Girlflesh

Again, I found myself exploring Bandcamp recently and came across this gem of an act; Girlflesh is a solo act that really traverses experimental lines as well as darkened themes. Lyrical content and beat wise, if you're looking for a tune or two to get you both moved and disturbed at the same time, this is an act that shall call to you easily. That being said, I reached out to the project's headmaster to learn more about it, and the debut album Nudes.

Welcome to the site! Let's start off with a bit of an introduction to Girlflesh. Who are you, and what is your overall mission when it comes to your project?

Girlflesh - "I'm not actually sure that I even have a mission. Girlflesh was kinda conceived out of nowhere as a way for me to rebirth myself from my previous project, because it kinda sucked."

You started up the project in 2014, and from the credits on the album Nudes, it seems as if you were hesitant to begin making music if it weren't for the inspiration from one of your friends. Did you ever really feel hesitant when it came to breaking into the music making field?

Girlflesh - "I've actually been making music since 2011. A friend of mine had an industrial project and somehow that seemed so surreal to me. Like, I'd always wanted to make music but it seemed so unattainable, so when I saw my friend just download a DAW and go for it, I figured it couldn't hurt me to give it a shot too. Just remembering the stuff I made that year makes me cringe."

And, also from the sounds of it, two more friends inspired you to continue making music. Was there ever a point where you wanted to just stop making music? And, if so, why?

Girlflesh - After showing off my music on Facebook and stuff, it turned out quite a few of my friends also made music, and I kept meeting more and more people who were into that kinda thing too. It's really crazy how tight a friendship can become when art gets thrown into the mix. Two guys in particular with their own projects kept encouraging me to keep going and if it weren't for them I'd probably have just given up. I didn't have a lot of people who believed in me at the beginning, but they did, and that's really all I ever needed to keep going."

Now, you also list a lot of female artists in your thank you notes. Out of those artists, who would you say influenced you the most when it came to making music?

Girlflesh - "I think I take a little bit from all of them. Through my own project, I've become great friends with a lot of other female artists that I'd admired for years, and talking to them in a casual sort of way ended up being it's own influence. I see a lot of Mismerizer in my work though, her stuff is so out there that it was like permission to not force myself to play into a certain label or genre."

And, last thing about the notes you attached to the album, you gave a shout-out to Zoog Von Rock of Angelspit. What exactly did he do for you and how did he help you out?

Girlflesh - "Zoog is the coolest ever! I took a chance and sent him a few tracks, asking for his opinion and all of that, and he got back to me with a lengthy email full of tips and pointers. He shared me around on his Facebook pages, put my remix of 'Pretty Dead Boys' on his new Angelspit remix album 'The Supplement' and was just generally rad. When I released Nudes, he shared that around too. He is easily responsible for majority of my fanbase."

Now that we've got a bit of a basis covered for you making music, let's dive right on in to your debut album Nudes. I don't think I've really ever heard anything quite like it before; how did you come about developing your sound? From which genres would you say you really crawl from?

Girlflesh - "I've always clung to the Industrial label, but ever since I started with Girlflesh I kinda feel like that doesn't work for me anymore. So much time was spent forcing myself to make what I thought others wanted, that I forgot why I started making music in the first place. In the end I just stopped worrying and started experimenting with sub-genres I was interested in, like Dubstep and trap, and tried to put my own spin on it."

And, the album title itself is interesting. Could you explain to us why exactly that title was chosen?

Girlflesh - "When I started Girlflesh I decided that everything I released with this project would be what I wanted it to be and not what I think it should be. Nudes was originally going to be the project name, but it was taken, so I settled on using it for the albums title. Every song is kinda like a 'nude', it's just me without any kind of protection or barriers; raw and honest. It was very important to me that I did things that way."

And, I've read through the lyrics of your songs, and they all seem to be on a personal level. I speak of songs such as Stockholm Syndrome, I Only Think of Death, and even Wrath. Would you say these songs were written out of personal experience? Or are they just fictional bouts written in a dark tone?

Girlflesh - "A lot of my lyrics are exaggerated thoughts or ideas that I've had. Obviously I've never shot anyone at my high school to death, but at the time of writing, I was fascinated with the Columbine shootings. It was kinda like my own take on that. A lot of my songs are me piling hyperbole onto some twisted thought I've had."

Also noticed that some songs have repeating theme. For example, I Only Think of Death's title is pretty self explanatory and focuses on the subject, and later in Wrath, a line goes "Every time I touch myself I think of death." Does the album show on cohesive story all put together?

Girlflesh - "I'm not really sure.. The album means a lot of different things to me, and sometimes when I look back on it I realise it means something entirely different than I intended. 'I Only Think of Death' was originally about apathy, but now it's like a BDSM anthem. If I had to guess, I'd say that a lot of the same stuff was on my mind during production and it all kinda found it's way in."

And, so far, with Nudes, how has reception been? I haven't gotten the chance to review it as of yet, but from what I've heard, I have a good impression. How about others? Have you received positive, negative, or both feedback wise?

Girlflesh - "The reception for nudes has been overwhelmingly positive. I'm only small-time, so a lot of reviews are from friends or whatever, but I've stumbled upon a few around the internet from people that were just as positive. I got close to 200 downloads within a month of release. It was probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. For about a week after release, I'd be seeing artists I like posting and sharing the links for it, a few record labels were even posting about me, it was not something I'd anticipated at all. I expected maybe 20 downloads, maximum."

Now, you've also released a remix companion to Nudes titled Gore on the Dancefloor. Why did you choose to release a remix companion? Was it mainly for fun, or was there a bigger purpose in trying to connect with other artists or another reason?

Girlflesh - "It was so much fun to do! Ever since I got my first remix, I've been so obsessed with hearing other peoples takes on my songs. A huge part of my success has been other artists spreading the word, so what better way to make a tribute to them, than an album full of collaborations?"

Also, on the remix album, there were two tracks that didn't make the cut into Nudes. Why didn't they get put on Nudes?

Girlflesh - "They just didn't work. I couldn't squeeze them in and I didn't want to just put them in for the sake of it. Nudes is kinda short, at 9 songs long, but that's kinda why. I wanted to keep it all consistent, so some of them just had to die."

And, following both these albums, are you looking to get put on a label? Or is that not part of your goals? And, also, will there ever be physical merchandise, whether it be CDs, shirts, posters, or other apparel connected to Girlflesh?

Girlflesh - "When I started I was all like 'Wow, need a label, need to make it BIG!', and sure that still appeals to me, but it's not my endgame. I'm content with how my project is going and I don't see the point as much as I used to. Of course, if a good offer comes along, I'd almost definitely go for it. As for merch, hell yeah! Expect it. It's a DREAM of mine to hold a physical copy of one of my CDs."

So far, have you played live anywhere? And, if you have, do you have more plans to play live anywhere?

Girlflesh - "I may have a show planned for February at a local darkwave club, but it's not 100% yet. If it happens though, I'll definitely get it filmed, even if on some crappy phone camera. I haven't played any shows yet, but it's definitely something I'm interested in."

As of right now, what is Girlflesh doing? Are you working on more material? I know that you released a new song for New Year's titled Boys. Will this appear on a future album?

Girlflesh - "A new EP will be out on the 27th of January! Or maybe an album... It started off as 1 track, then 3, now 6.. Whatever it ends up being, it'll be out on the 27th, which is my 20th birthday. Boys will be on there too!"

And, is there anything I failed to mention that you would like to cover?

Girlflesh - "Not that I can think of!"

Lastly, I would like to thank you for your time for this interview. You may leave any final messages below.

Girlflesh - "Thank you so much for having me!"