Sunshine and surprises: Girlhood are very excited about the year ahead

Girlhood aren't too fond of colouring inside the lines, and it shows in their (admittedly limited) output so far. Twisting the tried-and-true R&B formulas into fresh shapes, Girlhood make the familiar fascinating; '90s flavours mesh with Italo disco, with futuristic soul tones and glitched-up samples worming their way through the whole shebang. Recording on Pinchbeck's narrowboat-cum-studio, moored on a canal in the UK capital, Girlhood add their own personalities and ideas to noises which nod to inspirations as diverse as The Fugees, '80s hip-hop, and The Avalanches.

Wrap your ears around their track "Baby Teeth" below, and find out a bit more about the talented pair behind Girlhood with our Q&A after.

BESTFIT: Could you introduce yourself for us please?
Christian Pinchbeck: "I’m Christian. Songwriter, and one half of Girlhood."

Tessa Cavanna: "Hey! My name's Tessa. I write songs and sing in Girlhood."

What do you try to do with your music and how do you achieve this?
Christian: "I was thinking about this other day, funnily enough. I remember getting mad inspired by those geniuses down in Paris who go by the name of La Blogothèque, probably quite a few years back now, when I saw Beirut perform 'The Flying Club Cup' in its entirety in different locations around the city. I got to exploring the rest of the artists live interpretations, and I wanted to create music that sounded like everything was played live with all it’s beautiful nuances with next to zero production value. To me, it made the sonic landscape so much more interesting and hard hitting. We’ve definitely moved on slightly from there, but it still forms the basis of everything I create from the instrumental side of things."

Tessa: "With Girlhood I wait for Christian to send me an idea for a song or a snippet of a beat and I start writing lyrics and give it some kind of structure. The only thing I'm aware of us trying to do with the music is make something we're both happy with; so there's lots of trial and error, arguments, and Eureka moments."

Can you tell us what musical and non-musical influences have shaped your sound?
Christian: "Our music is basically a patchwork of everything I love to hear myself, with the curveball of whatever Tess comes up with on top. It’s fun to not have a clue how a song is actually going to end up sounding."

Tessa: "For me the biggest influences are notebooks, '70s films, feeling unusual, glass bottles, echoey bridges, walks in the forest, neon signs, and pot plants."

What should people expect from your Five Day Forecast show?
Christian: "We like to have our own little party on stage; we don’t take ourselves very seriously."

Tessa: "Sweet vocals, cool instrumentals, and lotsa fun! I have always felt that music is best when it's made live, on the spot and in the moment! You should expect laughter, some emotional moments, and lots and lots of glitter!"

What are you working on now/next?
Christian: "Currently working on Vol 2; it’s a tough one. I don't want it to just be another Vol 1, so I’m trying out a bunch of experiments that are a well out my comfort zone. It all still sounds very much like us, though."

Tessa: "As Girlhood we're working on EP 2. This means I'm spending a lot of sleepless nights writing and rewriting ideas for songs"

How is 2018 shaping up? What are you looking forward to next year?
Christian: "It’s pretty impossible to predict anything in the music biz, especially when starting fresh. That's the fun of it! So, I’m looking forward to not having a clue what’s going to happen!"

Tessa: "I reckon 2018 is going to be mad exciting! I'm looking forward to the summer, as it's been waaaay too long since I felt sunshine!"