Girls

Girls is a San Francisco band with a compelling backstory—singer Christopher Owens grew up in the Children Of God, a scary cult that’s worth staying as far away from as possible—and a debut album that’s inspired as much by rock obsessives like Elvis Costello as it is by early rock itself. There’s some Buddy Holly in there, but also early albums from acts like The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Album is the name of Girls’ 2009 debut LP and, like the title, there’s a sense of transparency that bleeds through the songs. Anchoring the proceedings is Owens’ voice, a sonorous thing that’s as vulnerable as it is assertive. Their latest full-length, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, is the first to feature a full band to back previously exclusive members Owens and multi-instrumentalist Chet "JR" White.

Updated 02/28/2012