Sorry Girls

Montreal indie electronic duo Sorry Girls channel 1980s influences into their midtempo synthesizer pop and yearning power ballads shaped by new wave. The pair issued their self-produced full-length debut Deborah in 2019 before shifting toward a live-band approach on the energetic 2023 follow-up Bravo!.

Heather Foster Kirkpatrick and Dylan Konrad Obront first crossed paths in 2008 through mutual acquaintances during university and even tracked a few humorous GarageBand numbers, yet they waited until 2016 before pursuing a serious collaboration. Drawn to dramatic pop ballads, they composed the track “This Game,” which prompted them to finish a debut EP. Releasing it themselves as Awesome Secrets in late 2016 under the name Sorry Girls, they soon attracted the attention of Arbutus Records, which put out their two-song 7-inch Easier in late 2018. Their first album, Deborah, arrived on the label in October 2019; the duo handled production while TOPS guitarist David Carriere handled mixing. On 2023’s Bravo!, they stepped further from synth-pop textures toward a more organic pop approach. Although relaxed synthesizers and electronics remained, the emphasis moved to intimate lyrics and straightforward production, placing the record nearer to expansive stadium pop than the muted, private-party vibe of their earlier material.