Girl Scout
We bring you our new Brooklyn obsession with Girl Scout, who premiere the rock & rage of their new single “Beware of Dog” featured off the forthcoming four track EP +4. Lead by Jeremy Zerbe & an ever-evolving lineup that has seen the act move from Pittsburgh to NYC & recorded by Darren Diederich at Darren’s Room, The Kitchen with Danny Heffernan, The Glass Wall with Joshua Valleau, The Dad Pad with Brendan Walsleben (who also mixed the EP), with mastering by Garrett Haines at Treelady Studios. Zerbe wields a mighty axe & rocks to the inspiration of what sounds like the artist’s own creative volition & vision that features cameos from Boston’s Harry O’Toole (of Today Junior) & a sax assist from Brandon Tesh. With a purposeful release date set for Inauguration Day, Girl Scout takes aim at the hyper-masculine cult of hubris takeover that threatens whatever shards & scraps of former democratic luxuries that were previously afforded to the rest of us 99%.
“Beware of Dog” is the sound of what happens when you trespass into a neighbor’s yard or property without heeding the displayed warning signs & placards intended to deter all unwanted patrons. The guitars gnash, bash & growl like the menacing mouth & teeth of a bad & mad dog chasing about the astray potential perpetrators like a ridiculous dog versus man chase set into full motion. Jeremy & Scouts have made a wild song that is destined to be on all the skate videos of the future where every blare of fuzz blares like a blasting cap of skronk that only further accelerates the tempo & exhiliration. Girl Scout’s “Beware of Dog” is the sound of the unsuspexting cul-de-sac baseball diamond outfielder that hops a fence to catch an errant foul ball only to find a neighbors backyard that is a glorified kennel. The ferocity rages like your favorite east coast hardcore acts that rocks, rolls & riots with a conciousness that is in a world all their own & far from concerned about whatever the latest pop fads or crazes are. Immediately following the debut of “Beware of Dog”, read our interview with Jeremy Zerbe.
Also care to share some words about the making of the EP?
We recorded the majority of +4 back in 2013 at the same time as our first EP, originally intending to either record more stuff right away to use for a full-length or have extra songs for splits or things like that. But people moved and lineups changed and I eventually moved to New York and reformed the band with new members, so we never really found the time to finish the songs. It ended up working out really great though, because I got to meet some really great musicians who are featured on a couple of the tracks, like saxophonist Brandon Tesh and Harry O’Toole from a Boston surf-rock band called Today Junior who plays the solo on “Beware of Dog.” Harry is fantastic. I just sent him the track, he ripped out a killer solo and we slipped it in. It was exactly what I was hoping for.
Would you care to pen an introductory paragraph about the making of “Beware of Dog”?
“Beware of Dog” was inspired by something I saw online that made me laugh. It was a picture of a house with one of those “Beware of Dog” signs in the window, and up on the porch roof was this big doberman, just standing there. I know a lot of people start with riffs or with lyrics, but lot of our songs start with the title, something I think is funny or interesting, and the sound of the song comes out of that name. So obviously a song called “Beware of Dog” was always going to be fast and hectic. It’s one of two more punk-ish songs from that recording session (the other being “Nosebleed” on the first EP), and our old bassist, Dane Gaydosh, sang on both of them.
What’s next for Girl Scout?
Right now, we’re working on our first full-length album, finally catching up on recording the songs we’ve been playing live for the last two years. We have some time scheduled to record the first bunch of songs in Philly in the beginning of February, so we’re hoping to have it finished and out soon. But if +4 was any evidence of how things can go, I’d be happy to see it out within my lifetime. I’m also hoping to play a lot more this year, both around New York and out of town. We’ve continued going through lineup changes as people get too busy or move, so it’s always a process, trying to play catch-up while still working on new music.
Our first show of the year is coming up next week at Gold Sounds, actually, on Friday January 20. It’s the same day our EP comes out, and it’s a benefit show for the Ali Forney Center, which is a group that helps house homeless LGBTQ youths in New York City. It’s a really good cause and we’re stoked to play it along with No Nets, Almost Aimless, The Thirds and Swinging Riot.
Best things you’ve seen, heard or read lately?
If the music my band makes isn’t enough evidence, I don’t really consume a ton of current music, but I have absolutely fallen in love with Angel Olsen over the past couple of months. I also just stumbled onto this Mexican psych band called Lorelle Meets the Obsolete, who are totally kicking my ass. And it’s super exciting to see that Pile and Baked both have new records coming out soon. I’m just generally happy to be making music in New York, surrounded by really great and talented bands that I love seeing whenever I can, which, frankly, isn’t enough.
Girl Scout’s EP +4 will be available January 20 via Bandcamp.
