Girl Friday and The Art of Being Impossible
Photo via Apple Bagios, Monster Artist Management
If I’d formed a band in college that was half as good as Girl Friday, I definitely wouldn’t have continued with my degree (sorry mom!). Turns out sometimes bands are more than just an excuse for getting drunk in your friends basement and, once drunk enough, trying to convince everyone you can actually play the drums really well if they’d just let you try this time because you messed it up last time but that’s actually not your fault you promise. I’ll keep the drunk drum solos and let Girl Friday handle the actual music, since they seem to have the drumming thing down already. And everything else too for that matter. Then-UCLA students, now UCLA-alums Libby Hsieh (bass/vocals) and Vera Ellen (guitar/vocals) met at a party a few years ago, and now they have an album under their belts, a fantastic new single “I’m Impossible”, and continue to make the angry girl rock I wish was no longer a novelty. And I mean “angry girl rock” as only the sincerest compliment. Because I live for angry girl rock. And I live for the women who make it.
My introduction to Girl Friday happened accidentally; the product of a particularly successful day on Spotify when I was finding songs for my weekly radio show (hopefully you think that’s delightfully retro and not disgustingly so) and their track “Decoration/Currency” from their 2019 EP “Fashion Conman” proved to be right up my street. I stalked their social media and sent them an embarrassingly needy message on their Bandcamp about a potential interview, considered sending up a follow-up message that the previous message was a horrible mistake and I was sorry for wasting their time, and then, a couple of weeks later, they not only responded, but said yes. Magic. I can’t really describe what they sound like even though that’s supposed to be my job, so I recommend you just block out an hour and do it for yourself. Sorry. Working oldest-to-newest I think might be the best way to accomplish this, or maybe just go off of your favorite song title or album artwork. I’m not here to enforce rules on you.
And speaking of their discography, there’s an exciting new addition. “I’m Impossible”, which is a great name for a song and also a memoir, is a banger. It’s got the sort of ambient, Brian Eno-esque instrumental thing down (but add more ‘80s to the equation) and crosses it with a kind of space-infused synthy pop thing, and then the guitars come in, and sure they’re less fuzzy than Girl Friday has done before, but there’s still undeniably fuzz there. It’s lovely. Thank you Libby and Vera for tolerating my questions and providing some fantastic answers, which are down below if you’d like to read them. Don’t know why I just explained the premise of an interview to you but you get the gist.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us a little bit about yourself and your music.
[VERA ELLEN:] We are Girl Friday. We like short walks in the stratosphere and castor oil.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] We are Girl Friday and we do like walks but I prefer sweet almond oil.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the origin story of your band? How did you all get together and what has your journey into the music industry been like up until now?
[VERA ELLEN:] The band has taken many forms. We’ve worked with so many wonderful and talented people over the years. Initially, it all began at a horrible house party where ‘Libby’ and ‘Vera’ briefly stood next to each other on a deck and I guess never looked back!
[LIBBY HSIEH:] We wrote a bad song about people in LA that made us angry and somehow it made us A-list celebrities.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
[VERA ELLEN:] We would exclaim “FOOLS HOW HAVE YOU NOT LISTENED TO OUR MUSIC BEFORE”. Kidding, we would probably kiss their feet and tell them what they wanted to hear I’m sure.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Hitting pots and pans in the middle of the night trying to get the rats to come out of the walls.
[UNPUBLISHED:] So I’ve sensed on your music that you have older reference points, but you combine that with a sound that’s also very contemporary, and the visual style of your music videos accomplish the same thing. Where do you find inspiration, either sonically, lyrically, or in terms of visuals?
[VERA ELLEN:] Thank you, thank you, thank you! Who made you so sweet? I would say everything in the world can be an inspiration - it’s quite hard to source what sparked whatever song or riff comes out. It’s kind of like vomit. You’re like, is this from the taco from earlier, or do I have a stomach bug?
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Lots of reading and active listening. A lot of my influences are not necessarily musical. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Ben Lerner’s poetry. I just finished his poetry book Mean Free Path. This book in particular is so fragmented yet so beautifully calculated. The poems are broken up into so many different bits and then are smashed back together. It’s like a puzzle he’s trying to figure out as the reader figures it out. Not sure if that is an accurate reading, but it felt like a keen insight into how it feels to figure out one’s own emotional plane, where there is a concrete sense of gnawing interlocked with very abstract concepts. Anyways…. yeah that.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is your songwriting/composition process like for each project? Do you start with the lyrics or melody first? Do you have a primary songwriter or do you all write? Do you have a method for how the music usually comes together or is it slightly different each time?
[VERA ELLEN:] In ‘Androgynous Mary’, I would say it was a mix of each of us bringing pretty developed songs to the band and then workshopping them and jams that came from a single riff or melody line. The way it comes is always different and you gotta be ready to adapt.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Literally different every time!
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any collaborators you like to work with when making music? Like specific producers, friends who also make music, or even mentors? Also in terms of production, how involved are you in the production side of your music? Do you keep it entirely DIY/do you have any specific producers who work with your band?
