It’s not a groundbreaking concept – the idea that mixing friendship and love with creative endeavors is risky at best, something we should gingerly tiptoe around with caution. However, this commonplace piece of motherly advice is exactly what Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker of Girlpool have all but thrown out the window, choosing to overturn the sterility of business with the warm electricity of female friendship. Before The World Was Big, their second full-length release, demonstrates Tividad and Tucker’s ability to navigate these often dangerous waters with ease.
As teenage female musicians, Tucker and Tividad have been forced to wade through countless stigmas primarily reserved for young women, yet Before The World Was Big remains unapologetically sincere. Instead of crawling towards the safety of indifference, Girlpool embraces the insecurities of youth, with harmonies on “Chinatown” screeching, “Cut my hair when I’m feeling like I don’t have a place/ And the mirror’s reflection pushes me further away/ If I loved myself would I take it the wrong way.” Likewise, the sound itself refuses to sacrifice frankness in the interest of comfort. Utilizing nothing but a bass, a guitar, and the unlikely integrity of their harmonized voices, most of the songs on the LP are characterized by empty spaces and vacant echoes, highlighting each final chaotic culmination. Where lyrics are often glazed over by catchy electric riffs and oppressive drumbeats, Tucker and Tividad’s words take center stage, making the listen an overwhelmingly intimate one.
Barring the album’s namesake, there are few catchy riffs that our heads can senselessly nod along to, which isn’t necessarily a weakness on the duo’s part. Instead, Before The World Was Big’s strength lies in its ability to connect with listeners, forcing its way through the cracks in our guises. As a result, listening becomes first and foremost a meditative experience, with Cleo and Harmony’s vocals luring listeners into an introspective trance. It’s not that the albumblatantlysets out to curate a melancholic atmosphere with its dark chords and bitter vocals – it’s merely a side effect. Though Girlpool’s newest release is balanced at moments, a combination of the current LP’s reflective tendencies and the dynamic refrains of past singles might be something to look forward to on the duo’s future endeavors.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Recommended tracks: “Before The World Was Big”, “Chinatown”, “Cherry Picking”
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