[MUSIC NEWS] DOWNGIRL Releases New Single

Downgirl. Femme Soul Punk created on Gadigal Land, Eora Country. A blend of nu-punk and classic 90s grunge sounds. Today they announce their existence and let the world know to expect them.

Their debut single ‘Beauty Queen’ will be released unto the world on Friday March 18th at https://gyro.to/BeautyQueen. The video for the track can be seen HERE.

DOWNGIRL’s debut single, Beauty Queen, establishes the band as a raw and blaring force. Recorded at the beginning of 2022 at Bleus Studios and mastered by Jack the Bear, the song is an ode to horror movie heroes, Carrie and Suspiria’s Suzy, who defied the gendered roles of ‘final girls’ and ‘scream queens’.

Vocalist Alex Neville says of the track, “Beauty Queen draws upon these pop culture references in celebration of unconventional femininity and challenges the notion that women can be written as one dimensional characters. Musically inspired by 90s grunge gods and riot grrlz, the track is attacking, gritty, yet reassuring, just like Beauty Queen herself.”

Archibald-Prize winning Australian Artist Del Kathryn Barton contributed her piece ‘Volcanic Woman’ for the cover art of the band’s first single. Barton’s psychedelic fantasy work subverts portrayals of the reclining nude as often shown from the male gaze and compliments Beauty Queen’s subject matter – women’s bodies aren’t merely objects but subjects. Drummer Skarlett Saramore connected with Barton during the pandemic and chose this piece, her favourite of Barton’s, for this Downgirl cover art. One resounding “Fuck yeah” later and the cover art deal was done.

With their live set described as “…fearsome, where everything is inside out, an impossible puzzle of things that don’t make sense but just do. It’s like enjoying getting a hammer to the back of the head. What utter fun” by The Underground Stage, DOWNGIRL has already made a fierce impact – and they’re just warming up.

DOWNGIRL was born in the throes of the pandemic, spending its infancy in the cloud with members Skarlett Saramore (drums), Kristen Adams (vocals/lead guitar), Alex Neville (vocals/rhythm guitar) and Lou Harbidge (bass), sharing riffs, words, and beats online. These ideas spawned a diverse body of work, exploring central themes of equality, LGBTQIA+ issues, and mental health.

DOWNGIRL has since been freed from the cloud, taking a detour via the studio, and landing firmly on the stage where they belong, unleashing their loud and unapologetic performance on unsuspecting audiences. Their fusion of sludgy guitars, 90s inspired pop harmonies and straight-up-in-your-face punk, can be heard ringing out throughout pubs in their hometown, Sydney!

To this end, they are heading out on tour, starting Friday March 25 in Sydney at Crowbar and Saturday March 26 in Canberra at The Basement, both supporting Fangz, back to Sydney on Wednesday March 30 at Botany View with Johnny Hunter, up to the Blue Mountains on Friday April 1 at Katoomba’s Baroque Room with Fangz, Newcastle on Saturday April 2 at Hamilton Station Hotel, Sydney Art School for their Single Launch on Thursday April 7, The Doomed Festival on Friday April 15 at Botany View, Sunday April 17 at the Duke Hotel in Enmore for The Duke Femme Fest, Friday April 29 in Melbourne for the Bonez Queer Party!