Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup is the mentor for the teenage Texas rock band, NOT UR GIRLFRENZ. They are one of the youngest bands on the planet, one of the youngest bands you’ve ever willingly listened to, and one of the youngest bands ever to go on a Vans Warped Tour. They recently visited the UK on the Bowling for Soup and Patent Pending “Almost Christmas Tour.” Their average age is thirteen.
If you like Dollyrots style feminine punk, coated with a thin layer of crispy sugar, then you will love the new launch from NOT UR GIRLFRENZ — their sweet-pop debut EP titled New Kids in America.
The energetic and empowering ‘No One Asked You Anyway’ is already a successful single and with pitch perfect vocals from high-note princess Liv Haynes (also on guitar) the smoothest drum-breaks ever from the talented Maren Alford and tight, thumby rhythms from Liv’s sister Gigi on bass — this has power anthem credentials written all over it.
The title-track ‘New Kids in America’ begins with a smart slice of a cappella before the number shoots into hyper-drive and the rhythm takes on the quality of something that might have been offered by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince back in 1988. (But don’t worry, it’s not nearly so lame ‘n’ corn-bally as you might think…) After the hip-hop bump we get a stunning radio-friendly chorus that pipes clear of the background and reminds us of the kind of perfection once offered by Natalie Imbruglia — paired with the crazy, spontaneous action of Blink-182. It’s not often you hear such an ingenious combination of ideas and influences in one brilliant pop product, but here it is, the complete package. This tells you all you need to know about the girl-band: they are as image-concious as Stefani, as cheekily outspoken as Alice Bag and as exciting as The Slits.
‘Friends or Memories’ is a breathtaking sparkle of pop with incredible rhythm wedges and carbonated guitars. The drums simmer and bristle and the chorus is compelling. This number is irresistible.
Since these musicians are so young, they’re not (yet) aimless adolescents jingling-on about destroyed hearts, toilet humor, the mysterious effects of alcohol, or going beyond second base… No! These kick-ass girls are astute, media-savvy technicians moving into a new era of music-making in which business brains are required and only grand strategies will make it through to the end. You can predict, from the evidence of this recording — nothing will stand in their way.
Warning: with NOT UR GIRLFRENZ being so young you don’t get attitude problems or curse words and you don’t get the whiff of falsehood that normally comes with punk act territory. However, we’re a bit nervous they might eventually succumb to that contagious pathogen that infects similar artists: It’s known as Avril Lavigne Syndrome… you know, the symptoms don’t you? Victims start off intelligent, sarcastic, witty and clever and gradually turn into air-headed scatter-brains with nothing much to say. Please don’t let this happen…
But right now NOT UR GIRLFRENZ offer an ingenious combination of ideas and influences in one brilliant-bright pop-punk product.
Read our interview with the band here.
