Since the 2018 release of their self-titled first album, a sprawling and unpredictable 19-track debut, Goat Girl have been the darlings of the South London post-punk scene. Their 2020 Dan Carey-produced follow-up, On All Fours, further cemented their status in the modern alternative rock landscape, and Below The Waste should propel the group further into the spotlight, finding the trio - vocalist/guitarist Lottie Pendlebury (she/her), bassist Holly Mullineaux (she/her) and drummer Rosy Jones (they/them) - venturing into alt-folk territory as they grapple with a difficult few years.
Goat Girl’s brutal honesty shapes the album, which, with its balance of chaos and order, is heavily influenced by drummer Rosy Jones’ experience of coming out as queer and their battle with addiction. tcnc (‘take care, not crack’) is peppered with personal observations like “not gonna crack like that, already had a spat with crack”, the lyrics spoken and shouted more than they are sung. Later in the album, the piano-led take it away looks at these dark times from Holly Mullineaux's perspective, with the lyric “Oh if I could, I’d take it away from you” repeated over two and a half minutes with help from a choir of family and friends. It's breathtaking in both its simplicity and impact.
