Philadelphia band. Church Girls’ new single “Nothing,” arrives ahead of their forthcoming release The Haunt. The full-length was produced by Scott Solter (St. Vincent, Spoon, The Mountain Goats), and is due out February 7th. The group has been busy since the release of their last, EP, Cycles, touring extensively across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. They will hit the road in 2020, behind the new release. Church Girls includes Mariel Beaumont, her writing partner, Joseph Wright (guitar), Vince Vullo (bass) and Julien Varnier (drums).

“These songs are personal, but also occasionally from the perspective of close friends or family members. Similar to prior themes, we’re trying to understand those close to us, who might be going through a rough time, whether it’s with addiction or divorce; it’s also a daily balance of—okay, how much am I supposed to be helping myself and how much am I supposed to be helping others?” Beaumont asks.

Parquet Courts, Can, Daughters, IDLES, Protomartyr, PUP, Interpol and Dinosaur Jr. are all staples in Church Girls’ repertoire of rock and post-punk influences. The Haunt contains some of these edgier, fuzzier, bristly moments that espouse physicality and give way to a more captivating live performance. “We’ve been going after something more tribal, a transcendent quality where you can feel it in your chest. That’s how I feel like we connect with our audience the best,” says Beaumont. “We play a little harder and faster now. I scream a little bit more. We’ve also been enjoying the regularity of mosh pits at our shows.”

“I’ve been running this band for 5 years, and a lot of my friends have grown up and moved away from Philly. Sometimes I’m in Ohio, in the middle of nowhere, wondering what the hell I’m doing with my life or if I’m heading down the right path. I’m traveling across the country, which is great, but I’m wondering: “What do my friends think about this? Am I doing the right thing?” “Unwound” feels anthemic in the same manner that Broken Social Scene explode with a sense of urgency on glorious numbers like “Almost Crimes” or “Cause = Time.”