Girls Against Boys' dual-bass attack and
Scott McCloud's wheezy sing-speak vocals (reminiscent of
the Fall's
Mark E. Smith) produce an energetic, if sometimes noisy, sound that would probably annoy listeners if it weren't for the Baltimore band's great
Fugazi-influenced songs. The band's 1989 debut album,
Tropic of Scorpio, appeared on the Adult Swim label, followed by a leap up to the major indie Touch & Go for
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby. The albums that followed -- 1995's
Cruise Yourself and 1996's
House of GVSB -- charted the growing fortunes of
Girls Against Boys, but their jump to major label Geffen, 1998's
Freak*on*ica, was the worst record of their career. After a lengthy hiatus, the band returned to the underground with a contract for Jade Tree and a 2002 full-length,
You Can't Fight What You Can't See.
Girls Against Boys broke up the following year, but subsequently reunited to tour Europe (with a lineup now featuring bassist
John Schmersal from
Enon) in February 2005. The group also scheduled a tour of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia for February 2009.
–
John Bush, Rovi