U.S. Girls announce new album Scratch It

Toronto-based artist Meg Remy, also known as U.S. Girls, has announced a new album, Scratch It, set for release on June 20 via 4AD.

She has also released the 12-minute track ‘Bookends', which serves as the centrepiece of the record.

The song is a tribute to Remy’s late friend Riley Gale, frontman of metal band Power Trip. It draws inspiration from the book Eyewitness To History.

The music video is directed by analog filmmaker Caity Arthur, who explains that "the video is ultimately about death and absolution - how death is one of the only certain things in life; the ‘great equalizer', however, it also subverts the traditional narrative of death as a despairing void, rather, portraying it as a euphoric transitory experience."

The album was recorded live to tape in just ten days in Nashville.

The recording features a full band, including guitarist Dillon Watson, bassist Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs), drummer Domo Donoho, keyboardists Jo Schornikow and Tina Norwood, and harmonica player Charlie McCoy (Elvis, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison).

Scratch It blends genres including gospel, garage rock, and soul, and marks a departure from Remy’s usual computer-based production from previous albums.

An Illinois native, Remy established U.S. Girls in 2007 and has since released nine studio albums, three of which were Polaris Prize-shortlisted and Juno-nominated. Their last album was Bless This Mess (2023).

U.S. Girls are set to tour North America this summer, starting with a pop-up show in Nashville on May 14.