Self-described “electro-sugar-grunge” outfit Girl York launch their debut EP, Perception Is Reality, at the Rosemount Hotel this Friday, March 27, with support from The Disappointed, Ray Finkle and Sydney’s Harry Heart. We catch up with singer and guitarist, Shaun Martin.
What’s the Girl York story?
Dan (Byfield, drums) and I grew up together in Northam and music became our hobby. We tracked Perception Is Reality at Fremantle Recording Studios with Brian (Mitra, bass and synths) a while back and eventually Brian joined the band.
What’s your sound?
Grunge pop gets us going. There are a lot of great bands here in WA – for me bands like Tame Impala, Puck and The Love Junkies are great. I think we enjoy lots of sounds – it just depends what sound we enjoy the most at the time. Maximum satisfaction as soon as possible.
Tell us about Perception Is Reality.
Perception Is Reality is a set of songs that came from a bit of a darker place – they may sounds like they fit some different genres, however I think the lyrics tie them together. They are not happy songs, but more a celebration of that other emotion – sadness. We all aim to be happy, it’s the name of the game, but there are an endless number of emotions we go through along the way – and they deserve songs as well.
How was the recording process?
It was a good experience – we booked a week in January back in 2013, I think, and we had a great time. Nothing better than waking up, going to the beach, grabbing a six-pack and then heading on into the studio at lunch.
Did any of the songs change significantly in the transition from from live to recorded?
I don’t think the arrangement of the songs changed – but the sound did change for some. Girl York were a two-piece back then so we relied on making lots of noise and playing hard – in the studio we had the chance to add instruments and experiment a bit. Brian was great to work with when it came to doing whatever we felt like.
What’s up next?
Next up for us this year will be finishing a record with Andy Lawson. That will take up most of our time. Other than that it will be normal life duties for the band and staying alive.
