Christopher Owens of Girls announced a new project last December. Curls, his new gig, includes himself, Cody Rhodes and Luke Baće. A little over nine months later they’ve announced their debut EP, Vante. Out November 7th, Vante will be released via Urban Scandal Records. Owens plays guitar, sings, and plays the Mellotron and piano on the four song EP. Rhodes manned the drums while Baće played bass. Produced by Shane Stoneback, the EP will surely not disappoint. Skeptics can take a listen to the song they released today, “Emotion.”

The new song is really good and a sign of great things to come. Perhaps a new band was just what Owens needed to produce more material. Fans of the Velvet Underground will hear “Sweet Jane” in the chords, but the weird initial off-beat drum fill quickly reminds listeners what’s what. Owens’ comes in, telling his listeners, “Emotion, that’s what makes you beautiful.” The gain on Owens’ voice creates a natural buzz alongside the distortion of his guitar. The song’s simplicity makes it an instant classic. It has that oldie-but-a-goodie sound that reminds us of rock n’ roll from the eighties.

Owens’ life story is not typical. Born into a travelling religious community, Children of God, Owens lost his infant brother to pneumonia, an usually nonfatal ailment that the church’s members did not bring to professional medical attention. Owens’ family travelled with the church from America to Asia when he was ten in 1981. He learned to play guitar in his early teens and liked to practice old Everly Brothers songs. He and his sister moved to Amarillo, Texas after leaving their family in Slovenia. He worked as a shelf stocker until he moved to San Francisco. In California, he met Ariel Pink and Matt Fishbeck, who invited him to join their band, Holy Shit, as a touring guitarist. The experience gave Owens the idea to form his own group. Now he’s formed his own group once again, disbanding Girls in favor of Curls.

Vante:

01 Dynamite
02 Emotion
03 Golden Gate
04 Gentle and Kind