[music]

Alison Stewart: This is All Of It. I'm Alison Stewart, live from the WNYC Studios in Soho. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. Whether you're listening on the radio, live streaming, or on-demand, I'm grateful you are here. On today's show, director Rebecca Miller joins us to discuss her new film She Came to Me, complete with a score by Bryce Dessner of the National and an original tune from Bruce Springsteen. We'll also talk to the author Isle McElroy about their new novel People Collide. We have author Sowmya Krishnamurthy in studio to discuss her new book Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion. That is our plan.

Let's get this started with a listening party for an album described This Way. Each track is sparkling and memorable and likely to lodge itself in your hippocampus. We are going to hear a track from Girl Ray. Their new album is Prestige and we don't have it yet. Rats, that was going to be our big transition. This is a professional radio station. We'll get there. The group is now on tour in the United States and will perform at the Sultan Room next Friday, October 20th.

Girl Ray debuted in 2017 when the group relieved its first album Earl Gray. In Stereogum's album of the week a critic called it an album full of small songs about big feelings. Then in 2019, the group returned with their album Girl, which some critics called their pivot to pop. Now their third release Prestige brings in some thumping bass lines and guitar grooves that create a full on disco vibe. Girl Ray join us to discuss the album ahead of their concert in Brooklyn. We have vocalist and guitarist Poppy Hankin. Hi, Poppy.

Poppy: Hi, Alison.

Alison Stewart: Also, joining us is drummer Iris McConnell. Hi, Iris.

Iris: Hi.

Alison Stewart: Last but not least, we have bassist Sophie Moss. Hi, Sophie.

Sophie: Hello.

Alison Stewart: Hello.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: Poppy, the very first thing on the album is this 32-second sound clip, and it sounds like somebody's in their car and then they're turning down the radio and then they exit the car, and you hear that thump thump thump of a club from the outside. Who came up with this idea?

Poppy: Well, to be completely honest, I wish I could say this was 100% our idea, but actually [chuckles] we handed in the album to our label, and they were really happy with it. Steven from our label said, "You know what? I feel like this is so cinematic. It's definitely not a concept album at all. It's tipping its hat to concept albums and poking fun a little bit at them. We like the idea of this introduction where it was, yes, you hear these high-heeled taps up to the club, which is so not us. We barely leave the house.

[laughter]

We just like the idea of setting the scene. It's like the Sunset Strip in the '70s and just a little bit of cinematic pizazz. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: Iris, what made you guys commit to the whole pizazz disco era sound?

Iris: [laughs] I think we had to commit once we did the album cover. Really. Because it wasn't necessarily a disco album before we got the neon sign involved.

[laughter]

Then, yes, we had these songs and in the studio they just all came together in this live disco rhythmy-- [laughs] It wasn't really our intention to make a "disco album". Any insight?

[laughs]

Poppy: No. Totally. I think it's just a style that we all are drawn to when we play live together. We've been in this band since we were 16, so we learnt to play as a three. We have a style of playing together and I think when you put the label, the very loose, lazy label of disco on it, it just helped us be like, okay, all right, we're going to play a slightly more rhythmic and groovy, in a style that more like that.

Alison Stewart: Well, Sophie, let me bring you in. The bass is seriously important for this sound. What was something that you got to do on this record that maybe you hadn't gotten to do before or something that was new or fun for you as a bass player?

Sophie: I think it was just chucking everything you had at it, no inhibitions really. Just make it as crazy as possible. [laughs] Then you can pull it back where necessary, but it felt very much like that in the process just chucking everything. I think in previous albums it might have felt a bit extra, [laughs] but this time round, it felt right.

Poppy: All the base slides, just 10 base slides, just chuck them in and a few octaves and then you got disco.

Iris: A few slaps.

Poppy: Yes.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: How about for you, Iris, as a percussionist?

