After raucous live shows with The Murder Capital, Mush, and Flamingods, fiery punks Roxy Girls follow-up the attention-grabbing debut, A Poverty Of Attention, with their latest release, A Wealth Of Information.
The EP begins with Dirtier, an angular and discomforting slice of post-punk, calling to mind originators like Wire and XTC, along with revivalists Bloc Party and Maximo Park. It’s a perfect opener for setting the tone, creating a frantic, wiry canvas for the band to display their craft. Next is Commands, a more straightforward but finely tuned track that confronts the listener with bullish lyrics like “I’m tired of your shit”. The stop-start guitar riffs and winding rhythm patterns create an engrossing feeling to match up to the confrontational lyrics.
Highlights follow in songs like All Talk, with its fuzzy guitar lines and harrowing lyrics of tragedy and heartbreak, and the DIY-style stomper Poor Cow, which takes a frank and discerning look at ruined childhoods and the struggles of the working class. The EP closes with the more anthemic Get Up (Seize The Day), powering its way into the listener’s head with crushing drum beats and a feedback-laden soundscape, before giving way to a singalong chorus of hope in lyrics like “get up, go to work and seize the day”.
With short, sharp riffs, tightly formed tracks and a unique energy with a sense of hope, Roxy Girls are a band that speaks to everyday people on a relatable, individual level, with hopefully more work to come.
