The sister duo Girl Tones have the scuzzy sounds of garage rock alive and well, but with love for a good pop song and a classical background, there’s more to these sisters than just rock. Now preparing for a big tour with Cage the Elephant and a debut album release in 2025, Girl Tones discuss rawness in songwriting, how discovering new music has affected them, and performing at Red Rocks. 

“If you’ve got a catchy chorus, you’re golden,” remarks vocalist/guitarist Kenzie when talking about the allure of pop music. Like most of the world, her and sister Laila both fell for Charli XCX’s expertly crafted pop masterpiece Brat this year. Though the production seems miles away from Girl Tones’ rough-around-the edges sonic touch, there’s a through line connecting the two, according to Kenzie. “There’s a lot of fuzziness. There’s a lot of heaviness in that album,” she says. 

After growing up with mostly bands like The White Stripes and Beck and for most of their lives, Kenzie and Laila’s pop and electronic music discoveries have opened up new possibilities and inspire them to bring something new to Girl Tones. Laila now listens to disco and dance music, and Kenzie loves horsegiirL. “It kind of challenges our beliefs about music,” Kenzie says. 

The sisters grew up classically trained- Kenzie played cello and Laila was a pianist before transitioning to drums. “The emotion’s more attached to just the beauty of the piece itself and not really the personal attachment. It’s just an appreciation of the art,” Laila says about her connection to classical music. “For our stuff, it’s definitely way more personal, because we’ve put so much time and effort into this, it’s like, intrinsic in my life at this point.”

The two singles so far, “Fade Away” and “Again,” utilize fuzzy guitars, pounding drums, and emotive vocals to rip into infectious melodies and punk attitude. For the new album they’re working on, it felt natural to instill a variety of tracks, considering their listening palette is now so diverse. The goal is to not be tied down to just one genre, but still be cohesive. Kenzie has a tad bit of paranoia surrounding that subject.

“We’re so paranoid that all of our songs are going to sound the same to everyone (laughs).” She has this inner worry that all of the songs sound the same or their doing the same thing over and over, but that the fact that she’s thinking about it means she’s conscious of making an album with ebbs and flows. “I’m very excited for everyone to hear all of the songs,” Kenzie says. “I’m just so curious about how people are going to like it or relate to it.” 

Given the lyrical vulnerability of Girl Tones, there is a lot to relate to. “Usually it comes from deep within me,” Kenzie admits. “The lyrics are very vulnerable. Sometimes it comes out of you when you don’t know where it comes from.” From the anger of being let down in the raging “Again” to immature and uncommunicative partners in “Fade Away,” there’s a fury of emotions being spilled out of the two tracks that can feel like an honest release of pent-up feelings. 

“It definitely is cathartic… all of the BS we might’ve had to go through to get here, it doesn’t matter, we’re here,” Laila says. Clarifying why they connect so much with the rawness of their sound and lyrics, Kenzie feels that it has always been a part of them. “That’s just who we are. We like to be honest and raw. I mean, isn’t that life? Life isn’t produced. We’re just existing.”

Producer Brad Shultz- who’s also the rhythm guitarist for Cage the Elephant- helped the duo find the tones they wanted and rethinking song structure, and eventually led to the band opening for several of Cage the Elephant’s US shows, including an unforgettable experience performing at Red Rocks in Colorado. “We feel so lucky that we had the opportunity to play at Red Rocks. That was definitely a goal of ours and we’re just so thankful that we were given that opportunity… we’re so thankful for every opportunity we’ve been given. It’s just crazy to see how far we have come.”

Now they’re preparing for a trek over to the UK and Europe supporting Cage the Elephant in February. “I’m so grateful, it’s such a blessing,” Laila says of the touring opportunities they’ve had lately. She’s still ready to unveil the real showstopper, though. “Next step is the album,” she says.