Girlfriends, Cowabunga Babez at Club 1808

Girlfriends are a Boston-based trio doing infectious lo-fi garage rock that fans of Strange Boys and Woven Bones will find appealing. They're in town tonight at Club 1808, supported by a pair of completely underrated opening acts. Girlfriends were voted best garage / psych act in the Boston Phoenix for this year, and when we listen to their music we can see why. Sure, there's the standard scuzzy production (where there's production at all) and the alternating surf-rock chords and Nuggets-esque leads, but getting beneath the surface is entirely worth your time. Songs like "Good to Be True" absolutely shimmer, uniting an undeniable pop sensibility with all the rusty edges that make the garage sound so appealing. We have a feeling they'll fit right in here in Austin and we're glad they ended up at 1808 - perfect fit for this bill.

Cowabunga Babez have seen quite an uptick in their popularity here in town in the last year, and it's not hard to see why. With videos about hot babes, commentary of ACL employees who might not be their fan, and (oh yeah) a really good 7", they've carved out a nice niche for themselves. It's nothing too complicated or hard to understand - the tunes are simple pop punk songs recorded with a defiant lo-fi aesthetic. They leave for a west coats tour after this show, so see 'em while you can. Weed Hounds are also supporting this show, and they have a song called "Beach Bummed", so they are probably good. Seriously though, they are really good. It's kind of Vaselines-influenced grimy pop music, and they keep a Tumblr that just sucked us in for 30 minutes so that's a good sign.

Girlfriends [MySpace] [Official]
Cowabunga Babez [MySpace]
Weed Hounds [MySpace]