Forecastle Festival 2019: 10 Best Things We Saw
Best Locals: GRLwood
Hotly tipped local duo GRLwood stormed the ‘Castle Friday afternoon with a revelatory set of visceral, satirical, societal norm-shattering punk rock. Receiving a hero’s welcome from the in-the-know hometown crowd, singer-guitarist Rej Forester and drummer Karen Ledford quickly got the not-yet-initiated up to speed. GRLwood write songs relating to the young, queer experience, but also the struggle just to exist, with a caustic sense of humor and an innate knack for melody. A curious amalgam of tricky surf riffs, Nineties emo dynamics and sparser, more dirge-like elements, the group’s depth and range is uncanny for a scrappy two-piece — no boys, no bass — formed less than two years ago. Forester’s vocal control is a marvel, shifting on a dime from a mournful moan to an operatic tremble and, when the songs really get going, a slasher-movie scream. And the catchiest tune of their set isn’t even out yet — “I Hate My Mom,” off I Sold My Soul to the Devil When I Was 12, due August 2nd — but had the whole crowd shouting along by the second chorus, the mark of an instant classic. —Rolling Stone
