Our Girl are a three piece from Brighton in the UK. A band that caught my eye when I saw them supporting Marika Hackman and I was sure I recognised the singer... Of course I did it's Soph Nathan from The Big Moon! How Soph manages to sort her schedule out is beyond my logistical thinking - and to refer to Our Girl as a side project would be misrepresenting their hunger, drive and sheer talent. But where Our Girl really shines for me is Josh Tyler's bass work - it's absolutely sublime and I find it very hard to even look past it on this album because it entices me with every listen.
But once you break out of the grasp you have Lauren Wilson's drumming to contend with which drives the songs along at such a pace that you never have time to stop and look around. And then there's the layers and layers of guitars - it hurts to think of how long has been spent ensuring that this album is sonically so perfect.
The album opens with their self-titled tune "Our Girl" which was one of the first songs the band ever played together so to see this put at the forefront of their debut album brings their journey to a perfect circle - oh yeah, it's also one of the finest songs I've ever heard in my life. The slow guitar build up sets the tone and then they obliterate that tone and it builds into this wonderfully melodic song that is quite simply delightful. I could say that this is one of Soph's finest vocal performances on the album as well but I'd be lying because her vocals are perfect across the board.
"Being Around" is a personal favourite on the album and it's definitely the catchiest. A lot more fleshed out and better produced than when we all first heard it on the Normally EP - but it remains true to it's orginal sound and has only built on that and expanded so that it's stadium ready. And that's something I've noticed about this album in the hundreds of times I've listened to it since its release - this is the sound of a band so confident in their own sound and so comfortable making the music that they are. And this is no more evident than in the song "In My Head" where towards the end of the song it begins to get quicker and quicker.
Words can't describe the genius of this album. You just need to go and listen to it.
10/10