Vivian Girls

There is plenty of confusion surrounding the Vivian Girls. Their name comes most likely from Henry Darger’s posthumously epic fantasy work, The Story of the Vivian Girls… or considering their youth, Fucked Up’s "Vivian Girls,” or possibly even Sufjan Stevens’ wordy "The Vivian Girls Are Visited in the Night by Saint Dargarius and His Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies" – but likely not. More confusing, however, is the fact that there’s not only a Philadelphia band named the Vivian Girls Experience but a band from Melbourne, Oz named the Vivian Girls – exact same name. WTF? Don’t people Google band names anymore?

That tone is a concerned one because the Vivian Girls of NYC are totally rad (and name changes are such a drag). And that’s not just my opinion, it’s a fact. Their debut self-titled album sold out in about 30 seconds when a limited number of 500 were pressed by Mauled By Tigers last month. Yeah, sucks for the 501st person and so on, but thankfully In the Red have snapped it up for a sure-to-be blog obsession (it’s already begun, actually) in the fall.

So what’s the big deal? Well, this trio (Cassie, Katy and Frankie) sound like Electrelane and Scottish pop C86 heroes the Shop Assistants fluttering about and jamming Saints covers on a fluffy cloud in heaven. Forthcoming single "Tell the World” (out on Woodsist very soon) is uncomplicated, bounce-around pop, steeped in reverb and the spirit of punk (the low-end sounds Cramps-like), and recorded smile-free - which isn’t necessarily characteristic of the band.

This summer you can catch the girls with Crystal Stilts (a band I’ll be blogging about one day soon) in Montreal at Zoobizarre on August 5 and Sneaky Dees in Toronto on August 6.

Vivian Girls "Tell the World”