Girl Friday - Androgynous Mary (LP) - Dark Green Vinyl

Some debuts arrive polite and careful. Androgynous Mary is not that record. The Los Angeles quartet Girl Friday came up on the Hardly Art roster with the 2018 EP Fashion Conman, then delivered their first full-length on August 21, 2020, a tight, nervy set that wears its heart and its hooks on its sleeves. It is a guitar record in the best sense, full of bite and motion, but it is also a conversation among four players who share vocals and twist melodies together until they feel like a gang chant you want to learn by heart.

You hear it right away in Amber’s Knees: A Matter of Concern. The song packs jittery chords, a rubbery bass line, and a vocal that flickers between sardonic and sincere. It is catchy, but the edges stay sharp. This is Not the Indie Rock I Signed Up For lands with that same push and pull, the title winking at scene fatigue while the band barrels forward. The rhythm section never lets up, and the guitars answer with lines that scrape and shimmer. The choruses don’t so much explode as they lean harder into the room, like a friend who talks faster when they finally get to the point.

The record moves with an easy sense of dynamics. Girl Friday like tension, then release, then tension again, so the listening experience has a live-show energy even on headphones. The four voices trade lead and harmonies, which gives the songs a communal feel and helps the lyrics stick. Grief, alienation, flashes of humor, a stubborn optimism that keeps showing up in small ways, it is all in there. You can tell this is a band that writes in the room and listens to each other. Parts interlock, break apart, and find each other again.

It sits in a lineage that makes sense. If you love the tuneful snarl of Sleater-Kinney’s early records, the cool snap of Elastica, or the unbuttoned swing of The Breeders at their most playful, you will hear a little of that here. But Androgynous Mary is not a museum tour. The tempos tilt forward. The guitars sound contemporary and bright without sanding off the grit. When the band locks into a driving groove, the songs feel built for small stages and sweaty nights, which makes the album’s 2020 arrival feel poignant. It came out while venues were quiet, yet it still sounds like a scene in motion.

Hardly Art has a good ear for bands that thrive on chemistry, and this is one of those cases. The sequencing keeps things lean. Nothing overstays its welcome. When a chorus returns, it earns it. That makes Androgynous Mary vinyl an easy recommendation because the record plays like two strong sides. Side one sets the terms, side two deepens them, and the needle lift comes a little sooner than you expect, which just invites another spin. If you are hunting for Girl Friday vinyl, this is the spine you want to spot while flipping. It belongs in that zone of the shelf where punchy, chorus-heavy indie rock lives, between the stuff you recommend to friends and the stuff you keep for yourself.

The band’s debut status matters, too. After Fashion Conman introduced their knack for wiry riffs and sharp hooks, the album adds focus and a wider emotional range. You can hear a group figuring out how to push each other, and that sense of growth gives the songs a lift. The guitar tones bloom, the bass carries more melodic weight, and the drumming threads the needle between precision and feel. The whole thing clocks in like a brisk set, yet leaves footprints.

For crate diggers, the search phrases almost write themselves. Girl Friday albums on vinyl deserve the same treatment you give the classics that shaped them. If you buy Girl Friday records online, make sure you get a clean copy because this one rewards volume and clarity. It is the kind of album that makes you want to crank the stereo on a Saturday afternoon and text a link to a friend. Even better if you find it while poking around a neighborhood shop, whether that is your local spot or a Melbourne record store you stumbled into while traveling, the kind of place where vinyl records Australia sit a rack away from your favorite West Coast staples.

Androgynous Mary captures a young band locking into its voice and finding momentum. It is spirited, tuneful, and tight, a debut that hints at more while standing tall on its own. Put it on, let the guitars color the room, and try not to hit repeat. You will fail, in the best way.