Iris: Good question. I think it was just really that there was a tendency to go a little bit funky, but yes, as Sophie said, it was just going all out and listening. I was listening to a lot of Prince at the time and trying and mimic his grooves a little bit. Taking more inspiration from hip hoppy drums, I guess, and it was quite exciting because I got to do basically all of the [unintelligible 00:05:32] live, whereas on the Girl album, a little of it was program drums and stuff. It was just coming together in the booth was quite exciting.

Poppy: We let her loose.

[laughter]

Alison Stewart: I love that it was live too, as opposed to-- That's great. What does that give it, Poppy? What is that extra feeling? [crosstalk]

[laughter]

Poppy: It gives it the source. Playing live is always the best way, I think. With the second album it was definitely the intention was, okay, the first album people pigeonholed, is that the word? They labeled us, okay, guitary lo-fi, indie trio, and we were like, no, actually, what we wanted to make with the first album was a mega pop album, because we all love pop. We didn't have the tools. With the second album we went very much pop. With this one we've said, "Okay, well, there's obviously something to the live element, so let's do a halfway point." [laughs]

Alison Stewart: My guests are Poppy Hankin, Iris McConnell, and Sophie Moss. They make up Girl Ray. We are having an All Of It listening party for their album Prestige. I think we got our music together now. Let's take a listen to the song True Love.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: True Love]

True love

My arms wait for you

If I could see

All the moments I'm made up of

You would know

Why my back is to the wall

I walk alone

Its these dark and dirty streets

That lead me home

I could not pretend to fight this love

Fly up high to silver skies

Keep me up at night

True love

Heartbeat, my arms wait for you

True love

Heartbeat, my arms wait for you

Oh, I can feel it in the night

Alison Stewart: See I told you it was worth the wait. That's True Love from the album Prestige. The album is co-produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Ben H Allen. He's worked with MIA, Gnarls Barkley, Dear Hunter. Poppy, what did he bring to the project that was helpful to you that helped you all achieve your goals?

Poppy: Yes, great question. Well, firstly just massive professionalism and experience that we were so grateful for. Obviously, he's got insane credits to his name. In fact, when I met him, it was initially for a writing session, which I don't really do much as a writer. I usually just write by myself, or I get these guys to help out. Our label set us up and we wrote together and we wrote the song Tell Me from the album. We just got on really well, and at the time we were looking for a producer and I said, "Well, you're quite nice and you seem to have a good vision. Do you want to just produce this record?" Not knowing he'd worked with absolutely everyone.

[laughter]

We asked him quite naively and then quickly found out that he had a whole list of credits to his name. He just brought real focus and intention to the recording process. At the time, it was written during the pandemic and there was a sense of, I think for musicians, a lot of bands, it was a bit of an identity crisis moment along with everyone in the world as well. Just like, okay, we haven't been on the road for years now. We haven't recorded for years. Are we even a band? I don't know. He really helped bring us out of that rutt and really focus us and get the album recorded, which was what we were struggling to do before we met him. We're very grateful for that.

Alison Stewart: It's been in a lot of the press that the show Pose and the queer ballroom scene of the '80s played a part in this record. Iris, you want to tell us how so?

Iris: [chuckles] This was Poppy's-- [laughter]

Alison Stewart: Oh, Poppy, go. Poppy, go.

Iris: Poppy would be best to answer this one because [unintelligible 00:10:05]

Poppy: Well, God. I think it was just a time and a place thing where we were touring our last album and it was that sort of time that we're currently in now where you start thinking, "Oh my God, no, we have to write another album. There's got to be more. There's got to be inspiration." We were touring the album and we were traveling around Europe and in the back of a van I was watching Pose. I think obviously the story is amazing and the writing is incredible, but more so the aesthetic and the soundtrack.

Obviously, the whole sentiment and just that struggle that people were going through at that time that queer people were facing, that was something that I didn't really know about properly, that ballroom scene so it was super educational for me. I was just super attracted to how vibrant it was and the whole look and feel of it, so I tried to bring that into the music a little bit. Whether it was successful I'm not sure.

