U.S. Girls
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U.S. Girls is a Toronto-based experimental pop project formed in 2007, consisting solely of American musician and record producer Meghan Remy.[3] She had released music on a variety of independent record labels before signing to 4AD in 2015.[4]
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- Siltbreeze
- FatCat
- 4AD
- Atelier Ciseaux
- Econore
- Royal Mountain
U.S. Girls | |
|---|---|
Remy in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Meghan Remy 1985 (age 40–41) |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | yousgirls |
Half Free, her first record for 4AD, was released the same year.[5] It garnered a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2016,[6] and was a shortlisted finalist for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize.[7] Her next records In a Poem Unlimited (2018)[8] and Heavy Light (2020)[9] also received the same accolades.
Remy collaborates with a number of Toronto-based musicians on both songwriting and music production.[10][11]
Early life and education
Remy grew up in Illinois, raised mostly by her mother. She attended a Catholic high school, followed by an art college in Oregon, concentrating on paper arts and graphic design.[12]
Music career
Remy was in her first punk band as a teenager. She cites riot grrrl and Crass as early influences.[13]
Remy began making music in the mid-2000s, playing in bands in Chicago and Portland. In 2008 she started recording solo at home.[14] The name "U.S. Girls" originated from a casual conversation she was having with a friend talking about a European band coming to town. She joked, "Wait 'til they get a look at these U.S. girls!" and the phrase stuck.[14]
After signing to 4AD in 2015, first album Half Free received critical acclaim from publications including The Quietus.[15] She performed the album at festivals through 2016, including Primavera Sound.[16]
In 2018, Remy's sixth studio album, In a Poem Unlimited, was released on 4AD.[17] and was awarded Pitchfork's Best New Music accolade.[18] She made her Coachella debut in 2019 as part of the album cycle.[19]
2020's Heavy Light was released shortly before the pandemic, preceded by singles "4 American Dollars" and "Overtime". Her 2023 album Bless This Mess was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.[20]
Alongside her husband Max "Slim Twig" Turnbull,[21] she operates record label Calico Corp., and sometimes performs as a guest vocalist with Turnbull's Badge Époque Ensemble.[22]
Writing career
In 2021, Remy released her first book, Begin by Telling, published by Bookhug Press.[23] CBC.ca wrote that " experimental pop sensation Meg Remy spins a web out from her body to myriad corners of American hyper-culture. Through illustrated lyric essays depicting memories from early childhood to present day, Remy paints a stark portrait of a spectacle-driven country."[24]
Personal life
Remy later moved from Chicago to Toronto in 2010 after marrying Canadian musician Turnbull. She has permanent residency status in Canada.
Discography
Studio albums
- Introducing... (2008)
- Go Grey (2010)
- U.S. Girls on KRAAK (2011)
- Gem (2012)
- Half Free (2015)
- In a Poem Unlimited (2018)
- Heavy Light (2020)
- Bless This Mess (2023)
- Scratch It (2025)
Split albums
- U.S. Girls / Slim Twig (2011) (with Slim Twig)
EPs
- Kankakee Memories (2008)
- U.S. Girls/Dirty Beaches Split EP (2011)
- Free Advice Column (2013)
Live albums
- Lives (2023)
Compilations
- Early Works (2011)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US AAA [25] | |||
| "U.S. Girls Cassingle": Found on the Ground/St Jude Boys Choir[26] | 2008 | — | Non-LP singles |
| "Me + Yoko"[27] | 2009 | — | |
| "Lunar Life"[28] | 2010 | — | |
| "Salt Road"/"Won't Bother I"[29] | — | ||
| "The Boy Is Mine" (Split single with Deep Purr)[30] | 2011 | — | U.S. Girls on Kraak |
| "The Island Song"[31] | — | ||
| "Jack"[32] | 2012 | — | Gem |
| "Slim Baby"[33] | — | ||
| "Rosemary"[34] | — | ||
| "Damn That Valley"[35] | 2015 | — | Half Free |
| "Woman's Work"[36] | — | ||
| "Window Shades"[37] | — | ||
| "M.A.H"[38] | 2017 | — | In a Poem Unlimited |
| "Velvet 4 Sale"[39] | — | ||
| "Pearly Gates"[40] | 2018 | — | |
| "Rosebud"[41] | — | ||
| "Overtime"[42] | 2020 | — | Heavy Light |
| "4 American Dollars"[43] | 33 | ||
| "Santa Stay Home"[44] | — | Non-album single | |
| "Junkyard"[45] | 2021 | — | Bills & Aches & Blues (various artists) |
| "So Typically Now"[46] | 2022 | — | Bless This Mess |
| "Bless This Mess"[47] | — | ||
| "Futures Bet" | 2023 | — | |
| "Tux"[48] | — |