[VERA ELLEN:] So far we have mostly worked with Norm Block. He’s excellent and we have grown quite fond of him and his dog Sadie. He has a bunch of analog gear in his home studio which was really fun to see in action. Prior to that, we have worked with friends and anyone willing to help.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Our goddamn selves! We have been working on a record these days and it’s literally just us recording on our laptops, manically running around literally until the sun comes up.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any dream collaborators?
[VERA ELLEN:] Brian Eno but we have a long way before we are worthy.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Vera Ellen.
[UNPUBLISHED:] So I know you’re signed to Hardly Art, which seems like they combine the resources of a label but probably let you keep more control than a bigger label would. What has that experience been like working with them? How do you feel being signed and would you have ever considered recording independently?
[VERA ELLEN:] They are amazing. It’s like having a big family. We released a bunch of stuff first on our own and it’s certainly the way we are more used to. But it’s nice to have help so we can just focus on the music side of things.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] We love them!!! We hope they are living fulfilled and happy lives.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you run into any sexist backlash within rock music in particular for being deemed a ‘girl band’? I think rock music is still so male-dominated that it can be difficult to tune out the bullshit as women playing music in a band when the landscape around you, as well as the publicity, management, etc., is still so male-dominated. Have you run into any of that and do you have any advice for how to tune it out?
[VERA ELLEN:] Yeah we have had our share of bullcrap for sure which is funny cause we aren't strictly ‘girls’ anyway. Trust your own vision and keep a circle of good/kind/safe support. Pay no mind.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] There are so many different instances that lately I just can’t be bothered to even give them the energy to get mad about. We had a funny tactic; any dudeman that would be sexist to us, we’d just automatically call him Chris (I’m sorry if your actual name is Chris). It kind of helped just make whoever it was a vague character that we didn’t need to pay attention to. Just ignore them, it’s so not worth the energy.
[UNPUBLISHED:] So I discovered Girl Friday on Spotify last year when I was doing an episode for my radio show about modern reincarnations of riot grrrl and female/trans/non-binary fronted rock music, and you were on the Spotify riot grrrl playlist, next to huge names like Sleater Kinney, Babes in Toyland, and Bikini Kill. How do you feel about that comparison and being included in such a rich history of feminist rock music, as well as a history that’s so rooted in protest? What do you think of modern riot grrrl/punk reincarnations?
[VERA ELLEN:] That's cool, cheers. I’m not sure we have had those comparisons much really, I think it might be the algorithm... but of course, we’re honored for sure. I mean all those bands pushed boundaries and paved the way, who can deny it? I would say I could hear a small influence in our band from that era though not too much. There's a little misogyny there, people tend to group ‘womxn’ as a genre when it’s not. It used to happen to us a lot where we would get put on lineups that were of a totally different sound solely because all the bands were women.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] While I really heavily respect all of those artists, I feel like we aren’t very similar aside from having a bit of fuzz on our guitars and sometimes yelling vocals. I do think that the more interesting music is the kind that is hard to reference/tie to anything, but that’s just my opinion which is probably trash anyways.
[UNPUBLISHED:] With TikTok changing the music industry and having such a profound impact on popular music currently, what do you think the role of guitar music is in 2020? Where do you think it’s headed in the next couple of years?
[VERA ELLEN:] Haha! I mean I think technically ‘guitar’ music has been outdated for a hot minute but people still listen to it. You just gotta make what you make. I think we want to always grow and push boundaries for ourselves creatively so we will see. There are also lots of ways you can explore sounds with a guitar as well; it doesn’t have to be the traditional way.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Who knows! I mean, guitar music means so many different things. I think people will always find ways to make their instruments resonate. It’s just a question of how. I do enjoy a little TikTok black hole every once in a while.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the hardest decision you’ve made up until now in terms of your career?
[VERA ELLEN:] Figuring out how to take care of yourself and also serve the music and vision.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Let’s circle back to this at a later date.
[UNPUBLISHED:] So you just released your newest single ‘I’m Impossible’. What was the process like creating it, and do you think it differs (or maybe continues on from) your 2020 album ‘Androgynous Mary’?
[VERA ELLEN:] These were songs created in quarantine across the planet from each other. Made on Garageband in our bedrooms. I would say the sound is pretty different because of the context the songs were made in. We’re always exploring our sounds and we hope by now we have established not to expect anything particular from us.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] They’re SO different but I fucking love that. People might get quite a shock. They’re a lot more 80s and pop-centric. But they were a product of living literally on opposite ends of the world, away from each other. We knew we needed to make our music work while we were apart, and this happened to be how we coped. It is so fun to wear different jackets and try on different parts of ourselves.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Where do you see your band in the next couple of years?
[VERA ELLEN:] Relocating to Mars.
[LIBBY HSIEH:] Hopefully not losing our goddamn minds!
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any favorite songs, albums, artists, or podcasts you’ve been enjoying at the moment that you’d recommend?
[LIBBY HSIEH:] I literally only listen to Coffee Break Spanish during my commute to and from work. Though I am pretty obsessed with Black Country, New Road’s song ‘Sunglasses’. I can’t stop listening to it.
Watch Girl Friday’s music video for their single ‘I’m Impossible’: