Introducing girlfriends
My favorite pop punk discovery over the last few years hands down has to be the band girlfriends. It’s not just their music that has me hooked, but their hilarious personalities and desire to connect with their fans. Girlfriends is made up of drummer Nick Gross and lead singer Travis Mills (who is incredibly good-looking in my opinion). Rumor has it Nick had a whole list of band names to present to Travis, but after he read the very first one, ‘girlfriends,’ Travis said he’d heard enough - that was the one. Both men had been trying to pave a path for themselves in show business for quite a while to no great avail when they were introduced by mutual friends, and history was made. The two have a classic upbeat pop punk sound, with obvious influences from Blink-182. Their first album was self-titled and came out in 2020. Like many other rising pop punk stars, their album features a song with punk legend Travis Barker, called ‘Where Were You.’ My personal favorite track is ‘2 am,’ with stellar vocals lent by Deathbyromy. In 2022 they released their next studio album, ‘(e)motion sickness,’ which has a similar sound to their first album. What I appreciate most about this album is that the two men openly address their struggles with mental health, which is still not common enough for men. Including songs titled ‘Toaster For A Swim,’ ‘Therapist,’ and ‘Scared,’ the boys have no qualms about sharing their emotions. With Travis singing lines like “I can’t wait to tell my therapist about you,” my hope is this is the beginning of a cultural shift where men are not only allowed but encouraged to discuss their mental health openly.
2023 is when we see them really hit their groove, in my opinion. First with the single ‘Over My Dead Body,’ followed by another hit with LOLO called ‘5,6,7,8.’ Their most recent release (and my favorite body of their work) is their EP named after the single ‘Over My Dead Body.’ The EP is only 5 songs, but they all go together cohesively to tell a story of a toxic relationship and its ending. The lyrics are fresh and innovative, and one can’t help but sing along to Travis’s peppy vocals. Though the lyrics are intense and do not tell a happy story, in classic pop punk fashion the music itself is upbeat and dancey, and contrasts the emotional lyrics, giving you the best of both worlds. My favorite song on the EP is the finale, ‘Plastic.’ The opening of the chorus is some of my favorite lyrics of all time: “Maybe we were plastic, we were pretend / Like romantic movies that we watched just to make you happy / Made up like the love song that I wrote to / Make you stop screaming when you got mad at me.” I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had that bit stuck in my head! So catchy. So far in 2024, we have only gotten one single from the band, titled ‘shut up and kiss me.’ The song is less emotional than their previous bodies of work, and more of a fun upbeat love song. Hopefully we will get to hear some more from them by the end of this year!
Outside of music, Travis hosts a podcast on Apple Music called ‘The Travis Mills Show,’ where he keeps you updated on all things in punk culture. He has also had a short TV career, debuting as a guest on MTV’s Ridiculousness, and landing a recurring role in Netflix’s series Flaked soon after. Beginning in 2022, he became the host of the MTV reality show ‘Help! I’m in a Secret Relationship!’ where he helps guests discover why their partner is keeping them a secret from the rest of their lives.
