Girl Friday
Girl Friday is a band that should be permanently on your playlist. This LA 4 piece is Libby Hsieh, Vera Ellen, Virginia Pettis & Sierra Scott. The band mixes addictive music with biting lyrics that are designed to incite and inspire. Their songs include “Decoration Currency” about the music industry, “Generation Sick” about abusive men and people who protect them, and more from their 2019 EP Fashion Conman. Now they are releasing their album Androgynous Mary out August 21. The latest single is “Earthquake”
GF: We had to work with pretty intense time constraints in terms of playing shows, working, and recording most of the album in about a week. We definitely had our work cut out for us, but ultimately this little creature was birthed from a labor of intense love.
FEMMUSIC: What is your favorite song on the album? Why?
GF: The fact that you are asking us to pick a favorite child is very upsetting. We love our children equally and make sure they’re well taken care of even when we leave town for extended business trips.
FEMMUSIC: Did you approach making Androgynous Mary differently from Fashion Conman? What did you learn making Fashion Conman?
GF: We made a really conscious effort to have Androgynous Mary encapsulate more of our live sound. In a lot of ways, we let Jesus take the wheel on this album and focused less on perfection and more on a more raw, visceral, high-energy experience.
FEMMUSIC: You’re signed to Hardly Art. What made you sign with them? What were you looking for in a label?
GF: We were looking to be adopted by a kind family, and boy did we find one! Hardly Art is a lovely group of people who value us as artists and as individuals, and we’re excited to move into the office at their earliest convenience.
FEMMUSIC: Can you describe your songwriting technique?
GF: We hit the “randomize” button on Wikipedia, select 50 answers which we promptly print out on 100% recycled copy paper, douse them in rose-scented holy water, put them into a fishbowl, and let the games begin.
FEMMUSIC: What song (not your own) has had the biggest influence on you and why?
GF: The School of Rock soundtrack brought us close enough together to be able to face the musical journey of Androgynous Mary head on.
FEMMUSIC: What challenges, if any, have you faced as women in the music industry? And how did you overcome them?
GF: Everyone we work with currently is really receptive to our not wanting our gender expressions to define our music, but it hasn’t always been that way. Although it’s not a topic we shy away from, as there is so much inequality surrounding most genders in the music industry, we don’t want it to be the defining aspect of our identity as a band.
FEMMUSIC: Whom would you most like to collaborate with, or tour with? Why?
GF: Hole, Thurston Moore, Kills Birds, Blaenavon, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Flat Worms, Wolf Alice – we all have quite different music tastes, but we’re drawn to expressive, theatrical performers.
FEMMUSIC: What one thing would you like to change about the music industry?
GF: We’d love to be able to join a musicians’ union that’s not restricted to studio musicians. We’re also always looking for more sustainable, eco-friendly ways to tour and distribute music.
