2nd Grade will release their new album Girls and Boys, on October 30 physically and December 4th digitally via Lame-O Records. Ahead of the release, the band are sharing new single, “Anywhere Girls.” Since the 2018 inception of 2nd Grade, songwriter and producer Peter Gill (also guitarist for the alt-country band Friendship)

The record’s coed theme also reflects a development in 2nd Grade’s vocal assignments: half of the songs are sung by guitarist Catherine Dwyer (Spring Onion, Remember Sports). Dwyer’s and Gill’s overlapping alto and tenor might at times be confused for each other, an effect mirroring the lyrical bombardment of fantastical statements and hazy sense of self. In addition to vocals and guitar, Dwyer led the tracking and production of the album alongside Gill, with Jack Washburn (Remember Sports) also contributing on various instruments. The record was mixed by Julian Fader and mastered by Ian Farmer (Modern Baseball).

As on today’s “Anywhere Girls,” lines are sung quickly, a torrent of images as overwhelming as the modern world, and as paralysis-inducing: “There’s so much to discern / Every which way I turn / Action ‘neath the microscope / Trouble in the Hubble / Another year in the bubble / Standstill on a slippery slope.” The anxious lyrics are belied by exultant instrumentation, Dwyer’s voice honeyed and bright. “As Peter and I were going through the demos he made for Girls and Boys, deciding who would sing lead on which song, I was immediately drawn to ‘Anywhere Girls,” says Dwyer. “A catchy upbeat standout in a tracklist packed with catchy upbeat standouts. I quickly realized how detailed, how full of large and unfamiliar intervals the melody was, how difficult Peter’s phrasing was to duplicate at high speed. This is Peter’s greatest trick as a songwriter, disguising his complex compositions under layers of sugar and fizzy distortion. Add a little ABBA-worship countermelody and a Blitzkrieg Bop intro/outro and you’ve got yourself “Anywhere Girls.””

Second Grade
Girls and Boys
Tracklist
Lame-O Records

1.Guess and Check Girls
2. Radio Girls
3. White Album Girls
4. Anywhere Girls
5. Slingerland Girls
6. Flight School Girls
7. Nowhere Girls
8. Upstream Girls
9. Motormall Girls
10. Cellophane Girls
11. Fender Boys
12. Glacial Boys
13. Rehoboth Boys
14. Radio Boys
15. Trouble Boys
16. Said and Done Boys
17. Catch and Release Boys
18. Rumor Mill Boys
19. 20th Century Boys
20. Crash Test Boys

Pre-order Girls and Boys by 2nd Grade HERE