“Disconnected”, the newest power EP from Utrecht, The Netherlands based TWO AND A HALF GIRL lays on the foundation of mixing powerful voice of their frontwoman Juliët and their unique heavy mix of emotive post hardcore, hard rock and metalcore. The result is an explosive, yet super catchy sound that is both energizing and immediately recognizable. Their music is as heavy as can be, and so are their lyrics: This young group is not afraid to speak their mind on personal and sensitive issues, like the social acceptance of alcoholism among young people and the loneliness of social media addiction. Today, we’re giving you their newest offering, with a full track-by-track commentary, delivered by the band themselves!
TWO AND A HALF GIRL’s new EP “Disconnected” is released independently on October 9th.
Drums Recorded by Alwin Van Der Knijff at Mailmen Studio’s. Bass, Guitar & Vocals recorded by Two and a Half Girl at Griffioen. Mixed by Alwin Van Der Knijff. Additional vocals on ‘Drowned & Drained’ and ‘Disconnected’ by Jelle Crooijmans. Artwork by Levi Reinds. Two and a Half Girl is: Anne Heymeriks, Chris Walthaus, Daan Lutgerink, Juliët van de Laak, Pim Cruiming
Separated
Daan: We really wanted to open the record with a bang! Separated is like your first cup of coffee in the morning. A slap in the face to wake you up.
Chris: The song for people with a short attention span. Heavy riffs, a lot of energy and little repetition. Also our shortest song ever.
Juul: Full power, short and sweet!
You immediately know where you signed up for.
Anne: The working title for this song was “blastbeat” because we finally have a song with a blastbeat in it, which obviously makes me as a drummer very happy (beside the fact that it took me a billion hours of practice before I could play it). I still accidentally call this song “blastbeat”. Oh and it’s a killer song by the way!
Pim: This track is the ultimate opener. It reaches the limit in just a few seconds and it never goes down. It starts with a riff, then goes into just one verse, one chorus and finishes with a breakdown. I think the short duration is what makes this song great, you definitely wanna give it another spin when the final chord fades out.
Lyrics:
So you’ve decided to split up,
I can’t believe that you gave up
How am I supposed to cherish what I have?I don’t want the truth
So lie like you mean it,
I wanna hide in my own world
Stay blind enough to believe itI long for the times that we spent together
Was I too naive to think that we would last forever?
Every mountain will erode, and every wave will break
Every candle will burn out, all light abandones me
Page One Rewrite
Daan: Page One Rewrite is an up-tempo song filled with energetic riffs and hooks. definitely a highlight in our live show! The song has a real punk attitude, which is something I love about the track.
Chris: Always a challenge to play, but always so much fun. A lot of very cool riffs in one song, it doesn’t seem to stop. Also the lyrics (written by Daan) speak to me and it’s also about all of us.
Juul: No time to rest! Separated is followed up by this powerful banger. We like to keep the energy alive. And that is exactly what happens with page one rewrite
Anne: I really like how powerful this song is. I just NEED to headbang while I listen to it. Definitely one of my favorites of this EP.
Pim: This song just screams punk, and I love that! Since the day Daan played me the verse riff for the first time I knew this was going to be a great song. I thought, and I still think, this is one of the best, if not the best riff he ever wrote. By the time the bridge riff kicks in, you just wanna jump up and down as fast as you can. You can call this a BANGER if you want!
Lyrics:
Will these words fall on deaf ears, and fade away
Or will they make their mark, and start a change?
How many times have I forced myself into pretending
Since when has insecurity become a bad thing?We try to flood our own flame
But you don’t know me
We try to hide our own shame
but you don’t fool meIn the end we’re all a page one rewrite
But nowadays that is all it takes
You might be scared to show us your insights
But that is your change to makeTurn a blind eye, and put your head in the sand,
Wash your hands in innocence and then do it again,
But in the end you and I know that you can’t keep this upCynicism reigns, to mask our pain, in order to maintain
A certain habit, a certain way, that will be the start of our own decayIn the end we’re all a page one rewrite
But nowadays that is all it takes
You might be scared to show us your Insights
But that is your change to makeIn the end we’re all a page one rewrite
But nowadays that is all it takes
You might be scared to show us your insights
But that is your change to make
Carried Away
Daan: Carried away is the first song that I immediately thought was good enough to make the cut. It immediately felt special to me. I think this is one of our most mature songs. The vocal hooks are one of my favorites on the record.
