REVIEW: GIRLBAND! – GIRLBAND!

Nottingham trio GIRLBAND! make a rather impressive impression with their self titled debut album, delivering a collection of songs that brings together catchy melodies, alternative rock influences and plenty of personality. With a mixture of infectious hooks, guitars and some surprisingly laid back moments, there's plenty here to enjoy. It's a debut that manages to strike a nice balance between its rockier influences, its catchy lyrics and its more relaxed moments, giving the album plenty of appeal.

With its house-party inspiration, GIRLBAND! sets out to capture the friendships, relationships, late nights and everything else that comes with finding their feet in life. While the band clearly have a love for that raw, alternative '90s sound, there's also a softer, more accessible side to the record that makes it an easy album to sit back and enjoy.

Opening with Neighbour's House, the album immediately makes a good impression. It's incredibly catchy, with a poppy feel that gets things moving nicely. It's the sort of track that doesn't take long to get into the listener's head, providing a welcoming introduction to what GIRLBAND! have to offer.

Things pick up considerably with 5 AM. Bringing a much rockier sound, this is one of the album's strongest tracks. There's a really good beat running throughout, giving it an energy that makes it stand out. It's a reminder that GIRLBAND! are more than capable of delivering something with a bit of attitude when they want to.

She Said is another pleasant surprise. It's a track that really highlights just how good the vocals are. There's something about the delivery that draws listeners in, and before long, they're completely absorbed in the song. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make a track stand out, and the vocals here certainly do the job.

However, if there's one song that deserves the biggest mention, it's Televised. This is undoubtedly the standout track of the entire album. Everything seems to fall into place, and it hits exactly where it needs to. It's one of those songs that makes listeners stop and take notice, and it's easily the track that deserves another listen first.

Not every moment lands quite as well. Again Again Again isn't particularly as memorable as some of the stronger tracks, and it doesn't leave quite the same impression. But that's part of listening to an album as a whole. Not every song is going to be everyone's favourite, and there are certainly enough highlights here to make up for the occasional track that doesn't quite hit the mark.

What makes the record particularly enjoyable is its overall feel. Despite the band's garage-rock influences and fuzzy guitar sound, the album is a surprisingly pleasant and peaceful listen. It's the sort of record that can be put on, allowing listeners to switch off from everything else and simply enjoy the music. It might not be the type of music everyone would usually have on repeat, but there's something quite welcoming about it.

The closing track, Cooking, provides a particularly enjoyable ending. The raw-sounding vocals really stand out, bringing a little extra character to the final moments of the record. It's a great way to finish an album and leaves listeners with a positive impression once the music comes to an end.

Ultimately, GIRLBAND! have delivered a debut that feels full of personality. There's a mixture of catchy moments, rockier numbers and more laid-back tracks that gives the record enough variety to keep things interesting. While a couple of songs don't quite connect as strongly as others, the highlights more than make up for that.

It might not be an obvious choice for everyone's usual playlist, but sometimes it's good to step outside the comfort zone and give something different a chance. GIRLBAND! have certainly provided a few reasons to do just that.

An enjoyable, feel-good debut with some cracking highlights, strong vocals and a standout in Televised. Sometimes an album doesn't need to blow anyone's socks off; sometimes it just needs to offer something good to sit back and enjoy. GIRLBAND! deliver exactly that.

Score: 8/10

GIRLBAND! will be released on 13th November 2026 via self release.

Words: Jack Norris

Photos: GIRLBAND!