live show, but the initial tracks I’ve heard sound rich and refreshing. I really like the harmonies, too.
They sound like a less polished version of the Pipettes. This is not a good thing.
favorite new band of the year alert! also, good call on the tiger trap reference, brando.
with all the hype, i figured i was missing something when i struggled to find what makes these girls unique. then, i saw them live and was further disappointed…not to mention i heard equally horrible things about their level of professionalism from club workers.
i always applaud anything on stereogum, but the ball was dropped on this one =(
heard a thing or two as well, what have you heard?
great on record, lousy live. too much reverb on the vocals made them sound like Enya at silent barn. maybe after a few months of touring…
They’re getting better live.
They had a lineup change very recently, so they’re working out the kinks.
I was at the Silent Barn show, and yeah, that was rough, but I think they just got new gear and it was the new drummer’s 1st or 2nd show?
Regardless, I’ve seen them play great as well..
Hard to deal with? Are you nuts? They’re super-sweet and totally overwhelmed by the hype.
This sounds quite a bit like Team Dresch, Heavens to Betsy, Excuse 17, the Frumpies and about a million other bands from the mid-nineties.
it wasn’t very good then either.
There’s one band in particular from that era that this sounds exactly like, but I’d have to spend way too much time on youtube listening to bad music to remember what their name was.