How did rock music get old? How did youthful rebellion get to be middle-aged?
You only ask those questions, of course, when you live your life through music, like many of us do. I don’t need a diary. I can tell you what I was doing when a particular song comes on. It’s probably the same for many.
It is, I’d wager, the case for Girlschool, which is why the title resonated so quickly with me. “WTFortyfive?” It’s the shock of being old, with the satisfaction of getting that far, making so many mistakes, getting it right. Getting to that point.
“It Is What It Is” all of that and more, “forget about the past, tomorrow comes so fast,” seems like a key line, and then the visceral pleasure of the screeching solo, of the greasy biker rock. It’s as unapologetic as it is classy.
It’s got the Girlschool sound, too, all of this has. “Cold Dark Heart” is more metal-tinged, but somehow everything is sleazy. “There’s something in the house, that’s bigger than a mouse,” they scream on “Bump In The Night,” for example, and let’s hope it’s ghostly, although so dirty is the solo I’m not betting on it.
More than anything, however, this is a celebration. Of music, of life, of the band itself. To that end, “Barmy Army” is a salute to the fans, “decades pass, and I’m still in love with my guitar,” and that’s all this is about. That’s all this album is about. A need to play music.
There’s something more mellifluous about “Invisible Killer” despite the title, but the riffs are excellent, and it surveys the modern world with a real confusion.
“Believing In You” is built on a bass groove. “Love what you” sings Kim McAuliffe, and is that why they’re 45? Because, through it all, they just love being a band, this band?
As a boy growing up in the 80s, I kept seeing pictures of the band with Motorhead, and it’s odd that perhaps the most 80s track (sonically at least) has lyrics that concern themselves with modernity.
“Into The Night” gets starts-with-a-solo bonus points and has a huge “whoa, whoa chorus.” And if you’re looking for highlights here, then look no further than “Are You Ready?” Basically Kim, Denise, Jackie, and Tracy are, and the whole thing has GnR vibes. It’s everything rock n roll should be, and the bratty, snotty “Up To No Good” (you don’t say!) Is irresistible.
The best thing about this is that no one is looking to reinvent wheels, and the celebration of music itself that is “Party” feels so natural.
And that extends to the album’s one cover, “Born To Raise Hell.” Biff Byford, Duff McKagan, and Phil Campbell join them, and not only does that show the love their peers have for them, but it also speaks to the fact that they can take on one of the best ever and own the damn thing (and to be fair, Byford sounds like he’s having so much fun).
And fun is the point. Because these four are having it here. It’s riotous. It makes people like me – just a couple of years older than the band, meaning they’ve been around my music all my life – believe. Believe they can do it too, and believe that there’s no end to rock n roll.
There’s no retirement date on heavy rock. No free bus pass and looking wistfully out of the window. The spirit still burns, and their 14th album is one of Girlschool’s best.
Don’t bet against them releasing “Shitwe’re60” in 15 years on this evidence.
Rating: 8.5/10
