A review of the EP "Car Park at the Rear"

“Car Park at the Rear” is an EP of four songs by new group Wrong Girl. It sounds and feels very up-to-the-minute, all the songs having a strong, though varying, beat; the style is unashamedly electronic and the vocals bold, almost -- but not quite -- strident at times (and I mean that as a compliment).

Though the songs are all different they have a consistency of style and theme which creates a unifying thread to hold it all together and, to me, that constant theme is empathy for the underdog in society. For instance, “Introduce Me” is, I think, about the pain of being different and therefore singled out for hostile attention while the nightmarish overtones to “Waiting for You” (by a fraction, my favourite of the songs) portray the pain of unrequited love very aptly. (After all, isn’t the hurt of love unreturned, and the thought that it might last for the rest of your life, a nightmare?)

Most of the songs have a sad feel, but not overwhelmingly so -- and especially with the feelgood “Tell Me” to balance the collection it makes the overall effect poignant rather than depressing.

The one thing that needs some attention is the clarity of the singing. Occasionally I struggled to hear the words, which was a disappointment as often they’re not what you would expect in a song and always interesting, but it didn’t happen often and it didn’t break the spell these songs cast over me.

I want to hear more from this group.

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For more information, see: http://www.wronggirl.net/

(This review is based on preview files sent to me ahead of the release on 19th October of the single “Introduce Me”; the full EP will be released on 5^th December 2015.)