8485’s “G.I.R.L.” is an early aughts anthem for the chronically online

“G.I.R.L.” (Good In Real Life), 8485’s first single of 2025, speaks directly to the listener. The declarative opening line, “You want to meet me in real life,” has a similar ethos and attitude as a lyric like “It’s okay to just admit that you’re jealous of me” from Charli XCX’s ever-bratty “Von dutch.” Throughout the track, Eighty is simultaneously calling out her devotees while also putting direct emphasis on her digitized persona.

Eighty is one to genre-bend, and “G.I.R.L.” is no exception. The song mixes hyperpop with glimmers of punk, experimental pop, and deconstructed club/post-club beats. There’s a fierce nerve that flows through the entire song, demanding your full attention.

Beginning with a pulsing bass, “G.I.R.L.” quickly adds layers with each of Eighty’s assertive verses. Literal beeps and boops you’d imagine coming from something like a telephone switchboard combined with thick, distorted-yet-melodic acid bass synths create depth decorated with flashes of flanging auxiliary. The track leans towards the electroclash of a bygone era, with instrumentation akin to a mixture between The Dare and early Gaga. It’s the perfect answer to the social media-fied indie sleaze resurgence.

Eighty’s melodic spoken word drives the track forward. Starting slightly monotone, she kicks up the attitude as the song progresses. Danny Brown’s entrance kicks “G.I.R.L.” into double time, where he continues the motif with lines like “I’ll check a hater in real life” and “I’ll see ya later in real life.” Brown’s brash, unapologetic approach to rapping blends perfectly with the track’s chaotic energy. His double-tracked vocals overwhelm and satisfyingly set up the closing breakdown to give it that much more of a punch.

On the track, Eighty says, “‘G.I.R.L.’ is a song for logging off and having fun. And whoever or whatever doesn’t want you to log off or have fun, throwing it in their face a little. If people are going to act obsessed with you, you might as well act like a celebrity.”