experimental pop
Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental music, experimental techniques such as m ...
Noisey
''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...
'', September 24, 2015. She had released music on a variety of independent record labels before signing to
4AD
4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...
in 2015.
'' Half Free'', her first record for 4AD, was released the same year. It garnered a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
nomination for
Alternative Album of the Year
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* Alternative comics, or independent comics are an alternative to mainstream superh ...
at the
Juno Awards of 2016
The Juno Awards of 2016, honouring Canadian music achievements, were presented in Calgary the weekend of 2–3 April 2016. The ceremonies were held at the Scotiabank Saddledome and televised on CTV. It was the first televised awards show to be br ...
, and was a shortlisted finalist for the
2016 Polaris Music Prize
The 2016 edition of the Canada, Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2016 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. