On Nov. 11, Flower Girl, an indie band from Brooklyn, released its latest album, Tuck In Your Tie-Dye. This is the band’s fourth album and can be found with its first three on bandcamp.
Sticking to its established surfy sound, Tuck In Your Tie-Dye is fairly low-fi with a light indie tone. Unlike more erratic and raw indie artists like Pavement or Built to Spill, Flower Girl is more subdued with its overall sound leaning in a more casual, poppy direction.
Flower Girl’s western twang becomes much more apparent in this album, and its style has evolved to be more rocking and dynamic. Despite this change, they still aren’t quite as in-your-face or heartfelt as many indie artists. What they lack in intensity, Flower Girl makes up with music that puts a bounce in your step and a smile on your face.
Tuck In Your Tie-Dye kicks off with the title track. A bass walk-up grabs the audience’s ear and then soft vocals and twangy guitar reminisce on simpler times. The lyrics seem to exude turmoil but the song’s light retro vibe overshadows any emotional transparency.
“Let’s Build a Fort,” utilizes call-and-response vocals to create a fun group atmosphere, and the idea of Flower Girl as a band starts to give way to the more powerful image of them as a group of dudes just hanging out and having fun. This representation of friendship stays consistent throughout the album and transitions well into the third song, “Hi5s,” which is faster and more rocking than the previous two. Celebrating camaraderie, ”Hi5s” is the goofiest song on the album.
Both “Waiting on the Line” and “Dorothy Says” are solemn relative to the other tracks. While still fairly upbeat musically, it’s clear the band was going for a more emotional change. Both tracks are good but miss the mark, sounding too lighthearted for authentic emotion.
“2 Late 2 Be a Cowboy” explores the western twang that’s prevalent throughout the album more directly. All of the instruments embrace a bluegrass-plucking, western-blues tone, and the sound works quite well for the group. This song marks the start of the second half of the album, which is much more dynamic, rocking, and intense than the first half. Listeners who might feel bored with the subdued and soft nature in the first half will enjoy what comes next.
While “I Saw a Mouse” has the best vocal melody, “Breathmint” has a smooth, sexy sound that also touches on sweet and innocent, making it a highlight on the album.
“Tucked Out” has an instrumental beginning with percussion carrying the song and piano popping up and disappearing throughout. Over halfway through the track a short vocal verse comes in and the last 15 seconds might be the heaviest Flower Girl gets on the whole album.
The last song, “Scary Drive 2” is a sequel to the first song on their previous album and with a fade out at the end of the song, it’s the perfect note to end on.
Listen to Flower Girl’s “Stop Starin’” below:
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