Girlschool - WTFortyFive? (LP)

WTFortyFive? lands like a victory lap that doubles as a fresh set of tire marks. Released July 28, 2023 on Silver Lining Music, it’s Girlschool’s first studio album since 2015’s Guilty as Sin, and it pivots on a simple, cheeky idea. Forty-five years in, they’re still loud, still hooky, and still writing songs that punch first and laugh about it after. The title winks at their anniversary, but the music doesn’t stop for a toast. It hits the gas.

The core is the same chemistry that made them staples of the NWOBHM. Kim McAuliffe’s gritty vocal and rhythm crunch. Jackie Chambers’ sharp lead lines. Denise Dufort’s unflappable engine-room beats. And Tracey Lamb’s bass giving the riffs that brickhouse weight. You can hear the miles in how they lock in together. Not tired miles. Road-seasoned miles. It’s that old Motörhead-adjacent swagger they made their own back when Headgirl lit up “Please Don’t Touch,” but tightened and tuned for 2023.

A trio of singles laid the groundwork. “Are You Ready?” tears in with a riff that feels built for a small club with sticky floors and a bar that only pours doubles. McAuliffe’s phrasing has bite, and the chorus doesn’t waste a syllable. “It Is What It Is” rides a straighter beat, the kind of no-nonsense rocker they’ve always smuggled hooks into. The melody sits in your head longer than you expect, which is the quiet magic of this band. “Cold Dark Heart” turns the temperature down and leans into mood. It’s not a ballad so much as a brooding midtempo cut that lets Chambers’ bends and vibrato add a little shadow around the edges.

What keeps the album fun is the refusal to sand down the corners. Guitars are thick and slightly ragged, like a late set through good British amps. Choruses arrive fast, and the middle eights exist to set up another solo. Dufort’s kick patterns are simple, steady, and satisfying. None of this reinvents any wheels and that’s the point. Girlschool made their legend by writing tough, tuneful rock songs that invite you to shout along. WTFortyFive? sticks with that playbook and wins with execution.

Context matters with a record like this. Girlschool came up in ’78, ran stages with Motörhead, and outlasted more than a few scenes. The album’s title nods to that history without turning the record into a museum piece. You get the sense they wrote these songs to play them on tour, not to tick boxes on an anniversary campaign. There’s a camaraderie in the backing vocals and a wink in the lyric sheets that feels earned. If you’ve ever caught them in a small venue, you’ll recognize the way the riffs seem to grin.

On vinyl, the record breathes. The guitars have a hair more body, and the low end gives Dufort and Lamb a little extra shoulder. If you’re crate-digging for Girlschool vinyl, this sits well next to Demolition and Hit and Run, but with a modern kick that makes it a genuine spin rather than a completist trophy. The WTFortyFive? vinyl pressing from Silver Lining feels made for people who actually play their copies. If you like to buy Girlschool records online, keep an eye for color variants. If you’re hunting in person, ask your Melbourne record store or any shop that keeps a reliable heavy section. Even the usual suspects for vinyl records Australia have been stocking it alongside other Girlschool albums on vinyl.

Critical reception backed the vibe. The record picked up warm notices from Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, with reviewers largely praising the energy and the band’s knack for sturdy hooks over flash. Fans gravitated toward the singles and a couple of deeper cuts that make the live set feel new again. You can imagine “Are You Ready?” or “It Is What It Is” sliding into a festival afternoon, pulling in curious passersby with a chorus and a grin.

What I love most here is the lack of fuss. The band doesn’t pretend to be something they’re not, and the songs don’t overstay their welcome. The riffs are catchy, the drums hit square, the solos tell little stories, and the vocals wear their years like a badge. Forty-five years into a career, that’s a rare trick. It’s even rarer to make it sound this fun.