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With a new single and a summer of touring ahead, Stockholm quartet GIRL SCOUT are ready to bare their souls and take on the world. Check out our latest Hype playlist cover feature.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Girl Scout are living the dream – if the dream involves sitting in traffic, driving the roads of dear old Blighty. Embarking on a UK tour, playing shows night after night, the Swedish indie rockers are revelling in the thrill of doing what they love. As guitarist and vocalist Emma Jansson answers our questions, the band are en route to Birmingham’s Sunflower Lounge for the second gig of their run. “British audiences are always so welcoming and kind; it’s always such a pleasure to play for them!” Jansson enthuses when asked what she most looks forward to when visiting the country. “And Greggs, of course.”
It’s a sentiment that encapsulates Girl Scout’s infectious charm – a perfect blend of heartfelt appreciation for their fans and a cheeky nod to the irresistible allure of the UK’s favourite pasty purveyor. This duality – the sincerity and joyous excitement, not the love of a high-street bakery – has become a hallmark of the band’s music, where raw, uncomfortable emotions collide with an unapologetic lust for life.
Since the release of their acclaimed second EP, ‘Granny Music’, in September 2023, Girl Scout have been on a creative tear. “As always, we’ve been writing a lot of new music, planning tours, and preparing for new releases,” Jansson reveals. “Lately, we’ve really been enjoying showing up to rehearsal and writing songs on the spot together. It’s a process full of surprises, and it really reinvented our songwriting process.”
This spontaneous approach has yielded electrifying results, as evidenced by their explosive new single, ‘I Just Needed You To Know’. Born from an impromptu jam session, the track is a testament to the band’s intuitive chemistry and unbridled creativity. “Sometimes, before our rehearsals, we play around with ideas and jam. On this particular day, Viktor started playing a riff that we thought was fun, and we started writing music around it. About 30 minutes later, we pretty much had the whole song finished,” Jansson recounts. “The spontaneous energy followed into the recording and mixing process. Everything went easy because the song pretty much plays itself.”
Lyrically, ‘I Just Needed You To Know’ is open to interpretation, with Jansson preferring to let the audience draw their own conclusions. “The lyrics were something I had lying around that just magically matched the song. I love hearing how people interpret the lyrics, so I don’t want to over-explain it,” she teases.
This enigmatic approach is par for the course for Girl Scout, whose songs often delve into the murky depths of the human psyche. “The core of a lot of our songs stem from writing about uncomfortable emotions and feelings of frustration that aren’t necessarily flattering,” Jansson explains. “It’s very liberating to express the full extent of your emotions in music. I definitely process a lot of things through writing; that’s probably the common denominator of our songs.”
Drawing from a rich tapestry of musical influences, Girl Scout have crafted a sound that pays homage to the greats while carving out their own unique sonic territory. “Our musical choices are very influenced by the stuff we listen to, bands like Blur and Pixies,” Jansson notes.
“The song pretty much plays itself”
Emma Jansson
This diverse palette has allowed Girl Scout to forge a sound that is uniquely their own, blending elements of 90s alt-rock, indie pop, and garage rock into a potent sonic cocktail. On ‘Granny Music’, the band showcased their knack for crafting infectious hooks and bittersweet melodies, a talent they’ve only honed further in the months since.
“We realised the importance of sticking up for our opinions of what the music should sound like and that we work best when we do as much of the creative side of things ourselves,” Jansson reflects on the lessons learned from the EP’s release. “We gained confidence in doing our own production on the newest single. In short, trust the vision.”
This newfound confidence is palpable, as the band trust that vision implicitly and begin to play about with their musical identity. “We’ve really enjoyed experimenting with weird sounds and not fussing about making things sound pretty,” Jansson reveals. “We’re letting the creative choices guide us rather than restricting ourselves to any particular sound. That’s when we have the most fun!”
Fun is the operative word when it comes to Girl Scout’s music, even when they’re grappling with heavy subject matter. It’s a balance they strike effortlessly, thanks in no small part to their tight-knit bond as a band. Comprised of Jansson, guitarist Viktor Spasov, bassist Evelina Arvidsson Eklind, and drummer Per Lindberg, the quartet met while studying jazz in Stockholm, bonding over a shared love of indie rock and a desire to create something new.
“A lot of our songs stem from writing about uncomfortable emotions”
Emma Jansson
As they gear up for a summer of touring, including a highly anticipated stint supporting Canadian indie darlings Alvvays, Girl Scout are ready to take on the world. “That tour is a dream come true for us. Alvvays was one of our biggest inspirations when we started the band, and it feels like a full circle moment following them along on tour,” Jansson exclaims.
Preparing for life on the road is no easy feat, but Girl Scout have it down to a science. “We have done our fair share of travelling these past couple of years; the key is to maintain some healthy routines like not living on beige food and running. And always nap in the van.”
When they’re not on stage or in the studio, the band are voracious music consumers, drawing inspiration from a wide range of artists. “Anything and everything, really. Viktor basically only listens to Brad Mehldau all day, every day; the rest of us listen to a lot of our peers; Wednesday, Ratboys, Deerhoof, Katy Kirby, and The Lemon Twigs are faves at the moment,” Jansson shares.
This eclectic taste is reflected in their own music, which continues to evolve with each new release. While tight-lipped about their future plans, Jansson hints at big things on the horizon. “There are some big things happening in the future; let’s just leave it at that!” she teases.
One thing is for certain – Girl Scout are a band who find a sense of connection through their music. Whether they’re jamming in the studio, tearing up the stage, or chowing down on a vegetarian sausage roll, Girl Scout are living proof that rock’n’roll is alive and well – and in very capable hands. With ‘I Just Needed You To Know’ as their latest calling card, the future looks bright for these Swedish upstarts.
Oh, and one more thing – “Dave Rowntree from Blur posted about us on Instagram, which is completely insane!” Jansson gushes. If that’s not a sign of big things to come, we don’t know what is. ■
Girl Scouts’ new single ‘I Just Needed You To Know’ is out now. Follow Dork’s Hype Spotify playlist here.
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