THE NAME may have originated in a casual joke all those years ago, but Meghan Remy’s U.S. Girls project fashions a very true and lovely music, bringing those classic vocal tones she has to intelligent pop music – and by pop, we of course mean pop as in Carole King, as in St Vincent. Pop as art form.
She’s released a video for “IOU” from her latest album for 4AD, Heavy Light, which goes into the studio to observe candidly as Meghan and an assembled cast of musicians at work on the album. There’s that lovely balance between musicians intent and focused and in the zone with their craft, and hanging out, kicking back. Watch the video below.
There’s the same deft balance at work in U.S. Girls’ music, drawing in the lines of pure pop melody, the timelessness of the post-1955 canon of music, and a push out into melodic complexity.
Oh, that name? In an interview with Pitchfork way back when, Meghan noted it came from a chat she was having with friends about the imminent visit of a band from Europe.
“Wait ’til they get a look at these U.S. girls!”, she replied; and the concept stuck.
U.S. Girls’ Heavy Light is available now through 4AD on CD and LP; visit the 4AD store here.
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