Father, Son, Holy Ghost (album)

This article is about the Girls album. For the Embryo album, see Father Son And Holy Ghosts (Embryo album).

Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Studio album by
Girls
ReleasedSeptember 7, 2011
Recorded2011
StudioSan Francisco, United States
GenreIndie rock
Length52:35
LabelTrue Panther Sounds
ProducerChet "JR" White, Doug Boehm[1]
Girls chronology
Broken Dreams Club
(2010) 		Father, Son, Holy Ghost
(2011)
Singles from Father, Son, Holy Ghost
  1. "Vomit"
    Released: July 20, 2011
  2. "Honey Bunny"
    Released: August 23, 2011
  3. "My Ma"
    Released: March 22, 2012

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the second and final studio album by San Francisco rock band Girls, released September 13, 2011 on True Panther Sounds in the United States, September 12, 2011 on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile in Europe, September 7, 2011 in Japan on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile and September 14 in Mexico on Arts & Crafts México.[2][3][4] Three singles were released from the album; "Vomit", "Honey Bunny" and "My Ma", the latter of which was released exclusively on vinyl with a limited 1000 copies in print.[5] The album peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200 and received critical acclaim upon its release.[6][7]

A significant departure from the band's previous work, Father, Son, Holy Ghost elaborated with lavish production, gospel choirs and a more varied instrumentation that resulted in a sound that spanned various genres such as surf rock, folk, soul, hard rock, and even progressive rock. Unlike the group's debut Album, it was not exclusively produced by the band themselves but was a collaboration with veteran engineer Doug Boehm. The album's sound and composition style was noted to be part of a trend of modern indie revivalism artists who reach back decades into the past for inspiration, with songs such as "Honey Bunny", "Love Like a River" and lead single "Vomit" in particular being heavily influenced by music from the 1960s and 1970s.[8][9][10] Of the album's "old" style of production and the evolution of the band's sound, one critic noted that Father, Son, Holy Ghost eschews "Album's ramshackle scrappiness for the classic-rock-radio sophistication of Billy Preston-era Beatles and early-70s Pink Floyd."[11]

The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far by Pitchfork in August 2014,[12] and one of The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s in October 2019.[13]

  1. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Girls Talk September Album". Spin. July 7, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  2. ^ GIRLS: Father, Son, Holy Ghost 9.13.11 Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. True Panther Sounds. July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  3. ^ Girls set to release Father, Son, Holy Ghost on Sept. 12, 2011 Archived October 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Turnstile. July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  4. ^ ACMX040 Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Arts & Crafts México. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference mymastereogum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference billboardcharts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference metacritic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference pitchfork was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference popmatters was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference atlanticinterview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference pitchfork2011list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014)". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  13. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.