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GIRL 20

Fans of light but melodic indie may well have lamented the demise of Sheffield five-piece Blessa last year. The band called it a day by leaving a parting gift of final single ‘On The Wing,’ a soaring piece of alt-pop that sat somewhere between The Cranberries and Cocteau Twins. Why bring this up? Well, because Blessa are back. Kind of. A new quintet has risen like a phoenix from Blessa’s ashes, calling themselves Girl 20.

This isn’t just a name change though; it’s also a chance to step into a whole new genre and expand horizons. Their first single ‘Barely There’ is a step into house territory, mixing together dancefloor-friendly beats, vintage piano chords and stabs of synth with warped vocal clips and reverberating electronic melodies. It also sees the transformation of singer Olivia Neller into something of an R&B diva, as she puts in a brooding performance that’s far removed from the wistful musings she produced with Blessa. In their new incarnation, Girl 20 could potentially rival AlunaGeorge or Disclosure for producing tunes that are as comfortable in the club as they are on the charts. It’s seriously unlikely that they’ll be ‘Barely There.’

Words by Eugenie Johnson

Tipped by Cal Kilpatrick and Emily Brinnard

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