Deborah

Before forming Sorry Girls, singer/songwriter Heather Kirkpatrick and producer/songwriter Dylan Konrad Obront had already recorded some songs together at a friends place as university students -- though they were for fun and meant as jokes. It wasnt until eight years later in 2016 that they wrote and recorded a proper track together, which grew into the self-released EP Awesome Secrets. Three years later, Sorry Girls stay true to the 80s pop and new wave inspirations that brought them together, including a fondness for synth-heavy power ballads, on their full-length debut, Deborah. Layering sleek and dreamy components, including Kirkpatricks wispy, yearning vocals, the album was mixed by David Carriere, guitarist for like-minded Arbutus Records labelmate TOPS. Waking Up opens the ten-song set with a distinctively 80s, gated reverb-inspired snare tone and crisper electronic drums. Theyre accompanied by humming synths and melodic guitar, which make way for Kirkpatricks pouty melody while maintaining a swirly, tinny atmosphere. The album is populated by likewise mid-tempo tracks as well as nods to the 80s such as its artworks intense pastels and a song called Dirty Laundry (not a cover of the Don Henley hit). Its a tender, reverb-saturated slow jam about having to make room in life for serious ambitions. Detailing like processed vocal samples, occasional spacey electronic effects, and dramatic stops and starts prevent the song from becoming a sleepy production exercise while providing a welcome update. Acknowledging more up-tempo dance tracks, like Undercover and H O N E S T Y, the same can be said of the rest of the album, which remains loyal to an approach thats ultimately more memorable than the songs themselves. ~ Marcy Donelson