South London trio Goat Girl are releasing a new album, “Below the Waste”, on June 7th via Rough Trade. This week they shared the album’s second single, “motorway,” via a music video.
Goat Girl is Lottie Pendlebury , Rosy Jones and Holly Mullineaux
In a press release, Pendlebury says “Motorway” was “born out of a desire to write a song where the main focal point was the voice. In listening to lots of music where the vocal line commanded all the attention through unexpected turns and developing melodies, I knew I wanted to try something similar. I sat with a simple sub bass line and experimented with letting the voice move however it wanted and recorded a video of myself to capture the moment. ‘Driving on the motorway’ were initially the only lyrics I had and would annoy everyone by repeatedly singing them. It became this really catchy riff that found its place as the track’s opening line and of course, main theme. It conjured up feelings of being a kid in the backseat of a car, not knowing where you’re heading but feeling content, or the fleeting moments you spend in new cities, and how the journey rather than destination sometimes feels like the main component.
“Instrumentally writing together, we naturally gravitated to a more electronic sound which suited the pop-esque style of the track. As a band we have a shared love for pop music of the noughties and would reference tracks like Kid Cudi’s ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ or ‘Day n Nite’ to try and reflect in the song. We really lent into the epicness of this track and its pop sensibilities, through Holly’s melodic sub bass synth that constantly weaves between the vocals, Rosy’s drum beats that in their space create heaviness, and the Juno 60 that chimes away throughout the chorus. Whilst leaning in we also wanted to subvert the classic pop ballad trope and include organic instruments, like the air organ that plays the main chords heard in the chorus, placing the sonic in a unique place.”
Holly Blakey directed and choreographed the video and had this to say: “Goat Girl are some of the coolest and most inspiring people I’ve met recently. We wanted to make something that had a continual exasperation to it, rooted in fantasy, slightly broken and a playful reimagining of our ride on the motorway. The band spoke about these long drives they would go on as children or on tour and it reminded me of the times in my life when I’ve arrived at places, and also when I’ve left. I suppose in those moments I’m always observing, and when I do that, I find this curiosity into my own life. I guess I wanted to exploit the privacy we assume of our anonymous lives, our obsessions, our avoidance, our need for togetherness.”
The Fat Angel Sings 