“Girls” initially seems a rather incongruous moniker for the all-male duo of Christopher Owens and Chet JR White. However, the San Francisco-based pair’s preoccupation with the fairer sex on tracks such as ‘Headache’ and ‘Lauren Marie’ suggests it’s a name well-chosen. Their lovelorn music evokes those great pop hymns of Brian Wilson, even if the production is somewhat more unkempt and lo-fi than the revered Beach Boy would ever have allowed.
Vocalist Owens is a former member of the controversial Children of God cult and self-professed pill popper. And it shows. This is outsider music that feels utterly inclusive, the conventions of classic pop wrapped in a freak flag. ‘Big Bad Mean Mother Fucker’ is even more attention grabbing than its name; ‘Laura’ is the sort of pop ditty Elvis Costello produced at his peak. On ‘Ghost Mouth’ unrequited love leaves our hero all hollowed out and empty. However, with his hurt and weary croon, Owens makes such heartbreak sound supremely appealing. Girls have made a hell of an album.