U.S. Girls combine surrealism, vulnerability in new album, ‘Heavy Light.’

Originally written for The Daily Cardinal on March 12th 2020.

U.S. Girls released their newest album, “Heavy Light,” on March 6, just in time for their North American tour.

U.S. Girls is the longtime project of Toronto-based artist Meghan Remy who formed the band in 2007. The music released by U.S. Girls has always been radical and experimental — facets which are incredibly apparent in “Heavy Light.” The album — which is arguably the most pop-sounding work the band has produced — is saturated with dreamy disco synth overtones. While this album may have more mass appeal than Remy’s past works, she stays true to her creative roots by creating a work that is a collage of many different inspirational sources. To create this album, Remy drew from a broad range of influences, such as Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and even Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who she borrows quotes from in the song “4 American Dollars.” Even the name of the album “Heavy Light” is inspired by a Franz Kafka quote, in which he reflects on the tension of living in the modern world.

Thematically, “Heavy Light” focuses on the darkness that invades the hazy nostalgia of childhood. Including reinterpretations of past songs in “Heavy Light,” Remy reflects on the passage of time and the evolutions that it inevitably brings. Remy's quote that she has a “mania for truth and vulnerability” feels especially relevant in her newest album, where she examines the past with a messy honesty that only she can convey.

“Heavy Light” follows Remy’s 2018 powerhouse art pop album, “In a Poem Unlimited,” which was shortlisted for the Juno Awards’ Alternative Album of the Year. Compared to her past works, “Heavy Light” is much more temperate and restrained, but still exudes an intense authenticity that is characteristic of Meghan Remy. Judging from this album, fans can likely expect a 2020 tour that is meaningful and certainly not boring.