Hot off their two 2023 EPs, Real Life Human Garbage and Granny Music, the Swedish indie rock snarkers and Best of What’s Next alums Girl Scout have returned with an electrifying new single, “I Just Needed You To Know.” They’ve collaborated with Asheville’s most in-demand producer, Alex Farrar, to mix a track that scratches the itches for Y2K teen movie soundtracks and ‘90s college radio hits . You can practically hear sparks flying and smell burning rubber when the track reaches its explosive guitar solo.
Bandleader Emma Jansson’s hook on this track is as catchy as it is clever. “It is what it is / But I don’t know what it is / I wanna make it better / Is that too much to ask?” she repeats, echoing an infinitely applicable and relatable tug-of-war between potential agents of change and the people standing in their way. Jansson has said that the track was inspired by intergenerational debates she’s had in which the all-too-common adage “it is what it is” is tossed around as a flimsy excuse for not only accepting sub-par or unjust conditions, but legitimizing them and shushing detractors into complacency.
“To me, it feels like a way to avoid acknowledging hard times or difficult feeling,” Jansson explains: “It’s such a stifling phrase. What if that’s not enough? What if I want more than to grit my teeth and move on? I think there is a clear generational divide when it comes to the language surrounding mental health, and the willingness to understand the causes behind it.”
“I Just Needed You To Know” works on a multitude of interpersonal and societal levels. It’s a song about knowing you deserve better and demanding just that. It’s the cry of someone who, upon getting a door slammed in her face, chooses to pound on the door until the person behind it opens up and gives her a damn good explanation for why they did what they did. This summer, Girl Scout are bringing their brash, gritty pop rock on the road, headlining a series of European tour dates and opening for Canadian dreampop darlings Alvvays.
