My schedule hasn’t lined up well for covering KEXP instudio sessions lately, so I made it work for me this past Monday. I signed up for an afternoon shoot with the band U.S. Girls, whom I admit I wasn’t very familiar with. I have seen my friends attending their concerts or sets at festivals lately, and after a quick listen to their music, I was intrigued.
I found out that U.S. Girls is the project of vocalist Meghan Remy, who previously was known for her punk background and activism. Though U.S. Girls ventures into pop and funk in some cases, the content and messages of the songs are still quite progressive and contemplative regarding the current state of U.S. politics.
U.S. Girls also incorporates much collaboration from other artists. “Over 20” musicians have contributed, Remy says, on her latest album In a Poem Unlimited. Remy encourages people to review liner notes for albums, because she believes you'll likely enjoy the other projects done by those who have worked on her record. For her current tour, Remy brought 7 other band mates who all seemed as invested as she in their live performance at KEXP.
A few songs off of In a Poem Unlimited that were played during the instudio were “M.A.H.,” which features the lyrics “As if you couldn't tell, I'm mad as hell // I won't forget, so why should I forgive?” and “Velvet 4 Sale,” a track which eloquently investigates the feeling of vulnerabilty that automatically comes with being born as a woman, and the contemplation of purchasing a gun (to take up arms) for safety.
Though Remy’s messages are serious and purposeful, the actual tonality of the music is light and funky. Sometimes, Remy’s voice is obviously a throw-back to another era of female musicians, transporting me to a disco dancefloor while in 2018 - this ridiculousness is multiplied by the fact that I’ve never been on one. Expectations of what femininity looks like and sounds like in the music industry of today do not matter. Remy solidifies this with her juxtaposition of vibrant music and weighty ideas. What’s so weird about wanting to dance and fight the machine at the same time?
With the current political climate, it makes sense that there would be a desire for such expression. I can’t think of a better city than Seattle to embrace the messages of Remy and co., which means it came as no surprise to me that U.S. Girls performed later the same evening to a sold out crowd at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard.
