Some days I think I’d like to start my life over as a new wave punk. Before Television broke up and Morrissey revealed himself to be the kind of person we always secretly suspected he was. I’d have fishnets, eyeliner, and I’d look good in white jeans. I’m English in this fantasy and say things like “the tube” or “cheers, mate” when I’m on my way West London to go crate digging at Rough Trade.

While I wait for my time machine, I can at least find solid consolation in the Head. For those unfamiliar with the band, they are an Atlanta-based trio that includes twins Jack and Mike Shaw and their longtime friend Jacob Morrell. Over the past year and a half, the group has been recording with Damon Moon at Standard Electric Recorders Co., and each new single is better than the one before it.

On “French Girls” the band pulls a rabbit out of the hat with jangly guitars, a catchy melody, and inventive arrangements packed into just under two minutes and thirty seconds. There’s a youthful energy to the track that captures a certain joie de vivre. It’s the kind where a spur-of-the-moment proposal can turn into a jubilant celebration about your fresh apartment in the city. It’s that intangible quality of youth, of falling in love, when anything seems possible.

“French Girls” is dedicated to the memory of the Shaw brothers’ grandmother. Directed by Nick Rhodes, the video intersperses archival footage with images of the Head wearing yellow bathrobes and giving deadpan stares. Sometimes the footage is directly projected onto them, suggesting how quickly a life—even a long one—can flit away.

“We used old home footage of Mike’s and my grandmother that dates back to her time as a young twenty-something woman,” Jack Shaw explains. “She’s also on the cover art cover of the single. She passed away in 2020, so this video is a tribute to her. She always loved hearing about our stories on the road, and she was such a champion for the Head. We wanted to make something that highlighted her grace and spirit, so that’s why we tapped into this old footage. As always, Nick Rhodes went above and beyond to execute our vision. We’re always so stoked to collaborate with him.”

Watch/listen above.

More Info
Bandcamp: thehead.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @theheadrocks
Instagram: @theheadmusic
SoundCloud: @theheadmusic
Twitter: @theheadmusic