Monday 22 January 2018

New Music: Introducing - Art School Girlfriend


Meet Polly. She’s from Wales but lives in Margate, famous for amongst other things Dreamland and the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery. And art is relevant here as Polly goes by the name of Art School Girlfriend when she's making music. 

You may have seen her name crop up on a few websites here and there following the release of Measures, her debut EP, released last year, which is a very er…. measured affair full of languid and calm stately melodies that will appeal to fans of Bat For Lashes and Daughter. If you follow Breaking More Waves on Twitter (here) or Instagram (@breakingmorewavespics) you might have also seen me mention her before when I caught her playing live earlier this month at the Line of Best Fit’s rather excellent 5 Day Forecast series of gigs at The Lexington (arguably one of the best pub venues in London) which included the likes of Pale Waves, Grace Carter, Poppy Ajudha and Swimming Girls.

Today Art School Girlfriend gets her official introduction on Breaking More Waves proper following the unveiling today of a video for the title track of the EP. It’s not my favourite song of the four she has released (that song goes to the fluttering rhythmic pull of Bending Back which I've also included in this post) but all the tracks on the record blend together to create a rich soothing body of eventide-ready pop. You have to give some time to it, to allow it to really soak in, it's that sort of listen. It's certainly not an instant banger. 

The video itself was directed by French-born, Amsterdam based artist Kevin Bray, the images you see consist of a 3D mapping exercise of Margate sea front, giving the whole video a rather surreal feel that suits the contemplative mood of the music.

Art School Girlfriend is the latest signing to Paul Epworth's Wolf Tone label and she joins a rosta that includes Glass Animals, The Horrors, Rosie Lowe and Elle Watson; namely artists that are doing something just that little bit different, a little left of centre and Art School Girlfriend fits that description nicely. 

Art School Girlfriend plays a headline show in London in March at the Sebright Arms on the 13th March and follows that with a show at Liverpool's Sound City on May 5th.

Art School Girlfriend - Measures (Video)



Art School Girlfriend - Bending Back

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