Review

By Abby Clair | 30/06/2026

Tacoma's garage rock lifers prove that authenticity never goes out of fashion. In an era where reunion records often feel like exercises in nostalgia, Girl Trouble have taken the opposite approach. As Is, their first album in 23 years, isn't interested in polishing the past or chasing relevance. Instead, the Tacoma legends have delivered a gloriously scruffy collection of songs that sounds exactly like what it is: four decades of grit, graft and garage rock distilled into 13 gloriously unpretentious tracks. The album's title says it all. As Is arrives without gimmicks or grand statements. Recorded across multiple sessions over the last 15 years, the record flips between polished studio recordings and live-in-the-room performances, but somehow never loses its identity. If anything, the shifting production gives the album character, reinforcing the feeling that you're hearing a band documenting themselves rather than manufacturing a comeback. Opener Make It Mine tears out of the speakers with the swagger of a band that never forgot how to write a killer riff, while Back On Track does exactly what its title suggests, reminding listeners why Girl Trouble have remained such an influential force on the Pacific Northwest scene. Can You Dig It and Freedom Rock lean into the band's love of vintage rock 'n' roll without sounding like museum pieces, carrying the same loose, infectious energy that made them underground favourites in the first place. There's an admirable lack of self-consciousness throughout As Is. Girl Trouble don't sound like musicians trying to recreate their youth, they sound like musicians who never stopped believing in the power of loud guitars, pounding rhythms and songs that get straight to the point. That's a surprisingly refreshing quality in 2026. The album's biggest strength is its consistency. Whether it's the melodic pull of Time Comes To Your Rescue, the punch of Everybody's Free or the rough-hewn charm of Argue, every track contributes to the bigger picture. Even the closing The Ballad Of Blowfly leaves the impression that this isn't the end of a story, but another chapter for a band that's always done things on its own terms. As Is won't convert listeners looking for slick production or genre reinvention, but that's never been Girl Trouble's game. Instead, they've delivered an album that's bursting with personality, confidence and the kind of effortless cool that can't be manufactured. It's the sound of a band refusing to compromise, and that's precisely why it works. After 42 years, Girl Trouble aren't making music to prove they still belong. They've simply carried on doing what they've always done, and As Is is all the better for it.