THE SOAPGIRLS AREN'T REJECTS AS THEY IMPRESS WITH NEW ALBUM
The SoapGirls: 'Societys Rejects'
Out Now (Independent)
Words: Johnny Main
Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, though actually born in France, sisters Camillie (under the name Millie) and Noémie (known simply as Mie) Debray are making a name for themselves on the live circuit up and down the UK thanks to their unique stage clothes and the suggestive nature of their live performances.
Family friendly entertainment this certainly is not, but if you look closer, you will see that they have not only strong song-writing abilities, but also dedication and determination to their craft as well as supreme confidence in their abilities, much to the dismay of some critics who want nothing more than to see them fail, but this has also earned them a dedicated group of followers, known as the The SoapSuds.
The band released their first album, 'Calls For Rebellion', independently in 2015, and the release was well received, taking their influences from acts as diverse as Fleetwood Mac, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, Heart, Nirvana, The Butthole Surfers, Alice In Chains, Marilyn Manson, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morrissette, Hole and Napalm Death; quite an eclectic mix I'm sure you'll agree.
'Societys Rejects' is album number two and shows how far the band have come since their first release. The title track is pretty much the band encapsulated into one single song – a jaunty upbeat track and some nice clear vocals that remind me of L7 – only with a potty mouth, so this underlines how un-family friendly they are on record as much as they can be live. 'Waters Edge' has a catchy chorus that embeds itself in your brain, whilst there's a funky guitar/keyboard thing going on in the background.
'Party In Hell' is pretty much guaranteed to get your foot tapping along with the drum beat and the vocals are pleasantly upbeat, so if there is a party in Hell, then let's hope that The SoapGirls are providing the entertainment.
Alongside that you have the more serious subject of drugs with 'Sam's On Crack' which is actually the story of a girl called Sam whose on crack, but it has a disarmingly upbeat sound to it despite the downbeat subject matter, which makes you wonder if there's anything that would warrant a more downbeat approach from these girls or whether everything is shown through a positive jaunty tune?
To answer my own question, 'Break You' has a more aggressive intro than some numbers and the power of the spoken intro is clear for all to hear. The song itself doesn't pull any punches as you get into it and it's the most punk rock sounding song of the collection, a basic drum and guitar track which in turn allows the vocals to be the main focus.
'Step Outside', on the other hand, is one of their more straightforward rock numbers complete with a chunky guitar riff and simple drums leaving things clear for the shared vocals to be the centre of attention. The girls voices blend together so well but it's a technique that's not overused on the album but is more sparing to gain maximum effect. Still, this particular number became an early favourite of mine, and still remains so.
There are a couple of bonus tracks tagged on the end, of which 'Bad Bitch' is the best. It's a fun number with a boatload of attitude once again and quickly became one of my favourites from an early listen. The funky guitar and the nasty/cheeky lyrics sound great with effects added to then in the middle section.
'Societys Rejects' tracklist: Societys Rejects Jonny Rotten Waters Edge Party In Hell Air
Step Outside Original Sin Sams On Crack You Hate Losing Drag You Down To Hell Play With Fire Break You Bury Me Bad Bitch (Bonus Track) Rather Be Dead (Bonus Track)
The SoapGirls are: Mie Debray – Vocals/Lead Guitar Mille Debray – Vocals/ Bass Guitar
