Rising Swedish band Girl Scout have released their debut EP Real Life Human Garbage today via Made Records. Putting an exclamation point on their lightning-bolt arrival this past fall as they gear up for their upcoming debut live performances in the U.S. at SXSW Festival next month, the project serves as an official introduction to the band: a four-piece who met while studying jazz in Stockholm and connected through a shared penchant for the garage rock and brit-pop sounds of the 80s and 90s. Working with producers Ali Chant (Soccer Mommy, Perfume Genius) and Jacknife Lee (The Killers, Bloc Party), the EP features five songs that reflect on the daunting feelings, cringe-worthy moments and social encounters that can play on repeat in your head at night — the sort of experiences that feel infinite in the moment, but can be defined by the friends you go through them with.
“It’s a collection of songs about the turmoil of being human,” says the band about the EP. “About feeling lost, out of place and stuck in your awkward phase. The songs represent our early days, when we had no idea what the band would be and every song came out of the pure excitement of having a band. It encapsulates when we realize the true magic and joy of songwriting.”
Real Life Human Garbage is headlined by the the group’s new single “Attenborough Beach,” a dreamy slow-burn that closes out the EP with a crescendo and eruption of the emotion and anxiety that’s bottled within the project. “I had a friend once who was quite annoying and never really knew when to stop talking, but he could do a killer David Attenborough impression,” says guitarist Viktor Spasov about the track. “The whole idea of Attenborough Beach builds on a scene where two people lie on a beach and, while watching birds, one of them points up at the sky and starts narrating in the voice of David Attenborough. Afterwards, they decide to name that place Attenborough Beach. I’m kind of fascinated with the idea of sharing emotional experiences in seemingly ordinary places, and through memories of those experiences creating almost a mythical, magical connection to that location.”
Comprised of Emma Jansson (guitar, vocals), Evelina Arvidsson Eklind (bass, vocals), Per Lindberg (drums) and Viktor Spasov (guitar), Girl Scout is something of a gang of misfits. Each member collectively struggled to fit in in some way, shape or form throughout their lives, whether it was growing up as the only musician in a small remote town, uprooting to different homes throughout a nomadic childhood, or feeling like they were at the bottom of their graduating class. Together though, their music feels cathartic and relatable; like a late night conversation with some of your closest friends. The type where you let your guard down, embrace your dorkiness and find threads of humor and poignancy in the comfort of knowing there’s a shared commonality in these awkward human experiences.
Along with the two new songs “Attenborough Beach” and “Run Me Over With Your Car,” Real Life Human Garbage also features the group’s previously released track “All The Time And Everywhere,” debut offering “Do You Remember Sally Moore?,” and most recent single “Weirdo.” Inspired by lead-singer Emma Jansson’s time working at a grocery store at the dawn of the pandemic, “Weirdo” is an alt-rock jam of the times. “I am just a woman who doesn’t feel like something real. And I don’t feel like a woman. I’m just a kid trying to stay hid from everyone else,” sings Jansson as she grapples with the struggles of social interactions today, and the desire to connect with other people while not feeling like you know how to.
Girl Scout has garnered the attention of numerous radio stations including BBC1, BBC6, Amazing Radio, FluxFM or egoFM while receiving praise from the likes of Under The Radar, Billboard, Paste Magazine, FLOOD Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, PAPER Magazine, MTV, Ones To Watch, Guitar World, Atwood Magazine, The Guardian, The Times, Dork, Clash and Consequence of Sound, who stated: “If this is how Girl Scout are coming out of the gate, it’s going to be quite exciting to see where their whims take them next.”
