Biography
Goat Girl fuses pointed social observations with sonic palettes that range across punk, country, and electronic pop. Their self-titled debut from 2018 channeled frustrations surrounding Brexit, sexual harassment, and personal relationships into a jagged blend of punk, country, and goth textures. The 2021 follow-up On All Fours retained that edge while expanding into broader reflections on identity and mutual regard. With Below the Waste in 2024, the group placed its most adventurous impulses at the center of the arrangements.
The quartet came together in 2016 when lead vocalist and guitarist Lottie Pendlebury, guitarist and vocalist Ellie Rose Davies, bassist and vocalist Naima Bock, and drummer Rosy Jones crossed paths at various South London venues within the local D.I.Y. circuit that also nurtured HMLTD, Sorry, and Shame. They adopted the name Goat Girl in reference to Bill Hicks’ provocative “Goat Boy” routine, drew early influence from Metronomy and Sonic Youth, and began practicing inside the garage belonging to Davies’ mother.
After establishing a steady presence at Brixton’s The Windmill, the band signed with Rough Trade in July 2016 and issued the debut single “Country Sleaze”/“Scum” that October. Their profile rose through 2017 via appearances at Visions Festival and at what proved to be the Fall’s last London performance before Mark E. Smith’s passing. That August brought the single “Crow Cries,” followed on Halloween by “Cracker Drool” and its suitably eerie video. Early in 2018 the band previewed its first album with the single “The Man.” Dan Carey produced the March 2018 release Goat Girl, which collected earlier tracks and broadened the post-punk, goth, and country palette; the album reached number 24 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number seven on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart. In April 2019 the limited-edition EP Udder Sounds presented reworked versions of songs from the debut.
Also in 2019 Holly Mullineaux stepped in for Bock ahead of work on the second album. During those sessions Davies received a stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis and completed a six-month chemotherapy regimen, yet the band finished recording before year’s end. Carey again handled production on On All Fours, issued in January 2021; the set featured increased collaborative writing alongside jazz and electronic elements, earned further critical praise, and peaked at number 30 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number two on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart.
By the time of the third album the lineup had settled around Pendlebury, Jones, and Mullineaux. Co-producer John Spud Murphy joined them for the June 2024 release Below the Waste, recorded at Ireland’s Hellfire Studio, Damon Albarn’s Studio 13, and the band’s own facility. The resulting work integrated strings, choral vocals, and the inventive approaches associated with Philip Glass and Deerhoof.
The quartet came together in 2016 when lead vocalist and guitarist Lottie Pendlebury, guitarist and vocalist Ellie Rose Davies, bassist and vocalist Naima Bock, and drummer Rosy Jones crossed paths at various South London venues within the local D.I.Y. circuit that also nurtured HMLTD, Sorry, and Shame. They adopted the name Goat Girl in reference to Bill Hicks’ provocative “Goat Boy” routine, drew early influence from Metronomy and Sonic Youth, and began practicing inside the garage belonging to Davies’ mother.
After establishing a steady presence at Brixton’s The Windmill, the band signed with Rough Trade in July 2016 and issued the debut single “Country Sleaze”/“Scum” that October. Their profile rose through 2017 via appearances at Visions Festival and at what proved to be the Fall’s last London performance before Mark E. Smith’s passing. That August brought the single “Crow Cries,” followed on Halloween by “Cracker Drool” and its suitably eerie video. Early in 2018 the band previewed its first album with the single “The Man.” Dan Carey produced the March 2018 release Goat Girl, which collected earlier tracks and broadened the post-punk, goth, and country palette; the album reached number 24 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number seven on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart. In April 2019 the limited-edition EP Udder Sounds presented reworked versions of songs from the debut.
Also in 2019 Holly Mullineaux stepped in for Bock ahead of work on the second album. During those sessions Davies received a stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis and completed a six-month chemotherapy regimen, yet the band finished recording before year’s end. Carey again handled production on On All Fours, issued in January 2021; the set featured increased collaborative writing alongside jazz and electronic elements, earned further critical praise, and peaked at number 30 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number two on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart.
By the time of the third album the lineup had settled around Pendlebury, Jones, and Mullineaux. Co-producer John Spud Murphy joined them for the June 2024 release Below the Waste, recorded at Ireland’s Hellfire Studio, Damon Albarn’s Studio 13, and the band’s own facility. The resulting work integrated strings, choral vocals, and the inventive approaches associated with Philip Glass and Deerhoof.
Albums
Singles
