"Dirtier" by Birthday Girl DC
On their debut ep, Birthday Girl DC reminds listeners how magical it is to act like a kid
By Lila Diamond
Photo Courtesy of Birthday Girl DC
While most of us were out having a brat summer, Birthday Girl DC, an indie rock band based out of Washington D.C., was having their own kind of summer: worn-in sneakers, dirty fingernails, and pent-up teenage angst. The all-female band released their EP Dirtier last May, erupting a cult following. After opening shows for Jack White, Snail Mail, and Bikini Kill (another notable all-female rock band rooted in D.C., who penned the Riot Grrrl movement), the band finally expanded their audience from D.C. to the rest of the world. Dirtier, produced by Brendan Canty (father of lead singer Mable Canty), feels homemade, like an A-plus science fair project. Along with Canty, the band consists of Isabella MacKaye on bass and Tess Kontarinis on drums — steeped in D.C. rock legacy, as Canty’s father and MacKaye’s uncle were both members of a D.C. staple band, Fugazi.
Their unapologetic petulance sets Birthday Girl DC apart from other indie rock bands. They jump and scream with grit similar to that of a child learning how to ride their bike — messy and uncontainable. Sonically, they feature a plethora of guitars, drums and heavy amounts of purposefully placed feedback. Do they sound like a DIY garage band after a long day of high school just trying to let off steam? Yes. Is that sound purposeful? 100%.
Birthday Girl DC masters the power in simplicity. Canty’s voice is striking and filled with harsh, loud energy, as if to keep the listener from realizing something Canty sings might actually be profound. “I heard somewhere it's a quicker heal if I just break the skin fast” she sings on the title track, “Dirtier,” an introspective song on getting older. “Dirtier” is stuffed with gritty feedback and a healthy contrast of acoustic and electric guitars. “It's getting late I should go soon / The bugs want me home for dinner” Canty sings in “Dirtier”. The perfection behind the line is in the mystery. Is she being consumed by the bugs, or are the bugs all-consuming?
On track one, “Allergies,” the band cleverly articulates the post-breakup teenage psyche. “I miss missing you” Canty sings, stinging the listener with a simple but poignant line. She continues to reflect on an ex through a lens of disdain for her changing hometown: “I miss swimming in our river without trash in the stream,” she whines, while also commenting on the pollution crisis in D.C. In the chorus, Canty wails “It's not the love of two virgins anymore/ it's the kind where one bites and the others are left on the floor,engulfed by electric guitars, ready to burst; it's funny and maybe even depressing.
Dirtier is bigger than the title suggests. It's an exposé on the vital force that is the teenage girl. Nothing about their sound is dull or dumbed down, yet it is beautifully uncomplicated. Birthday Girl DC means exactly what they say. Their EP cover is the embodiment of their sound: a little girl with her mouth wide open, showing her missing tooth. It's grimy and raw. She couldn't clean up even if she wanted to.