Girlfriend are the art-punk witch band that we all desperately need but don’t deserve. The Dublin-based five piece have gone from strength-to-strength since forming in August 2015, with a sophomore EP, 3AM Rituals, under their beltS, and now the 2018 double-single release ‘Spitkissing’/‘Small Smile Grow’. The group consists of Hana Lamari (vocals), Sophie Dunne (guitar), Lisa Rogers (bass), Lahela Jones (drums) and recent addition Eilis Mahon (synths). “We met either through school or hanging with different people,” Hana explains. “Lahela and I have been jamming in our bedrooms since we were 13.” Stylistically, Girlfriend veer towards garage rock and hardcore punk, with thundering drum fills and thudding bass lines. Still, to pigeonhole this band would be unwise. Lamari’s ability to seamlessly flip from the guttural growls of ‘Small Smile Grow’ to the tender harmonies on ‘Spitkissing’ is exciting. ”Our lyrical output has changed over the short time we’ve been together,” she notes. “It sounds kinda corny, but it’s all about trying to be super-honest, even if it’s difficult. If I’m writing, I tend to be quite introspective, but recently we’ve tried to take a different approach and see things from other perspectives.” Girlfriend have been gaining serious momentum, bagging gigs at this year’s major festivals such as Electric Picnic and Castlepalooza, plus support slots with the likes of Pillow Queens and Malaysian rockers Shhh... Diam! They’ve a bunch of shows lined up for the end of the year, and will be back in the studio soon. We expect big things.