Girls Against Boys

Girls Against Boys rely on a dual-bass attack paired with Scott McCloud’s wheezy sing-speak vocals—echoing the Fall’s Mark E. Smith—to generate an energetic yet occasionally abrasive sound; without the D.C. outfit’s strong Fugazi-influenced songcraft, the result would likely repel audiences. The group’s debut, Tropic of Scorpio, surfaced in 1989 on Adult Swim, after which the band advanced to the prominent indie Touch & Go for Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby. Subsequent releases—1995’s Cruise Yourself and 1996’s House of GVSB—mapped the quartet’s rising profile. The 1998 shift to major-label Geffen with Freak*on*ica produced increased commercial returns alongside harsher critical notices.

Following an extended break, the musicians resurfaced on Jade Tree and issued the 2002 full-length You Can't Fight What You Can't See. They disbanded the next year yet reconvened for European dates in February 2005, now including bassist John Schmersal of Enon. Additional shows across the Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia were booked for February 2009. In 2013 the band delivered Ghost List, its first collection of new original material in more than a decade.