Alison Stewart: Let’s take a listen to another track from the album Prestige. This song is called Begging You Now.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: Begging You Now]

Take apart the stillness of the morning

Can you bottle it and let me drink?

'Cause the nights are closing in so fast now

And I can't remember how to think

Well, you know I got jealous fevers

But I hate to make you feel like this

I've been asking for forgiveness lately

All I needed was another kiss

Said it doesn't matter, I turn around and freeze

I'm begging you now

I'm begging you, begging you now (begging you now)

'Cause you're the only one to see the wood from the trees

I'm begging you now

I'm begging you, begging you now

Set like the sun

I can't recall right from wrong

I've got these scars

Bearing down on me

A silent prayer

Said to me

So baby, you know what to do (you know what to do)

That’s Begging You Now from the album Prestige. We're having an All Of It listening party with Girl Ray Poppy Hankin, Iris McConnell, and Sophie Moss. Has anybody told you that sound sounds a little bit like Crowded House and Where You Go?

Poppy: No, I love that.

Alison Stewart: There's a remix to be made between Crowded House and There You Go.

Poppy: Oh my God, let’s go get on it.

Sophie: I'm here for it.

Poppy: Which song in particular?

Alison Stewart: It goes, everywhere you go [singing]

Poppy: Oh yes, [laughter] I want that mash-up.

Alison Stewart: There you go. Just I have to do one of these. I read it somewhere and I want to know if it's true. Sophie, I'll ask you. Is Girl Ray a take on Man Ray?

Poppy: Yes.

Alison Stewart: Yes?

Sophie: It’s true.

Poppy: No one’s ever got that. [chuckles]

Sophie: Not especially because we were inspired by Man Ray. It was just a bit of a silly little plan when we were teenagers.

Poppy: Coming up with a band name is an excruciating thing to have to do. [laughs] If it sounds good, usually it'll stick.

Alison Stewart: Got you. Iris, how did you decide, you all decide, the order of the tracks on the album? I always think that's interesting because if you listen to it as a whole there's a story to hear.

Iris: That's a very good question. It's always been the hardest part for us. It's a lot of WhatsApp calls, a lot of disagreement, but we all agreed that it has this narrative you’re right of daytime, nighttime a little bit, a lot of shifts. Well, we accidentally [chuckles] put all of the singles on the first side which actually wasn't intentional. We wanted highs and lows. [chuckles] How else to describe it.

Poppy: Yes, I think that’s it. I think we were thinking we started with that intro where you're approaching the club then you have the A side while you're in the club you're having the time in your life and then you maybe walk out of the club at 5:00 AM and Love Is Enough and the more whimsical songs start playing but that was the rough idea anyway.

Alison Stewart: We're having an All Of It listening party with the band Girl Ray. We'll have more with him after a quick break but let's listen to one track we talked about a little bit earlier. This is Tell Me. More with Girl Ray on the other side.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: Tell Me]

You said you wanted me, but I got to be

Better than the rest if I wanted to compete

(Ooh, girl)

How can I answer that?

You said you wanted me, so we skipped a beat

Movie, double date, triple ice cream

(Ooh, girl)

[music]

This is All Of It on WNYC I'm Alison Stewart. My guests this hour are Girl Ray, and they are Poppy, Iris, and Sophie. Their new album is called Prestige. I want to point out again they're playing at The Sultan Room on October 20th at 7:00 PM here in New York City. Sophie, people are thinking I like this band that I haven't heard of before. I want to know more about them. When did you guys get together?

Sophie: We got together when we were about 16, 17 at high school. Me and Poppy had met at a "rock school".

Alison Stewart: A rock club.

Sophie: A rock club.

Alison Stewart: What a day.

Sophie: There was eight classical guitars. [chuckles] We thought we looked-- Poppy looked pretty cool. [chuckles] We started properly doing music together around 17, 18.

