Just the other week we wrote about Girls’ new song, “Vomit”, off their forthcoming third release Father, Son, Holy Ghost. They have now presented us a video for the tune, which after countless listens I shall now dub their most accomplished song to date. The video begins with seductive footage ’60s cherry red Mustang convertible then changes pace to a drive through the city. Interesting angles and bright colors amidst a dark background all emphasize the song’s power.

Yes, the footage fits well with the lyrics: Nights I spend alone / I spend alone looking for you baby. The song itself begins softly, the vocal tone beyond melancholy; outright depressing. But as the song picks up there’s hope. Guitar solos, a laid-back rhythm section, and the closing out of “Vomit” with a very Dark Side Of The Moon-like female vocalist all make “Vomit” one of the year’s most stunning tracks.

And it also makes this video quite unique.

Download: “Vomit” by Girls

Girls have come to be one of my favorite artists since their early release, Album, in September of 2009. Their music is simply astonishing, from upbeat pop gems like “Lust For Life” and “Alright” to more surreal explorations of pop psychedelia, like “Helhole Ratrace” and “Carolina”.

“Vomit” is a new track off the band’s forthcoming record, Father, Son, Holy Ghost and it takes the pop exploration to a whole new level. It begins soft and slow as a pop ballad. It has bouts of volume increases and epic guitar riffs, occasionally diving into experimental noise pop and impromptu guitar solos.

Girls’ previous work is nothing to scoff at. Remember the first time you heard any of the aforementioned earlier work? Get ready to have that same feeling of amazement; “Vomit” matches them head to head. Easily.

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is due September 13 via True Panther Sounds

Download: “Vomit” by Girls

In a recent conversation, a friend noted they didn’t quite understand the hype behind Girls. After all, there are a dozen bands that write similar, edgy songs and can carry a complimentary weight. I agreed, but only somewhat. Revisiting songs like Album‘s opener “Lust For Life”, I hear a unique vocal styling and that damn garage-pop I seem so fond of these days (along with everyone else). But one thing is certain: Girls sure can write a powerful ballad.

“Hellhole Ratrace” is just such a ballad, and despite the tradition to give the ‘single’ title to the upbeat track, it fits here… almost too perfectly. The song is packed with heartfelt nostalgia (as I so uncouthly noted in my memories-filled video recap for the song) and airy guitars. The tambourine adds the loved pop while the vocal chromatic descent at the end of chorus And I don’t wanna cry, while awkward, stands out in the most excellent of ways. And when the powerful drone of distorted guitars join at the midpoint… just… damn. Realization.

With only two tracks, the hit single “Hellhole Ratrace” and the b-side, “Solitude”, a tune that, at least initially, sounds like it could be an eerie take on the equally eerie song James plays with Donna and Maddy in Twin Peaks. But aside from a similar clean guitar mix (and riff), the song has that same style of power Girls inject into “Hellhole Ratrace”. Sure, it doesn’t reach that song’s epic heights – and you wouldn’t expect it to, after all it is the b-side – but you can’t discount the fact that “Solitude” is pretty solid.

Yeah, “Lust For Life” is great and “Big Bag” has an ethereal early-Beach-Boys surf sound to it, but if you ask me, it’s the slower songs like “Solitude” and “Hellhole Ratrace” that really make Girls stand out as a great band.

Girls: Hellhole Ratrace [mp3]

True Panther Sounds [10" Single, 2009]

1. Hellhole Ratrace
2. Solitude

What a simple concept, this video. “Hellhole Ratrace” by San Francisco’s Girls is an easy pick for one of the better songs of 2009, and this video, albeit simple in nature, looks to follow suit. The video merely features slow-motion party footage, going in and out of focus. And it’s brilliant! It reminds me of my slightly younger days, say the mid twenties; those nights with friends at the local pub getting drunk on the most excellent of microbrews and staggering off into the night after last call, of chill house parties that yielded similar results, of flat-out good times. “Hellhole Ratrace” wouldn’t be the same were it not for nostalgia; it’s somehow better, that longing for the past.

Girls: Hellhole Ratrace [mp3]