Chris: It’s just a banger! It just starts right away. It was also very special to release this song during the lockdown in NL. For the videoclip we asked some fellow musicians to record a clip from home and it was really cool to collaborate from a distance like that. It also felt great to release new music during an uncertain time.
Juul: A song about how we feel about being in a band and all the things that come with it. It’s the best that ever happened to me but we still deal with a lot of incomprehension. We work hard and will never give up!
Anne: I think this song speaks to all musicians. Especially, maybe, during this Covid pandemic. Being a musician is fun, but there’s no such thing as financial stability for instance. And after cancelling your plans with your friends for the umpteenth time because you’d rather play a show for 10 people in the middle of nowhere, that will cause some friction as well. I think we’ve all had to deal with that in our own way, but we’ve all chosen to still pursue our dreams and that is what this song is about.
Pim: Lyrically, this song is an explanation to our family, friends and everyone whom we ever told: ‘Sorry I can’t be there, I’m playing a show with my band’. It features everything a great TAAHG song needs, lots of energy, great melodies, loud screams and a hardcore kind of breakdown. No wonder this was the first single from the EP.
Lyrics:
It’s not a lack of empathy,
I’m just wired a little differently
it’s not that I feel like I have a choice
‘Cause I am married to the noiseSo let it all come down on me,
I’m not what you make me out to be
I can’t change the ones around me
and neither can they change meBut when it all comes down
You can get carried awayIt’s all I ever wanted, So I won’t be daunted
In the good times, In the bad times
You can get carried awayPlease be understanding, I know that I am demanding
A lot of patience, Appreciation
But that’s a part of meIt’s just a matter of priorities
and that’s the difference between you and me
I can’t help to follow my aspirations
So I’m not asking for salvationIt’s always the same complaints
I’m never with you to maintain
a certain kind of connection
but that might be my imperfectionLet them down
Let them down
I will let them down,
When I get carried awayIt’s all I ever wanted, So I won’t be daunted
In the good times, In the bad times
You can get carried awayPlease be understanding, I know that I am demanding
A lot of patience, Appreciation
But that’s a part of me
Drowned And Drained
Daan: Musically this is by far my favorite. I think the combination of the metal (core) influences and the very personal lyrics are really cool. the balance between melody and heaviness really appeals to me.
Chris: A very mature song, with mature lyrics. Also a very melodic song and at the same time ver groovy because of the bassdrum patern in the chorus
Juul: For me the song with the most meaningful lyrics of the ep. I think that a lot of people can recognize themselves in it. It really tells a story.
Also musically wise it goes from really hard to much more intimate.
Some variety is always good
Anne: My favorite! I love how this song is very emotional and personal. I’m really proud of the lyrics, even though I didn’t write them (S.O. to Pim & Daan).
Pim: This is the only song so far I lyrically contributed to. The lyrics are partly about me and therefore this is the most personal track on the EP, although I didn’t write any of the music. It tells the story of addiction for the most part. But in the end it’s also about taking a step in the right direction and not being the only one. But most importantly it is about not having to be ashamed of addiction so you can talk about it. The build up in the bridge is super dynamic and leaves lots of space for words. Juul and I tattooed the chorus’s first line on the back of our legs for the music video of this song. Wanna see them? Check our video on youtube!
Lyrics:
5 AM and still some time to shine
one more hour before the sun begins to rise
And I have made my decisionsix o’clock my friends are off to bed
I’m still looking for a fix, I am trying to forget
that I am down and depressed boyI am drowned and drained in poison,
‘till my mind says I’m all right
I am getting closer to the edge
Of crying out my mindI’m still searching for a remedy
to drag myself out of this misery
But I wanna go (walk home)
wanna go (walk home)
So now I’m changing my mindI hate the moment when the sun comes up
Cause that’s the hardest time for me to cover up
That I’ve been hiding
That I’ve been lying
I am ashamed of my habitsI am drowned and drained in poison,
‘till my mind says I’m all right
I am getting closer to the edge
Of crying out my mindTogether we saw the bottom off the bottle.
