Girl Group

A divine feminine moment in pop culture: whether the riot grrrls of the ’90s, a sleek, honey-voiced R&B trio, or a glam and campy, dancing quintet. But through history, she—the collective, she—has been constructed by men, made a product of the music industry machine primed for algorithms and girlboss politics.

Where is the girl group’s place on the pop pedestal in today’s world? What can happen when the girl group is girl made?

That story starts in Liverpool with Katya, Maria, Thea, Mia and Lil – our Girl Group.

The five women met while studying at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and have lived together (in youthful chaos and harmony, figuratively and literally) ever since. Katya, Thea, Maria and Mia are all from Oslo, while Lil is the resident Yorkshire woman. They each bring their own individual sounds and a full spectrum of sonic references, and it was their shared frustration with the music industry boy’s club that first laid the foundations for Girl Group and their exciting debut EP.

The name itself was chosen to embrace and subvert what we think of as industry-made girl groups.

“It is a place where we can create a community beyond the band itself, fostering collaboration among women in music.”

The intention is for every part of the creative journey to be created by women – and Girl Group have done exactly that.

“We’re all very opinionated and very feminist—but we had gone across the pond to this big music institution and still felt very closed out of this guy’s club. And these were friends too! If we were in the studio, it was like we were guests,” says Maria.

Feeling like outsiders in the spaces they were primed to make magic wasn’t going to work, so the women began having sessions themselves, working on their production skills together and experimenting freely.

The Debut EP

That process led to an assured six-track release: a glistening, teeth-baring, dance-with-hearts-in-your-eyes, throats and on-your-sleeves EP.

An ambitious debut, it arrives via the new Boys Boys Boys imprint through Polydor.

“Flink Pike”, the EP’s opener, takes its name from the Nordic expression meaning “good girl.”

“We see young girls trying to perform to the pressure of being everything at once and completely agreeable,” says the band.

It’s a slyly sweet, light-as-air pop song that rushes through the contradictory expectations imposed on young women:

“I’m so polite it hurts my cheeks, is this your favourite type of me?”

“Yay Saturday”, their first single and statement of intent, is a bass-driven anthem about the messiness of womanhood and having fun with your mates.

“Your Fantasy” pulses with percussion and buzzy synths to slice through the male gaze, while “Man-Made Girlbands” revels in post-punk codas, repeatedly declaring:

“You’re no rockstar.”

“Shut Your Mouth Sometimes” pushes back against unsolicited male attention and advice, breaking into a techno gallop.

Closing track “BFF4EAE” is a meditative moment of female solidarity:

“I’ll kill anyone who makes you cry.”

Built on Friendship

“It was from that very first session, we thought, ‘this feels different’,” says Lil.

The playful, kinetic energy of their friendship naturally spilled into the music. A dropped snus box even found its way into the lyrics.

“We began running with that, finding imagery and little lines about what represented that first year together, what we found funny and fulfilling,” says Lil.

“It’s set the tone for how we work now,” adds Maria. “We are so different with our own music tastes and style, but we found those lyrics and references that bind us together.”

Each member brings a distinct musical identity:

• Thea infuses jazzier sounds.
• Katya creates Billie Eilish-esque alternative pop.
• Mia draws from the expansive Nordic musical landscape and her classical and theatre training.
• Lil finds inspiration in post-punk and shoegaze.
• Maria is a storyteller and orator.

Spoken word moments and conversational snippets weave throughout the EP, pulling listeners directly into their intimate circle.

Together, they draw inspiration from Wet Leg, Biig Piig, PinkPantheress, Charli XCX and Lily Allen.

A Truly Collaborative Band

It’s rare for a group to write and produce entirely on their own, but Girl Group control every aspect of the process.

“A lot of bands write with one or two main writers, but we’re a five. It’s important for us to have all our voices heard,” says Katya.

“I don’t think I could look back and say who even wrote what specific line—it’s incredibly collaborative,” says Thea.

“I could never write these songs alone,” adds Maria, “or have the guts to write the lyrics that we do.”

What began as a loose passion project has evolved into a creative safe space where euphoric drum-and-bass runs, heady jazz basslines and fearless experimentation thrive.

“We’ve developed a shared language and our own maths for making our music,” says Maria.

A Movement Beyond Music

The girl group as a concept reflects society back on itself, and Girl Group know exactly how they want to shape that narrative.

“We don’t want to mask any of the girliness,” says Maria. “We want it to be our superpower.”

That means prioritising collaborations with women at every level – directors, sound engineers, photographers and creatives alike.

The result has already been seen in the vibrant videos for “Flink Pike” and “Yay Saturday”, filmed around their beloved Liverpool, which they affectionately describe as the band’s sixth member.

“It’s a movement,” says Thea. “And there is room for all emotions, joy and vulnerability here.”

Their ambition extends beyond the band itself: creating a platform where female artists and creatives can connect and collaborate.

What Comes Next

Their debut EP arrives in June, accompanied by house-party gigs and live performances featuring rotating “instrument stations,” where members swap instruments throughout the show while incorporating classic girl-group choreography.

Think Self Esteem on the Woodsies Stage at Glastonbury.

There is perfection in the imperfection.

Already, Girl Group are deep into conceptualising and recording their next record in Norfolk, exploring more tender emotions and new creative territory.

“We’re honing in on that ‘older sister’ voice,” says Katya. “I want myself from five years ago to have had these songs.”

The girldom of Girl Group is messy, imperfect and impossible to ignore.

A rallying cry that is only going to get louder.

Celebrating the feminine experience and prioritising pleasure is where this movement begins.