Few things test an emerging act quite like the transition from word of mouth buzz to a committed touring routine, but Girl In The Year Above have been putting in the miles all year. The Irish and Cornish outfit took a clear step forward on September 21 when they confirmed their arrival on the Transgressive Records roster. Wasting little time, the group marked the announcement barely a day later by issuing Wet Paint, their initial release for the London independent.
Built around punchy piano chords, melodic guitar work, and a rhythmic bounce that draws from traditional Celtic music, the track uses its brightness deliberately. Frontwoman Jennifer Ball delivers the vocal with direct, biting intent, cutting against the warmth of the instrumentation. The song itself was written by Ball alongside bandmate Jeanie, with both writers tackling the subject of consent. Rather than sinking into sorrow, they set out to break a common silence, addressing an experience that many people carry without ever hearing it voiced plainly in contemporary songs.
The writing starts on everyday footing, drawing the listener into an ordinary setting before the full weight of the encounter becomes clear. According to the band, balancing such serious subject matter with an energetic, potent sound felt necessary from the outset. Their aim was to reflect the quiet endurance and inner resolve of those who recognise the situation, turning the song into a vehicle for release. Whether audiences choose to dance, shout, laugh, or cry, the track is pitched as an unapologetic statement of defiance and celebration.
Director Dylan Friese-Greene handled the accompanying video, matching the restless tempo of the music on film. For Transgressive, whose catalogue includes names such as Foals, Arlo Parks, SOPHIE, and Damon Albarn, the band represented a natural fit. Label staff highlighted the group as relentless live performers whose stage set gains strength with each outing, singling out their knack for holding heartbreak and euphoria together in the same breath. With label executives already listening to future tracks, expectations for a debut full-length record are beginning to gather weight.
The musicians met the signing with gratitude and some disbelief, noting that the label team felt like family almost immediately. That grounded reaction contrasts with the heavyweight backing they picked up earlier this year. The band first broke into wider view when their cover of Massive Attack's Teardrop was featured on the soundtrack to Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The recording earned public approval from the film's star Cillian Murphy, while Massive Attack co-founder Robert Del Naja went as far as describing it as the most sublime and beautiful version of the track ever made.
That endorsement helped push the group toward larger stages, including a run of festivals and an appearance opening for Courteeners at their Wythenshawe Park homecoming show last month. Next month, however, the band head out on their own terms for their most extensive run of headline dates across the UK and Ireland to date.
The tour opens on October 11 at The Bodega in Nottingham, moving to Bristol Exchange before a London stop at Village Underground on October 13. Further appearances follow at Brighton's Hope and Ruin, Liverpool Arts Club Loft, and Manchester for NBHD Festival. The itinerary then heads north to Glasgow's King Tut's and Newcastle's Cluny 2, before winding through Birmingham's Hare and Hounds, Leeds Headrow House, and an October 25 finale at Whelan's in Dublin. Moving into rooms of this scale with backing from an established independent label, Girl In The Year Above appear ready to meet tough subject matter with directness, sharp hooks, and plenty of volume.
