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Stockholm post-punk band Girl Scout is cementing themselves as ones to watch in 2023 with their stellar debut EP Real Life Human Garbage. The band, comprised of Emma Jansson (guitar, vocals), Evelina Arvidsson Eklind (bass, vocals), Per Lindberg (drums), and Viktor Spasov (guitar), teamed up with producers Ali Chant (Soccer Mommy, Perfume Genius) and Jacknife Lee (The Killers, Bloc Party) to create a five-track record that reflects on the daunting feelings, cringe-worthy moments, and social encounters that play on repeat in your head at night. It examines the experiences that feel infinite in the moment but can be defined by the friends you share that experience with.

Overall, Real Life Human Garbage serves as an official introduction to the band: a four-piece who met while studying jazz in Stockholm and bonded through a shared love for the garage rock and brit-pop sounds of the '80s and '90s. The body of work opens with the previously released "All The Time And Everywhere." The track is a breezy pop song, building a space for others to understand or even accept tumultuous feelings of anxiety and turning them into an amiable '90s alt-rock-inspired lilt. "All the time it feels like I'm burning in a freak fire / Oh, and it makes me want to do better / Oh, I wish I could feel better," Emma sings as guitars intensify alongside piano trickles and urgent vocals. "Run Me Over" continues to explore the anxieties of life and the journey towards self-acceptance with sharp, biting lyrics like, "Can you run me over with your car? / I wanna be a road that leads far away from here."

"Do You Remember Sally Moore?" pays homage to the chaotic experience of going through high school and reminiscing on the often confusing period of young adulthood, piecing together aspects of modern bedroom pop with remnants of vintage new wave. The track wastes no time, with Emma's angelic tones sitting perfectly atop a driving rhythm section and distorted guitar tones. "Weirdo" is a reflective track with a gentle nature. The thoughtful instrumentation is carefully curated, with the occasional click of a guitar string being struck to moments of lilting shyness in Emma's voice, guiding listeners through struggle and self-doubt to arrive at a place of self-acceptance.

The record closes with the nostalgic "Attenborough Beach." The track is a dreamy slow burn that closes out the EP with a crescendo and eruption of the emotion and anxiety bottled within the project. "I had a friend once who was quite annoying and never really knew when to stop talking, but he could do a killer David Attenborough impression," says guitarist Viktor Spasov about the track.

Ones To Watch had the opportunity to chat with band member Emma Jansoon about the record, their inspirations, and what it means to be "Real Life Human Garbage."

Congrats on your debut EP! That's so exciting! How do you feel leading up to the big day?

Jansoon: We're very excited. It feels like we've been sitting on this EP for forever, so we can't wait to finally share it!

Did you know that you were making a record in the early days, or was it a more organic process?

We definitely didn't, no. It started out as something to do while our school was shut down during the pandemic, and since we couldn't play any venues, we decided to just write and record a bunch of songs. It was a great way for us to feel like we were making progress on something during a time when everything was just standing still. 

How would you describe your songwriting process?

It varies a lot! Sometimes Viktor will write a song and I'll write the lyrics, sometimes we'll write one section each, and sometimes we write on our own. We don't really have a method and I think that's what makes it exciting for us. We tend to work quite quickly so as not to get stuck and that makes the process quite satisfying.

What does the name of your EP, Real Life Human Garbage, mean to you? How does its meaning seep into the EP as a whole? 

It started out as a joke; I used to call Viktor human garbage kind of as an affectionate term, which then evolved into Real Life Human Garbage. And then we realized that it was the perfect name for the EP. It's all about the turmoil of being a person essentially. It's funny because I had my own definition on what it meant, and then when I spoke with the rest of the band they had a whole other meaning to it; it's quite nice that you can make your own interpretation of what the title means.

I love how every song feels like a different world you've created, but still has common sonic traits that tie the record together as a whole. Where are you finding inspiration right now, and how do those influences show up in the record?

There are a lot of singer-songwriter influences; Elliott Smith, Phoebe Bridgers, and Adrienne Lenker, to name a few. The Beatles are kind of an ever-present influence on our music. We're kind of like sponges though, we absorb anything we happen to like at the time and it'll usually turn up in a song in some way shape or form! I try to listen to as much new music as I can. As a songwriter, I think it's important to be curious and explore what's out there.

Is there one particular song that wasn't released as a single that you're most excited for people to hear?

"Run Me Over" was so much fun to record. There's a lot of cool sounds and reversed piano and stuff like that. It differs from the other songs a little too. It was actually considered as a single but it sounded too weird with the f-word bleeped out so it wouldn't have worked on the radio!

Which song was the most cathartic for you to write?

"Weirdo" was one of those songs that I wrote in the span of like half an hour. It doesn't happen very often but it's such a satisfying experience when it does. It was a weird day and I think I needed to get that one off of my chest.

What is your favorite track on the record? My personal favor is "All The Time Everywhere!" What's your favorite song to perform live right now?

It varies! I love them all, and I tend to change favorites, but it's usually the one I haven't heard in a while. Right now, it's probably "Attenborough Beach." My favorite to perform live is probably "Do You Remember Sally Moore?" People are starting to sing along to it when we play it live, and that's a pretty unbeatable feeling.

Humor me, if you had to make a Spotify playlist based on this EP, what would you call it?

Real Life Human Garbage Fire Playlist.