Equal parts chaotic and socially aware, Lambrini Girls stormed onto the scene after forming in lockdown, quickly gaining steam in part due to their biggest fan Iggy Pop keeping them in heavy rotation on his BBC 6 radio show. Formed of vocalist/guitarist Phoebe Lunny, bassist Lilly Macieira and drummer Catt Jack (who parted ways with the band amicably in early 2023) Lambrini Girls bring the relentless and furiously feminist energy of their live show to their debut EP You’re Welcome.
Despite clocking in at well under 20 minutes, Lambrini Girls manage to find time to rip into transphobes, abusers, homophobes and toxic masculinity. The shining jewel in You’re Welcome is the track ‘Terf Wars’, a scathing indictment of transphobes appropriating feminism for their own hateful purposes. With lyrics about transphobic family members ranting on Facebook that feel both intensely personal and universally relatable, ‘Terf Wars’ succeeds as both an upbeat punk banger and a fierce takedown of bigotry. Lambrini Girls revel in shouting down hate and it’s an absolute pleasure to listen to, the repeated line “shut your fucking mouth you stupid fucking terf” in the chorus is especially cathartic and is bound to be incredible in a live setting.
“Terf Wars succeeds as both an upbeat punk banger and a fierce takedown of bigotry”
You’re Welcome doesn’t break a ton of new ground sonically but with roaring bass, tight, punchy drums and straightforward, angular guitar riffs Lambrini Girls do enough to keep each of their tracks sounding unique and energetic while pushing the vocals to the forefront. Whether it’s ‘Boys In The Band’s thumping, dissonant Dead Kennedys inspired chromatic lines or the noisy garage punk of ‘Help Me I’m Gay’, each track on You’re Welcome manages to create a unique backdrop to keep Lunny’s tongue in cheek lyrics in the limelight.
With even the longest track on the EP, ‘Lads Lads Lads’, barely scraping past three minutes, Lambrini Girls understand how to make a statement, explore their musical ideas and move on. ‘Lads Lads Lads’ opens with a riotous bassline before exploding into a criticism of toxic masculinity, sexual harassment and their place in “lad culture”, concisely holding these men to account for behaviour they see as normal. The drums on this track also deserve high praise, with a subtle cowbell added to the relentless, earsplitting beats that really cuts through the mix.
Overall, Lambrini Girls’ debut EP You’re Welcome has more than enough noisy, politically charged punk energy and spiteful, tongue in cheek lyrics to keep each of the six tracks feeling fresh and succinct throughout its refreshingly short runtime. The band’s stripped down, ferocious approach keeps the messages in each song clear, relying on sheer punk stamina to kick the door in, shout down bigots, abusers and abusers and get out as efficiently as possible.