Poppy: We just fooled around and then we actually went out to the States in 2018 supporting a band called Porches who were a favorite of ours but we're still at it. We're still here.

Alison Stewart: Iris, what do you like about collaborating with these two women?

Iris: I know it sounds cringy but I think there’s something telepathic in us.

Poppy: That’s cute.

Sophie: That’s cute.

Iris: I know I'm not normally that sort of person but no, it doesn't feel like effort. It just feels like we know each other and just generally excite each other, I think. It's just fun, I can't imagine doing this by myself. It'd be so nerve-wracking and not as fun. It's just good crack, really. [chuckles]

Poppy: That's emotional. Wow. [chuckles]

Alison Stewart: Why did that make you emotional, Poppy?

Poppy: It’s just so cute. Iris, we don't necessarily express our emotions unless we're on a nationwide interview apparently but it's just cute. It's just nice. It's true. [chuckles]

Alison Stewart: The new album is Prestige. Let's take a listen to another song Hold Tight. Tell me a little bit what you want people to listen for in the song, Poppy.

Poppy: Oh, okay, I would say it's a bit of a Vampire Weekend sort of inspiration, slightly more indie pop than disco this one. A bit of an '80s influence coming through. More of it's very lovey-dovey so you'll have to forgive us. Just hold tight I guess. [chuckles]

Alison Stewart: Let’s listen.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: Hold Tight]

The sun sets different now

I can't take it

When you get close and say you're down

Oh, honey

Hold tight

They can't tell me

What I see when I look in your eyes

It's your sweet words

Keepin' me alive

Nightly

As we walk down that bright-lit street

I get to thinking

What tender-hearted day made us meet

Oh, I need you to

Hold tight

They can't tell me

How you put the stars back in my sky

It's your sweet words

Keepin' me alive

Your light is as warm as the sunshine

Blazing down on the twist of our grapevine

Alison Stewart: That's Hold Tight from Girl Ray. Before I even read anything, and I was listening to the record, it reminded me a little bit of Haim, Women in Music Part III, and I--

Poppy: Highest compliment.

Alison Stewart: I thought it was Haim meets Junior Senior a little bit.

Poppy: Ooh, I love that.

Alison Stewart: With a nice little mix there. When you were thinking about this record, who were some of the inspirations?

Poppy: I think you hit the nail on the head. I don't know about Junior Senior, but I was obviously obsessed with Move Your Feet back in the day.

Alison Stewart: How could one not?

Poppy: Definitely Haim. I think when I was writing it and we were looking for references, it was more-- not so much the first wave of disco, but the post-disco that came after it where people in the eighties were discovering disco, rediscovering disco rather after it was stamped out by the Disco Sucks Movement. They were rediscovering it and they were putting their own stamp on it in a slightly more ramshackle way than the big strings that were in the first phase of disco. I'm trying to think now of artists that actually fit that bill. It's Blondie, Orange Juice, some of the more indie disco acts of the '80, I guess. I don't know about Blondie Indie, but you know.

Alison Stewart: Poppy, when you're thinking about songwriting and something hits you, how do you hold onto it so that you don't lose it? Are you a person who writes in notes? Do you write on napkins? How do you hold onto an idea?

Poppy: That's a great question. It's definitely one of those things where if you don't grab that inspiration, then it's gone. It's totally gone. I remember that story about Fleetwood Mac. I think Stevie Nicks was writing-- oh God, I can't remember the song she was writing, but she had to stay up-- Anyway, she stayed up all night play playing piano because they didn't have a recorder. She had to stay up all night in her hotel room playing the piano of this song idea to try and capture it. Obviously thankfully now we have phones. I'll just do a voice note of an idea. It's often very embarrassing. I'll have to turn my back away from the street and mumble into my phone. Yes, it works for now.

