Girls Against Boys is a post-hardcore band which formed in Washington, D.C., and subsequently relocated to New York City shortly after their formation in 1989. The band released albums on the labels Adult Swim, Touch and Go Records, Geffen Records, and Jade Tree from 1990 to 2002. The band then sporadically played shows from 2003 until 2009 when they became inactive. In 2013, Girls Against Boys briefly toured and self-released their first new material in 11 years. After another hiatus in 2017, they reunited for a longer term in 2021.
For the majority of their existence and on every release, the lineup has consisted of vocalist/guitarist Scott McCloud, keyboardist/bassist Eli Janney, bassist Johnny Temple, and drummer Alexis Fleisig.
History Formation, Nineties vs. Eighties, lineup changes, and Tropic of Scorpio (1989–1992) The band was initially a studio side-project for bassist/keyboardist Eli Janney and drummer/keyboardist Brendan Canty. The duo wanted to experiment with other genres that were different from what they were involved in, primarily Canty's main band Fugazi. They initially called themselves Skind. The duo then enlisted Soulside guitarist Scott McCloud, who also provided vocals. By 1989, the group named themselves Girls Against Boys as a reflection on typical gender rivalries. The trio finished three songs in late 1989, described as industrial disco. By 1990, Soulside's vocalist Bobby Sullivan wanted to disband Soulside; thus, McCloud and his other Soulside bandmates (bassist Johnny Temple and drummer Alexis Fleisig) decided to create a new band named Little Baby, alongside former Rites of Spring bassist Mike Fellows. Little Baby was short-lived as they only played a handful of shows. McCloud then invited Temple and Fleisig to become involved with Girls Against Boys, and the trio worked with Janney on three additional studio songs in early 1990, described as more post-hardcore in nature. Both sessions were released later in 1990 as their debut effort Nineties vs. Eighties. It initially was released on Janney's novelty label Slate Records, but it later appeared on the independent label Adult Swim. The 1990 recordings were placed on the first side ("Nineties") while the 1989 recordings were placed on the second side ("Eighties"). By the time of its release, Canty departed from the band to focus on Fugazi. McCloud, Temple, and Fleisig then convinced Janney to move from Florida to New York, and they opted to continue the band as a full-time project. Shortly afterward, guitarist Luke Wood joined the band.
Although Janney handled keyboards and programming, he also played bass; thus, Girls Against Boys had an unusual lineup of dual bass guitars. For the lyrics, McCloud took an abstract approach, and metaphors became a common element as well. During the early stages of the initial full-length album's recording, Wood departed from the band to focus on his business career with major labels and his own band Sammy. Girls Against Boys decided to continue on as a quartet, and they then embarked on their first major tour of the U.S. in early 1992 as they opened for Fugazi. The band released the full-length album Tropic of Scorpio in December 1992. Janney self-produced the album due to his prior experience in the studio. Nathan Larson from the band Shudder to Think made guest appearances on various tracks, and Wood's guitar contributions remained as well. It was the band's second release on the Adult Swim label; however, they then decided to sign with the Touch and Go label the following year.
Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby, Cruise Yourself, and increased exposure (1993–1995) Girls Against Boys released Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby, their second full-length album, on Touch and Go in 1993. It was produced by Ted Niceley, which marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship with the band (Janney was previously Niceley's studio assistant in the 1980s). The album received positive reviews and was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The band supported the album by touring on the side stage of the 1993 Lollapalooza tour, followed by brief runs with The Jesus Lizard, Helmet, and Jawbox.
The non-album single "Sexy Sam" was released in the middle of 1994 as a stopgap release, and the CD version included tracks from their first three major releases. They then again appeared on the side stage of Lollapalooza for the 1994 incarnation and also toured with The Jesus Lizard, and immediately after the tour's conclusion they released the album Cruise Yourself in October 1994, again produced by Niceley. It received a favorable response and was eventually included on accolade lists by Alternative Press and Rock de Lux. Both "(I) Don't Got a Place" and "Kill the Sexplayer" were released as singles, with the latter song also appearing in the influential comedy film Clerks and its accompanying soundtrack. The film was directed by Kevin Smith. "Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self", also from Cruise Yourself, appeared in Smith's subsequent 1995 film Mallrats and its soundtrack. The band made their televised debut in January 1995 on The Jon Stewart Show, playing the two aforementioned singles. They appeared on the show a second time in May of that year as they performed the Cruise Yourself tracks "Raindrop" and "Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self". "(I) Don't Got a Place" was also Girls Against Boys' first charting single, as it reached No. 91 on the UK Singles Chart. The Cruise Yourself album was also the band's first charting album as it peaked at No. 9 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. Also in 1995, the band recorded a cover of the Joy Division song "She's Lost Control", and it was included on the compilation A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division. The song was selected to be released as its own single and a music video was produced for it as well. It peaked at No. 98 on the UK Singles Chart.
