Even for a young, buzzed-about band, the three years between
Goat Girl's self-titled debut album and its follow-up
On All Fours were notable. Along with more typical shake-ups like lineup changes (bassist Holy Hole stepped in for founding member Naima Jelly), the group endured guitarist/vocalist L.E.D.'s diagnosis of stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma and six-month course of chemotherapy. Happily,
Goat Girl's second album reveals that they've only grown stronger together in the wake of these events. There's a greater feeling of connection and cohesion in these songs -- which makes sense, since they took a collaborative approach to songwriting this time out -- and their experimental and pop impulses are more clearly defined and cleverly integrated. Better organization may not seem that interesting in theory, but
On All Fours' results certainly are. Clearing away the punk-country-goth fusion of their early days lets
Goat Girl play with new instrumentation and expansive song structures, both of which shine on "Sad Cowboy"'s moody, synth-fortified dance-punk and on "Jazz (In the Supermarket)"'s swelling brass and tangled guitars. They're even more skilled at stretching their music into ambitious experiments and letting it snap back into hooky pop, sometimes in the course of the same song. "The Crack" evolves from surging rock to a cascading coda, mirroring the song's tale of people in search of a new planet after ruining Earth. While
Goat Girl frequently take a more abstract songwriting approach on
On All Fours, their subjects are as pointed as always. The quietly confrontational energy of
Goat Girl's "Creep" continues on "PTS Tea," which turns the time L.E.D. (who is nonbinary) was burned by hot tea by another passenger on a ferry into a swirling round of unanswered questions about identity and respect. On "Anxiety Feels," Clottie Cream and L.E.D. murmur "I don't wanna be on those pills" over glassy guitars and beats that convey how slippery mental well-being can often be. Both nervier and more confident than their debut,
On All Fours is a huge step forward from a band that's well-equipped to bring post-punk's legacy into the future. ~ Heather Phares