Album Review: Girlschool – WTFortyfive?
Reviewed by Lana Teramae
45 years ago, British hard rock group Girlschool entered the music scene. They had some commercial success in the early 1980s with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but their popularity waned in the following years. Despite their setbacks, Girlschool are still out there touring and releasing new music, making them the longest running all-female rock band ever. To celebrate 45 years and many more to come, the band have a new studio album appropriately titled ‘WTFortyfive?’. The current lineup includes Kim McAuliffe on guitars and lead vocals, Denise Dufort on drums, Jackie Chambers on guitars and backing vocals, and Tracey Lamb on bass guitar. The latter replaced longtime bassist Enid Williams, who left the group in 2019.
This album has that old-school New Wave of British Heavy Metal vibe, but with cleaner production. 'Barmy Army' gives off The Runaways / Joan Jett vibes. It’s melodic and catchy, and it has a piercing guitar riff. 'Invisible Killer'” is a straightforward rocker with a solid beat. Actually, the drumming on the whole album is great. Dufort doesn’t do any crazy drum fills, instead, she maintains a simple beat that keeps the rhythm section together. The mid-tempo 'Believing in You' incorporates big power chords that give off AC/DC vibes.
A couple of the songs, like 'Into the Night', lean into pop territory. 'Are You Ready?' is silly, especially since many rock artists have played on the whole “are you ready to rock ‘n’ roll” concept. But it’s a fun song and it would work well in front of a live audience. A major highlight on the album is the closing track, “Born to Raise Hell,” which is a Motörhead cover. Biff Byford from Saxon, Phil Campbell from Motörhead, and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses appear on the track, alongside Girlschool. It’s a fist-pumping anthem with an insanely catchy chorus and a killer bass line.
‘WTFortyfive?’ is a good album, for the most part. But there are too many songs. If the band shortened it to only eight or nine songs, the album would’ve been much stronger. Another downside to the album is the songwriting. The choruses are way too repetitive and the lyrics are pretty typical. 'Up to No Good' is about breaking the rules and looking for trouble, while 'Party' is about partying all day and letting the good times roll. It’s not like Girlschool are the first band to write about this stuff.
But as mentioned before, ‘WTFortyfive?’ is a solid release from the band. It’s not top-shelf Girlschool, but considering that their last studio effort was from 2015, this is not bad at all.
