British band Girl Ray released their second album, Girl, back in 2019, and it was one of the year’s most effortlessly joyous releases. They’ve returned today with a new track called “Give Me Your Love”, which picks up exactly where they left off – and takes it to a whole new level with the help of Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard and Al Doyle. Girl Ray’s Poppy Hankin says:
“We worked on this song with Al Doyle and Joe Goddard from Hot Chip in their studio off Brick Lane in London. We had one day left with them, so thought we’d unearth an old demo of a slightly house-leaning song I’d been working on a few months before. It had a really loose structure but the feel of the chords was good so we decided to try fleshing it out. It was a really long day filled with a lot of playing around with the mountains of synths that fill their studio. Sections became longer… steel drums were added (along with some wonky backing vocals) and eventually it started taking shape. With all the awfulness of 2020 in our heads – it was important to us that it sounded optimistic and hopeful; a song for future summers where people can dance and enjoy music together once again.”
A pairing that one probably woiuldn’t have anticipated, the team up of Girl Ray and Hot Chip is perfection. The band’s natural bounce and effervescence remains intact, but with the sly and slick fortifications of new synth sounds, added low end and just general ‘goodness’ that Hot Chip always have in their music, “Give Me Your Love” is an absolute home run. Steel drums, easily danceable beats – it feels like summer is here.
The radio edit is on streaming platforms, but you can get the full eight-minute outpouring of love in the video, below. The clip is also rather special, as it sees the band team with regular collaborator Alex Cantouris for a “queer Midsommar Night’s Dream”. Poppy says:
“What started off as a story about a woman having fun at a party, somehow soon turned into a romantic take on Midsommar, without the death and magic mushrooms. A queer Midsommar Night’s Dream if you will. We had the best time making it, and discovered a new found love for the Kent countryside (even though one of the shoot days was literally the windiest day of the year).”
Watch it below or listen to the radio edit on streaming platforms.
