Girl And Girl – ‘Call A Doctor’ review: brilliantly bonkers indie-rock from Brisbane

23 May, 2024

girl and girl

“God I hope this motherfucking record sells,” Kai James sings on the upbeat title song of ‘Call A Doctor’, Brisbane indie rock band Girl And Girl’s debut album. Delivered with less charisma, the line would come across as gauche. But charm is something Girl And Girl have in spades – as proven with their groovy breakout ‘Dance Now’ in 2022 – and as a result, the lyric offers tongue-in-cheek honesty that cuts a throughline across the album.

Though the band compare themselves to Parquet Courts and Arcade Fire, these comparisons – though accurate – don’t quite capture the theatrical streak that makes ‘Call A Doctor’ so irresistible. You can almost envision stage curtains drawing back on spoken-word opening track ‘Intro’, where James depicts a fictional hospital patient – their mental health in shambles – finally reaching out for help, only for their call to go unanswered. It’s a dark subject, yet it’s explored with a touch of humour. “If you’re gonna watch 10 war films in the space of two days,” sings James, drily impersonating a doctor, “that’s probably not going to do great things for your head either.”

As the protagonist learns to escape the depths of their own mind, you can tangibly track their journey through the album. Boisterous third track ‘Hello’ is about living with dark thoughts for so long that they take on a comfortable familiarity; but soon after, cracks of sunlight in their romanticised misery appear. “Life will be wasted, so reach out and take it,” beams James on ‘Oh Boy!’, a rambling, joyous moment of catharsis.

The line is accompanied by grooving bass lines, relentless drumming, and reverb-drenched guitar – all hallmarks of ‘Call A Doctor’, which remains bright and brilliant regardless of subject matter. The emotional breakthrough is far from complete – ‘Suffocate’ is about heavy, smothering love – but the album’s real message, that everything can truly be alright if you fight for it, takes shape.

It’s an infectious attitude, making it impossible to listen to Girl And Girl’s sunny debut without digging up your own sense of youthful optimism. Despite the fullness of its sound, ‘Call A Doctor’ never loses its personal touch, too. “You’ve been swell / Oh, what the hell / You’ve been dear,” closes James on ‘Outro’, bringing all this colourful melodrama to a touching end. The feeling is mutual.