This Girlpool Documentary Will Make You Want To Hug Your Best Friend
Up and down the coast with the LA-bred, Philly-based punk duo.
There's a part near the end of Things Are Okay, the new mini-documentary about Los Angeles-bred duo Girlpool, where bassist Harmony Tividad takes a photo of the New York skyline. Cleo Tucker, her best friend and bandmate, cites it as her favorite moment in the 25-minute film. "She's just snapping this photograph in her big red jacket," Tucker told FADER over the phone from Philadelphia, where she and Tividad moved to from LA, like, last week. "I have a screenshot of it on my desktop," Tucker laughs, "and I look at it when I'm sad."
The documentary was filmed last year, during the pair's first big East Coast tour with LA homies Slutever. It was directed by Cory McConnell, who's also from LA. "We'd see him around at shows and stuff," Tucker says. "One day, he approached us with this idea, and we were like, 'Hell yeah.'" McConnell describes the doc as a "portrait of a band at a unique moment in time." It features lots of tight footage of the duo performing their harmony-laden pop-punk songs, plus interviews with Tividad and Tucker about their fledgling successes and tight-knit bond. "This piece captures what makes seeing Girlpool live such an intimate experience," McConnell told FADER over email. "It's direct, honest, and full of Cleo and Harmony's raw emotions."
Talking to the band, you get the sense that their preternatural connection is essential to the success of their songs. The music they've written for the follow-up to last year's Girlpool EP—which they're presently recording with help from Swearin's Kyle Gilbride—is no exception. "We've pretty much written every song together," Tucker told FADER. "The connection to the music is our connection to each other, too," Tividad added. As for their decision to leave LA, Tucker attributes Philly's "magnetic draw," plus a serendipitous meeting with Sam Cook-Parrott from scene staple Radiator Hospital. "We're excited to explore the community," Tividad said. "But we'll definitely miss all our pals."
Check the duo's upcoming tour dates with new neighbor Alex G and Katie Crutchfield aka Waxahatchee:
Tour dates:
1/28 - Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn
2/3 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA ^
2/16 - London, EN @ Lexington
2/18 - Manchester, EN @ Soup Kitchen
2/19 - Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
2/21 - Paris, FR @ Pop Up Du Label
2/23 - Berlin, DE @ Berghain Kantine ^
2/24 - Hamburg, DE @ Exile Molotow ^
4/24 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister *
4/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
4/26 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
4/28 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy *
4/29 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
5/1 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir *
5/2 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
5/3 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile *
5/6 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club *
5/7 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
5/8 - Chicago, IL @ The Beat Kitchen *
5/9 - Detroit, MI @ UFO *
5/10 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison *
5/11 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB *
5/12 - Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House *
5/13 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
5/14 - East Greenwich, RI @ Greenwich Odeum *
^ = w/ Alex G
*= w/ Waxahatchee
Lead Image: Alice Baxley