If 2009’s Album was Christopher Owens’ and Chet “JR” White’s way of sticking a giant flag emblazoned with the word “GIRLS” in all capital letters right smack in the middle of the indie pop-rock landscape, then “Vomit,” the unfortunately-titled first single off their forthcoming and highly anticipated Father, Son, Holy Ghost, is like the duo has just descended from the heavens and softly landed a humongous spaceship right alongside it. Yes, it really is that mind-blowing.
With their new song, Girls have taken all the qualities that made “Hellhole Ratface” so special, trumped them up, and then thrown even more ingredients into the stew. At first, the song is a fairly simple continuation of Album, though there’s an increased maturity in the slow strumming and subdued vocals – “nights I spend alone/I spend ’em running around looking for you, baby” – that drip out of the band. When the full range of guitars and drums kick in, it feels like a full-on trip down memory lane. At this point of the song, it’s important to pay attention to what’s happening off in the distance. There’s some fuzzy distortion and even deeper back then that are little hints of electric organ. Eventually the background noise vanishes as the band turns the cut into a grinding rocker, riffing away at their guitars while debasing everything in scratchy gristle.
The song slows again, then heats back up, this time introducing subtle female backing vocals and placing a heavier emphasis on that electric organ. The guitar riffs evolve and become a little cleaner, the distortion and light feedback taking a backseat. It’s like dark clouds have been torn through by the piercing sun. And then all at once all the little accents that sat so well in the background leap forward, church-singer vocals soaring atop calls of “come into my heart” while the organ errupts in a Spiritualized-esque fashion. In perfect array, “Vomit” takes the form of a gospel love song, unveiling a soundscape so vibrant that it truly feels capable of parting the clouds and clearing the way for bluer skies. For Girls, it’s a transformative, radiant six-plus minutes previously unmatched by even their best work.
