Sorry Girls on Miami, Twin Peaks & Hot Tramp Festival

Sorry Girls is a Montreal based duo consisting of Heather Foster Kirkpatrick and Dylan Konrad Obront. The two met in 2008 while studying at university, making joke songs on Garage Band together over pots of Kraft Dinner on the floor of their friends’ apartment. It wasn’t until one serendipitous afternoon eight years later that they pooled their combined interest in powerful pop ballads to write This Game sparking the inspiration for their debut EP Awesome Secrets, self-released in November 2016. Since then they have become a staple of Montreal’s live music scene, embarked on a tour across Canada, performed at SXSW, and released a double-single 7” titled Easier with Arbutus Records. Deborah, the much anticipated follow up to Easier (released Nov 2018) is sure to tickle the fancy of all those who have patiently awaited its arrival.

Deborah - Sorry Girls’ debut LP - marks their first release with legendary Montreal based label Arbutus Records. Written and recorded by the duo over two years, and mixed by David Carriere of TOPS, the LP has a decidedly honed and cared for aesthetic. It chronicles the ebb and flow, ups and downs of loving; of finding yourself. Moving seamlessly from moments of refined tension to contemplating the torment of a lost-love, it flirts seamlessly with the heartfelt songwriting of the 60s, the smooth groove of the 70s, the synth-mania of the 80s, and the angst of the 90s, without ever feeling anything less than Sorry Girls.

This mini-interview is a part of our Hot Tramp Fest collaborative series. You can buy tickets to Hot Tramp Fest here. Interview by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter and photography by Malaika Astorga.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Pink Things: Your next album is set to come out in the fall, and is long anticipated since your last full release Awesome Secrets. What are some major changes you’ve encountered as a band since putting out your debut in 2016?

Sorry Girls: When we made Awesome Secrets in 2016 Sorry Girls was truly a pet project, just a fun thing on the side while we pursued other ‘real’ career paths. We never used the word musician to refer to ourselves; we were just two friends hanging out making music without ambition or expectation. There was no elaborate journey from demo to final product; we would just write and record songs without any direction and then throw them onto Bandcamp.

When we put out Awesome Secrets we were surprised to see quite a few kind reviews, offers to play shows, and most crucial of all, an unsolicited email from Arbutus Records letting us know they liked our EP, asking us if we had any demos. We had a couple ‘demos’ but really they were in a very primitive state. If not for that email we probably would have posted them on Bandcamp as they were. Driven by the affirmation and infrastructure of a label we had admired for years, we spent two years bringing songs from demo form to final product.

We took this time to improve our songwriting, vocal, and production skills and learned a lot along the way. We feel this album contains the same blob-pop-dreamy-bedroom songs at its core but with lots of care and hard work and glitter and glam sprinkled all over.

PT: In the same vein, it seems as though you often keep your fanbase waiting patiently with years in-between your releases. With this, what kind of steps are typical in your album refinement process, and did you try anything different when this new release?

SG: We still like keeping a good 80% of the writing/recording process alone at home in our bedrooms, but for this LP we had the privilege of working with David Carierre of TOPS. David’s official role was mixing, but he was kind enough to provide some additional production. He’s extremely clever with sound and arrangement and very fun to work with. He really dove into this album with us and helped achieve a result we are really happy with.

PT: What opportunities do you hope will follow this new album? Do you have any particular goals that you are aiming to achieve?

SG: Something we’ve really wanted to do is go on a North-American tour which we’re going to do in November. We’re also hoping to play festivals across the world. Also, something people keep telling us is that we should be one of the artists who perform at the end of a Twin Peaks episode so hopefully we get to do that.

PT: For our readers coming down to Montreal for Hot Tramp Fest, what can we expect from your performance?

SG: A fun vibrant broodingly uplifting mildly theatrical rockin’ time

PT: As we always ask at Pink Things, what does the colour pink mean to you?

SG: Miami

Get your tickets for Sorry Girls at Hot Tramp Festival here.

Sorry Girls

Sorry Girls is a Montreal based duo consisting of Heather Foster Kirkpatrick and Dylan Konrad Obront.

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Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter is a show promoter with First Crush, writer, Communications student at the University of Ottawa, musician, and host of her own radio show at CKCU.

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Malaika Astorga is our Creative Director, and is currently based in Montreal. She is an illustrator, photographer, designer and writer.

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