I don’t want to let you down, but I decided to say no.
I went from every day, wasted away, to once or twice a week.
It’s just to start somewhere, please let me beI can’t bear another night of drinking ‘till the first daylight
I can’t bear another night, so please take me away…Take my shame away
I’ll learn to live with my mistakes
Take my shame away
Take my shame awayI am drowned and drained in poison,
‘till my mind says I’m all right
I am getting closer to the edge
Of crying out my mind
Disconnected
Daan: Disconnected is one of the slower tracks of the ep. I can’t wait to play this track live. The lyrics for disconnected were already written before the lockdown, but became more and more appropriate to the situation we are in.
Chris: Disconnected is special to me, this is a song where we all worked really hard on, also it’s the last song we finished before the recording started. The lyrics (written by Daan) are about a social media addiction and how lonely that can be. But looking back at it it also really fits well with the current Covid-19 conditions. When we had to record the last vocal parts voor this song we were suddenly in a lockdown and we were actually “disconnected” from each other. Then we had to record the last vocal parts from home and even did some “gang” vocals with flatmates.
Juul: Disconnected is a meaningful song about something we are all dealing with nowadays, just like chris said. It’s still a heavy song but much more “breathable” with a nice and smooth chorus. This song brings a good balance to the whole ep.
Anne: Social media addiction is something I struggle with. When I’m bored I scroll, scroll, and scroll… And when there’s nothing left I go to another social media platform and scroll again. I feel like we live in a society where it’s very “normal” to be looking at your phone for hours a day. Even when you’re with friends, there’s always a “phone moment” where everyone answers their messages and then continue the conversation when everyone’s finished. Why has that become normal? It worries me. So, these lyrics speak to me. And have I already mentioned that this chorus is PHENOMENAL? I really like this song and it’s the perfect last song for this EP.
Pim: This is the very last track on the EP, and also the last song we wrote before recording. Everyone has contributed to the music and melodies in this song and the writing process went very surprisingly quick. When we made the demo for this song, the improvised vocal lines turned out to work very well, so the song was done. I am really looking forward to playing this song to an audience. The vocal lines are catchy and the riffs are super nasty. This could be a perfect set closer.
Lyrics:
I’ve trapped myself in chains
I don’t know how to change
Is this the way that this will always be?I wear a smile to hide
that I’m messed up inside
Can I drag myself out of this misery?Don’t dare to be alone
‘cause when I’m on my own
I lose control over my own headI can hear the voices
they don’t give me a choice
They lead me straight to my own deathI keep surrounding myself with the noise
Just so I don’t have to hear my own voice
When no one’s around I am glued to my phone
Just so I don’t have to feel aloneI no longer know what to expect
When everyone around me seems so perfect
But let me tell you, I can’t live up to
the perfect picture, that’s portrayed of meDon’t know how to switch off
I just can’t get enough
I’m addicted to my own timeline‘cause that’s the only way
for me to hide away
problems that wander in my mindI am confessing that I’m not alright
that I have a problem deep down inside
It’s a disease and we’re all infected
it’s a drug, pull the plug, get me disconnectedI no longer know what to expect
Everyone around me seems so perfect
but let me tell you, I can’t live up to
the perfect picture, that’s portrayed of meI no longer know what to expect
Everyone around me seems so perfect
but let me tell you, I can’t live up to
the perfect picture, that’s portrayed of me
Two and a Half Girl would like to thank:
Geert Bakker, Alwin van der Knijff, Hans Lutgerink, Griffioen, Martijn Mannak, Pieter van de Laak, Herman Brood Academie, Jasper Werij, Jelle Crooijmans, Bram Van Der Schans, Jos Hoens, Never Mind The Hype, Popronde, Levi Reinds, Steffan Groeneveld, Mailmen Studio’s, Alfred van Luttikhuizen, Marije van Bommel.
All bands that helped out for the video for Carried Away: Fleddy Melculy, For I Am King, Walkways, Tusky, X-Raiders, Inferum, Spitfire, The Dirty Denims, Undawn, A Point of Protest, Kieff, Bongloard, Get Some, Bony Macaroni, To Live Among Wolves, Beerbottle Chopsticks, Sidewalk, Kalaallit Nunaat, Inge Lamboo, Louwie.
