Girls Against Boys
You Can't Fight What You Can't See

I've long contemplated the most appropriate image to describe the music of GVSB (Girls Versus Boys in the abbreviated script). GVSB are like a dirty, nasty, and noisy Diesel engine, grinding kilometers of relentless rage with a steady rhythm. Scott McCloud's band, with this new work, has closed the chapter with the major label Geffen, for which they recorded the previous album, "Freak On ICA," to return to an indie label, Jade Tree. Their influences are The Fall of Mark E Smith for the flat, angry, and hysterical vocals, Sonic Youth for certain guitars and "melodies," the open tunings, more strings tuned in unison, Jesus Lizard, Big Black for the primordial rage. Their trademark is the obsessive and mechanical rhythms (often keyboardist Eli Yanney plays a second bass) on which Scott McCloud's hoarse voice and the hard and sharp guitars interlock. "Miami Skyline" sounds like a typical Sonic Youth song. However, this work is less uncompromising than previous ones, on "BFF" (Best Friends Forever) there even appears a very pleasant pop melody and "Let It Breathe" is even a slow song, very beautiful, with an irresistible caressed riff. The rest, starting from "Basstation," are the usual Girls Against Boys or GVSB, nice and hard uncompromising as they move like a bulldozer. Diesel. And obsessive urban rhythms.