House of GVSB, major label signing, Freak*on*ica, and label shifts (1996–2000) The band focused on creating their subsequent album in the latter half of 1995, again with Niceley as producer. House of GVSB was released in March 1996 and was critically praised by numerous outlets such as Spin (which ranked the album at No. 5 on its Best Albums of 1996 list), Kerrang, Sounds, and others. House of GVSB also appeared on the UK Albums Chart at No. 76. "Super-Fire" was released as the lead single, and it peaked at No. 82 on the UK Singles Chart, the band's highest position on the chart (it also peaked at No. 36 on the UK Dance Singles Chart). They performed the track on the television shows 120 Minutes (along with the other House of GVSB single "Disco Six Six Six") and Nulle Part Ailleurs in 1996. They also toured with Therapy? and Rage Against the Machine during the first half of 1996. For the second half of 1996, they joined the Lollapalooza tour for the third and final time. They also appeared at two prominent festivals in 1996, HFStival in Washington, D.C., and Reading in England. The 1996 film Suburbia contained Girls Against Boys' track "Bullet Proof Cupid" (originally from Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby) on its soundtrack. During the band's 1996 tours, they embraced various electronica and industrial acts. Janney took a side job as a DJ in New York City during 1997 to experiment with various sounds. He also remixed for numerous artists such as Sneaker Pimps and Ruby. Overall, the events became an early indication of the band's follow-up album. The group played a small number of shows throughout 1997, including the inaugural Fuji Rock Festival in Japan during the 1997 Pacific typhoon season. Also in 1997, the band's song "Super-Fire" from the House of GVSB album appeared in the film Love God. Spin also listed Girls Against Boys at No. 38 on its annual Most Vital Artists list.
Numerous major labels approached Girls Against Boys, but the band initially resisted the labels' overtures, wanting to fulfill their three-album deal with Touch and Go. According to McCloud, their decision to stick with Touch and Go "only made the majors go more crazy for us," and soon "all the labels were following us around, buying us rooms in 5 star hotels, which was crazy, because we were still playing punk rock squats in Italy, for instance." Former Girls Against Boys guitarist Wood, who by then was working as an executive at Geffen Records, reached out to the band on behalf of his employer. The band signed a three-album deal with Geffen, and started recording their major label debut with producer Nick Launay in October 1997.
The recording process was deemed to be exhaustive because production lasted nearly six months. Previously, the band spent only one or two months on production. The electronic-influenced album Freak*on*ica was released in June 1998. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and at No. 182 on the UK Albums Chart. It was praised by various publications such as Entertainment Weekly, Spin, and Pitchfork; however, it was criticized by other publications such as Rolling Stone and The A.V. Club. "Park Avenue" was released as the lead single, and it peaked at No. 83 on the UK Singles Chart and at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Psycho-Future" from Freak*on*ica was released as a single as it appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 remake film Psycho. The band went on a headlining tour throughout 1998, followed by a tour with labelmates Garbage. They also played at the Reading festival in England and Pukkelpop in Belgium. Girls Against Boys appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, performing "Park Avenue". The band contributed the song "EPR" to the soundtrack of the film Permanent Midnight, and they appeared in the film 200 Cigarettes in one scene. Their cover of "Boogie Wonderland" was included on the 200 Cigarettes soundtrack.
Although Freak*on*ica performed moderately well (it was the band's best-selling effort up to that point), it did not meet Geffen Records' sales expectations. After the album's release, Geffen was bought by Canadian multinational Seagram. According to McCloud, Girls Against Boys were informed during their tour with Garbage "that Geffen Records would cease to exist as of January 1, 1999," leaving the band's future uncertain.
After a short 1999 tour with Firewater, Girls Against Boys remained in limbo as Universal Records (the parent of Geffen Records) continued to restructure its business, and the band was unable to extensively record or tour for nearly two years. Also in 1999, two tracks from Freak*on*ica ("Park Avenue" and "Psycho-Future") appeared in the racing video game Test Drive Off-Road 3. Girls Against Boys began demoing songs for a new album, initially slated to be released in early 2000. At one point that year, the band was moved to the Interscope Records brand; however, various conflicts led to the band parting ways with the label.
You Can't Fight What You Can't See and sporadic activity (2001–2009) In 2001, the band recorded the score to the film Series 7: The Contenders. The accompanying soundtrack mainly consisted of their contributions. Toward the end of 2001, Girls Against Boys signed with the independent label Jade Tree. They teamed up with producer Niceley, who worked on three of Girls Against Boys' previous albums. The album, titled You Can't Fight What You Can't See, was released in May 2002. "Basstation" was released as the sole single, and the band supported the album by headlining their own tour with Yeah Yeah Yeahs as support. After touring Australia that same year, Janney sat out a tour of Europe due to a family emergency; thus, Sohrab Habibion (former frontman of the band Edsel) took his place throughout the remainder of the year. The following year, "All the Rage" from You Can't Fight What You Can't See was included in the snowboarding video game Amped 2.