Formed by teenage best friends, Girlpool evolved dramatically in a relatively short time frame. The band grew from a sparse drummerless duo on their earliest albums into something resembling a more traditional indie rock act on subsequent records like 2019's What Chaos Is Imaginary, borrowing angst from '90s alternative guitar heroes and lush arrangements and bright harmonies from classic radio pop. They tipped the balance toward a glossier, more spacious keyboard pop by their fourth album, 2022's Forgiveness, which looked candidly at twentysomething relationship disappointments.

Girlpool was formed by friends Harmony Tividad and Avery Tucker in 2013 when the two were still teenagers living in Los Angeles. Building a spare sound from guitar, bass, and unison vocals, the duo worked in raw, sometimes playful territory on a self-released eponymous debut EP they issued just weeks after forming. Tucker and Tividad were approached by British indie Wichita Recordings, which set up a U.K. tour and re-released their EP in November 2014. Late that year, the pair relocated to Philadelphia and recorded with Kyle Gilbride of Swearin'; the results were 2015's full-length debut, Before the World Was Big.

Following the success of Girlpool's debut, plans to work with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy on the follow-up were made, but scheduling issues meant the duo ended up working on the record themselves in the end. The near collaboration signaled a slight departure from the minimal instrumentation of their first record, as Tucker and Tividad decided to develop their sound with additional instrumentation on their sophomore effort. Despite the additional drums on Powerplant, the pair stayed true to their core sound, and the record was released in 2017. The following year, the band collaborated with Dev Hynes (Blood Orange, Lightspeed Champion) on the single "Picturesong."

Girlpool's third album, What Chaos Is Imaginary, arrived in early 2019, revealing even more of an evolution of the group's sound, which included the addition of synths, drum machines, and string arrangements. Taking that direction a step further, 2022's alienated Forgiveness found synths, piano, and programmed drums overshadowing prior alt-rock inspirations. It was produced by Yves Rothman (Yves Tumor, Porches). ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi