Performing internationally and continuously since 2015, the fearless French born sisters Millie and Mie, who form the group The Soapgirls, started their career in Cape Town performing as street artists for eight years and were given their name by the general public. “We have been The SoapGirls since we were 8 and 9 selling handmade soap and street performing for various causes, we did this 365 days of the year, for 9 years”. At twelve and thirteen they began their recording career and signed to Universal Records releasing their debut album in 2011 which topped the domestic charts. They have since taken the world by storm with performances at many festivals, including the legendary Rebellion Festival and Camden Rocks festival. Their catalog harbors a series of impressive singles and 3 solid albums.
When the pandemic hit, and the world came to a halt in 2020, The Soapgirls persevered, to deliver over 200 live-steamed shows and counting, taking fans on a raucous virtual worldwide tour, from country to country, and theme to theme.
Now in 2021 and with their virtual tour still in full-swing, The SoapGirls took to the idyllic beaches of Cape Town and a once-thriving beach-side entertainment venue to film the supporting video to their single ‘Heart In Bloom’. The track is a first of a collection of new songs that will make up their long-awaited fourth album ‘In My Skin’, as they line up future tours.
It’s quite impressive how unassumingly The Soapgirls are making their way to the upper echelon of the modern rock world. They’ve done it with steady consistency, growth and solid alternative rock songwriting. Millie and Mie have developed into a tremendous creative tandem.
‘Heart In Bloom’ certainly rocks, but even more effective are the dynamics and the dramatic rise and fall that make the track a more compelling listen. The opening bars set an immediate tone. It’s an insistent, thumping romp, where the guitars jangle and crunch, thriving on an ability to surprise and delight while staying faithful to a punk core.
The infectious chorus and dramatically building melody makes it memorable even before the breakdown, and the subsequent epic build-up comes in. You get exactly what you want to hear from the band in this track – their sultry but explosive vocals, is a welcome sonance, an eruption of catchy rock you’d only expect to hear from these girls.
Their beautiful range carries a kinetic power. Diversity is what The Soapgirls do best, and they carry out ‘Heart In Bloom’ doing exactly this. Breaking out of the barriers of mainstream trends, The Soapgirls are still able to create a song that will appeal to many.
The Soapgirls have crystalized the secret formula bands alternative rock spend years searching for. Punk-fueled pomp, stomping its way through pop purgatory before breaking into a sing-along rock anthem that leaves you craving for more.
Pretty much since their inception, there’s been some kind of unwritten pedestal holding The Soapgirls, alluding to a band built for much bigger things than what their output might otherwise have sign-posted thus far. They’re currently doing something with their sound that feels authentic and lived-in, more than ever before, and it’s paying dividends when everything comes together as well as it does on ‘Heart In Bloom’.
On top of that, the playing is solid, as is the sound and the singing, aiming for something, even more gripping and all-embracing than their previous works. ‘Heart In Bloom’ is the track The Soapgirls were destined to make in order to ascend to the upper echelons of alt-rock heaven.
Millie and Mie display a confidence that is born from both their natural enthusiasm, and the knowledge that they’re damn good at what they do. They’re always pushing, moving in whatever direction they choose without the fear of having to conform.
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – ALL STREAMS
