A hundred memories flood through you when Girl Ray start to play. The happier the surface of their songs appear to be, the more profound you feel when the sadness kicks in underneath it all. On their debut single ‘Trouble’, Girl Ray boldly and breathlessly introduced their sound as an essential voice in these modern times of love, life and physical disconnect. To give their music your attention for a split second, is enough to marvel at how excellently they have crafted their warm Nico-tinged pop.
The winsome melancholic embers of Girl Ray begin amongst the scattered brown brick rows of North London. They have been writing demos since their mid-teens about wanting to skateboard, how much they hate Mick Jagger and the school dinner ladies. Living only one street away from each other, best friends Poppy Hankin and Iris McConnell have been nurturing each other’s song writing and musicianship for a number of years. However, it wasn’t until Harkin and McConnell were taking their A-levels, that they went in search for a bass player, and chose to invite Sophie Moss – on their Mum’s advice – to come and practice with them.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]