Girl K - Girl K Is For The People (2021) Hi Res

Girl K began as the solo moniker of Kathy Patino in 2017. When the project moved from DIY open mic nights to Chicago, Patino joined forces with Tony Mest, Alex Pieczynski, and Kevin Sheppard. On the strength of For Now, the quartet’s debut outing as a full band, Girl K found themselves labeled an “artist to watch” by the Chicago Reader and Tribune, earning nods from NPR and Paste Magazine, and developing an energetic live presence on their first tours, including an Audiotree session.

Girl K Is For the People, the band’s follow-up EP for Take This to Heart Records, pivots towards a different take on supercharged indie-pop. Borrowing from Patino’s life-long admiration for the 1980s, For the People gains its energy from that decade’s fluorescence and color. The songs took shape over two years, crafted around MIDI keyboard patches that sing the praises of nostalgia while having one foot firmly planted towards the future. Just take a listen to the title track, a rollicking, bass-driven moment that perfectly introduces Girl K 2.0. As Patino says, “we’re here to comfort you and validate you through our music.”

For those looking for an experience that splits the difference between urgent danceability and timeless vulnerability, Girl K’s just for you. Better yet: there’s something here for everyone.