Earl Grey is a popular but finicky tea to make. If you don’t let it stand long enough, it has a bland taste: if you let it stand too long, it becomes bitter when you drinking. Striking a perfect balance when you brew it then, becomes an art.
I’m not sure whether the three London girls, Poppy Gankin, Iris McConnell and Sophie Moss, jointly going by the name “Girl Ray” had this in mind when they played a bit with words and named their album Earl Grey, but they sure seem to know how to strike the right balance. At least musically. And it is only their debut!
The first question that is usually asked about a band with members barely out of their teens is - what are their influences? With Girl Ray, there’s no bother asking. Simply go to their Facebook page, where you can read the following: "We love Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel, Pixies, Cate Le Bon, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Hefner, and of course ABBA, Bowie, The Beatles, and Beach Boys”. And they mean it!
What the girls do is blend all that seems to have influenced them as if they truly know how to balance that Earl Grey tea when you brew it. The Welshmen “Gorky’s” pastoral, folky, psychedelia seems to crop up most in streaks, and actually, the record is better for it.
The opener “Just Like That” with its jangly, The Bats-like guitars and harmonies put things to a great start, and the album reaches its peak with the 13-minute long title track, that picks up elements and spirit from Neutral Milk Hotel and Pavement (the girls told you who they like, didn’t they?) changes melodies and pace, and doesn’t lose focus for a second. The only other recent younger band to be able to do so skillfully I could think of would be The Lemon Twigs. And to add to that, there is not a single track on Earl Grey that slips below very good.
It turns out this album was quite anticipated in the British music press, and this time around, there was a good reason for that. Time to have another cup of Earl Grey…