Alison Stewart: My guests are Girl Ray. They're going to be playing in New York, in Brooklyn at The Sultan Room on October 20th at 7:00 PM. My guests are Poppy, Iris, and Sophie. The name of the new album is Prestige. Sophie and Iris, a question for both of you. Same question. Sophie, you get to start. What is a song on the record that you have the strongest feelings about or brings up feelings in you?

Sophie: I think Love Is Enough for me. It was quite different for us in the sense that it doesn't really even have a chorus or verse. A lot of it slowly building. I've always found that really exciting. It was really fun to play with baseline-wise as well in that way.

Alison Stewart: Let's hear a little bit of Love is Enough.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: Love is Enough]

I just called to say

I'm feeling far away

Be my lines

Come out to play

When I'm home I don't know how to keep myself sane

I know your love is enough

Baby, baby, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh

Let's go slow

Alison Stewart: That's Love is Enough. Okay, Iris, I bought you some time. What is the song on this album you have really strong feelings about, or that brings up feelings for you?

Iris: For me, it is Give Me Your Love, the end song on the album. I've always just been very obsessed with this song ever since we recorded it in a creepy way. I always listen to it. I know I'm not allowed to say that. I feel like with artists, you have the one song that you're like-- how do I explain this? It's this song that you always imagined that you'd write or have in your back pocket. Does that make any sense? You're like, "I want to be represented by this song." I think every time we play it live, it feels even more special. It's got vocoder. It's just got everything you need in this song. I'm really bigging it up, aren't I? It's just a great album closer. I think it's just the happy, sad moments for me.

Alison Stewart: Let's hear Give Me Your Love.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: Give Me Your Love]

Reaching for a dream

Baby, your love can set me free

Talking through some things

Turn on the TV

Baby, what's up?

Searching for your hand

Walking in the sand

Heat is in the air

And the sun is going down

I need your touch

Alison Stewart: We got a random tweet about you guys that says, "Hey, thanks for featuring Girl Ray on the show today. I have never heard of them, but I love them. Thanks for the intro to the wonderful band."

Poppy: That's why we do it.

Alison Stewart: It's a [unintelligible 00:27:29]

Poppy: Nice to hear from him.

Alison Stewart: Poppy, you have a concert coming up in New York next week, The Sultan Room. When you think about this tour, what's been different for you all this time around than before?

Poppy: Do you know what? A lot has changed. I think the landscape of touring has changed significantly. Particularly for UK bands touring in the States. It was outrageously expensive before, but now it's just astronomical. The cost of touring, visas alone to be frank for four people, it's over $10,000 to come over and play. It's just you are already on a back foot. We've been struggling just with all the logistics. We've done lots of fundraising in the UK. Also, people have been so generous and donated from all around the world. It's just been a lot more thought has had to go into it in terms of just how to make it happen.

So many Americans have been so generous with their houses, and they've agreed to let us come and crash in their house. It's just been a lot of moving parts and organization. Girl Ray is now a fully functioning business that makes no money. It's just a lot of emails and sorting out. I think when we get on that plane seat to New York next Thursday, all of that worry is going to fade away. I'm so excited to actually play.

Alison Stewart: Is it true that you actually as part of your fundraising threw a hotdog eating contest?

Poppy: We did. We did it two nights ago. It was amazing. I don't think the UK has ever seen anything like it. They didn't know what hit them. It was very intense.

Alison Stewart: The album is Prestige. It's out now. Girl Ray has a concert next Friday in Brooklyn. They are coming here on October 20th at 7:00 PM at The Sultan Room. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

Poppy: Oh, thank you so much for having us. Yes, it's been great. [crosstalk]

Alison Stewart: Let's go out on, Everybody's Saying That from Girl Ray.

[MUSIC - Girl Ray: Everybody's Saying That]

True, I want your touch (Your touch)

Coffee in the morning is not enough (Ah)

Mourning the twenty days of loving that I've lost

Nighttime lasts so long

Tell me what you want

I can give you what you want

If Heaven ain't enough

Decide

Listen to your heart

Then tell me when to start

 

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