Lush, colourful squelchy synths and glitchy electronic vibes
The album ‘GRLS I’ gives a rare insight into a beautifully surreal and occasionally chaotic world. There’s a dark magic to the songs which are both alluring and threatening in equal measure.
The music switches seamlessly from lush, colourful squelchy synths and delicate keys to unnerving glitchy electronic arrangements, feverish guitar and the occasional police siren. The result is a totally unpredictable and additive soundscape that keeps us hooked from start to finish, with each track delivering its own unique message lyrically. From the energetic, danceable upbeat single ‘fool for love’ to the unsettling dystopic emotional desperation of ‘dystopia’.
GRLS said about the album “….we were on academic probation at Berklee for throwing parties in our dorm room, skipping, and failing classes; all of this because of our urgent need to be working on our own project. This album was like having a white canvas with infinite possibilities and no limits for us…a disregard for genres.”
They continued to go into detail on the lead single “girl d’lescalier the song features vocals by a friend of ours from school named Pearl Michel. Diego sings the chorus while added voices and textures continue to appear across the track; there’s a recording of a woman telling a story, field recordings of breaking glass and flanged guitars that are meant to decorate and add tension to this song. Towards the end of the track there’s a verse in reverse, which we wanted to give an “alien feel” to the song.”
GRLS are Mexican multi-instrumentalists and producers Lucca Necoechea and Diego Andlovin who formed in 2018 during their brief time at the Berklee College of Music, Boston. Alumni from Berklee include the likes of producer royalty Quincy Jones and renowned jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. The pair made a decision to leave school after their first semester to focus full time on their debut album, raising funds through various creative outlets. Lucca modelled for brands such as Coca Cola, Prima Volta and Neo City. The duo also shot, directed and edited music videos for the likes of Girl Ultra & Little Jesus, including their latest single “Punk”, as well as working on various mixing and mastering projects.
For their debut album ‘GRLS I’ they enlisted the help of some of the songwriting and vocalist talent that they met whilst studying. Inspired by the music production and sounds coming from British artists such as Mura Masa and Shygirl, PinkPantheress and her use of drum & bass rhythms, as well as the lyricism and flow of artists like Slowthai and FKA Twigs.
The album project has since progressed into a unique multimedia experience. All music and visuals were written, produced, mixed, mastered, directed, photographed, and edited by GRLS.
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