Girls
San Francisco duo Girls make druggy, ethereal pop in the spirit of Spiritualized and Ariel Pink. Christopher Owens was born in Florida, son to a mother and father who were actively involved as members of the Children of God cult, and spent most of his childhood drifting. After moving across Puerto Rico, Asia, and Europe, and having his first experiences as a street musician singing carols in a Children of Gods kids choir, he became disenfranchised with his lifestyle after catching a peak of American pop culture on TV, and decided to break away and move to the States. At 16, Owens raised enough money by playing guitar on the streets for a plane ticket; he joined his older sister who lived in Amarillo, TX. Without a proper education, he resorted to stocking shelves at a grocery, and eventually became friends with some punks who regularly stole from the store. He shaved his hair into a Mohawk and joined a hardcore band called Hubris. Four years later, with the help of an older, wealthy music enthusiast who took Owens under his wing and gave him a part-time job, he moved to San Francisco to pursue a new life as a painter. Once there, he met Liza Thorn, and started a band with her called Curls. In the bustling nightlife, she introduced him to Matt Fishbeck, who invited him to play with up-and-comers Holy Shit!, and later connected him to JR White. A kindred spirit, with a less-sprawling background, White had grown up in Santa Cruz with liberal-minded teachers, and besides playing in some punk groups and learning about recording, he'd spent the majority of his twenties in San Francisco as a cook by day and slacker by night. With a common love of drugs and music, the two started making music together and eventually earned a deal with Matador's baby label True Panther Sounds.
