Girl Tones have officially established themselves as our favorite femme fatales of punk rock, with the release of their long-awaited debut album, Precious.
Produced by Brad Schultz of Cage The Elephant under his label Parallel Vision, Precious delivers a timeless Y2K-inspired punk rock sound, with complex themes that explore the complications of becoming who you are and accepting that person. It’s exactly what you’d picture Kat Stratford from the film 10 Things I Hate About You to be blasting in her car, alongside “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
The brilliant minds behind Girls Tones are sisters Kenzie and Laila Crowe from Bowling Green, KY. In 2017, the Crowe sisters left their past lives as classically trained musicians and made the switch to punk pop. They have since been releasing single after single filled with angst and grit, while touring alongside Cage The Elephant, The Silversun Pickups, The Velveteers and more. Following the release of Precious, Girl Tones will embark on their very first headlining tour, starting in Chicago and ending in Decatur, Georgia.
Girl Tones blew up with the release of their thrilling single “Again,” which is the sixth track on Precious. “Again” tiptoes around the frustration of being disappointed in people, before smashing through the floor to the chorus that features an electric guitar and drum earthquake that will light you up inside.
As music fans, we all got our love and unique tastes for music somewhere. I got much of mine from my mom, who raised me listening to 90s female artists that redefined pop music and stripped away the sexualization of female pop stars. Some examples include Alanis Morissette, Belly, Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple and more. These women made music about femininity, and all of its complexities. Precious is a modern masterpiece for the female punk-rock world, with so many of its lyrics striking chords with women who have been through the exact experiences Girl Tones sings about.
Alongside “Again,” Precious reintroduced “Cherry Picker” as the first track, “Stubborn Mouth” as the fourth and many other pre-released singles that complete the attitude of the album as a whole.
The most recent single prior to the release of the album was “Pretty Face,” a single that perhaps defines Girl Tones’ central message: Hiding who you are in order to be accepted is a waste of time and energy, and the fact that we feel the need to do this is something to be pissed off about.
“It’s just another pretty face, all of the flaws you can’t erase, buried in a shallow grave, you lose it all when you numb the pain,” sings Crowe in the first verse.
“Pretty Face” also tackles themes of addiction, self-perception and acceptance, and how the three of those things can become easily intertwined.
“You took the pills, did it make you whole? / It’s totally useless,” sings Crowe in the first part of the chorus. In the main chorus, she sings “Heaven’s not a rat race, picture perfect ricochet.”
The lyrics of “Pretty Face” are invasive and perceptive. They strike the heartstrings of anyone who has tried to break outside the walls of who they are supposed to be, and challenge them to think about it.
Precious shows us the versatility of Girl Tones as musicians. With the release of the album, listeners got two new tracks, both slightly exceptional compared to anything they’ve done in the past.
“Glowing Buzz” leans into the more pop-punk side of Girl Tones, with euphoric harmonies that embody the idea of a glowing buzz, while still maintaining their signature grungy guitar.
“Mirror” is one of the most vulnerable songs that Girl Tones has released yet. It is the last track on the album, and it switches out the energetic guitar for a heartfelt acoustic one.
“What would happen if I gave it up right now / would I be forever lost or one day found?” are the lyrics that open the song.
It is a vulnerable love song about the end of something that nearly once defined you.
“A kiss on the cheek / a final goodbye / I’m looking at you, it’s just like a mirror,” Crowe sings.
“Mirror” struggles with loss, and how all of the bad things in life will try to define you if you let them.
“Wait for the call, break the noose / it’s not your fault, you don’t get to choose,” sings Crowe.
Choosing “Mirror” to end Precious feels like a mic-drop for Girl Tones. It shows that underneath all the drive, passion and resilience, there is still a fragile person underneath it all, and that sometimes you must accept being broken in order to heal.
“I know you know” is the other softer track on the album, which tells the story of a relationship ending and how one-sided breakups can feel.
“In your mind I’ve disappeared / I am a friend never a foe / so it’s not fair to tell me to let it go”
It’s a full-circle song, with an ending that sprinkles in the familiar punk rock guitar that Girl Tones does so well. The guitar completes the song — in terms of metaphorical sound — it could represent acceptance.
As music fans, we all got our love and unique tastes for music somewhere. I got much of mine from my mom, who raised me listening to 90s female artists that redefined pop music and stripped away the sexualization of female pop stars. Some examples include Alanis Morissette, Belly, Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple and more. These women made music about femininity, and all of its complexities. Precious is a modern masterpiece for the female punk-rock world, with so many of its lyrics striking chords with women who have been through the exact experiences Girl Tones sings about.
In “Volcano” the second-to-last track on the album, Crowe sings about existentialism and the philosophy that nothing exciting or rewarding in life will come to you without a challenge.
“It’s kinda boring being so square / What’s the point in having dreams?” begins the song, relating to taking the easy way out. We often settle for less than our potential out of fear of failure, or the devil on your shoulder telling you that the life you crave is too far out of reach.
However, if you’re anything like Girl Tones, that feeling festers in your head and eventually, settling begins to build up, like pressure in a volcano.
“Crash out at the bar, throw my phone out the window / I’m sick of pacing back and forth in the shadows / Pressure’s building up in a volcano” sings Crowe in the chorus.
“Volcano” and “Mirror,” being the two songs to end the album, make the picture of Precious perfect. They are polar opposites, representing humanity in its raw form. It really shows the versatility that the Crowe sisters have as artists, and has set the tone for an exciting future for fans and music journalists alike.
As music fans, we all got our love and unique tastes for music somewhere. I got much of mine from my mom, who raised me listening to 90s female artists that redefined pop music and stripped away the sexualization of female pop stars. Some examples include Alanis Morissette, Belly, Liz Phair, Fiona Apple and more. These women made music about femininity, and all of its complexities. Precious is a modern masterpiece for the female punk-rock world, with so many of its lyrics striking chords with women who have been through the exact experiences Girl Tones sings about.
Be sure to stream Precious on Apple Music or Spotify, and catch them on tour in your city.
November 14 – SubT – Downstairs – Chicago, IL (SOLD OUT)
November 15 – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH
November 17 – Nikki Lopez – Philadelphia, PA
November 18 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
November 19 – DC9 – Washington, DC
November 21 – Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC (SOLD OUT)
November 22 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA (SOLD OUT)
Keep up with Girl Tones
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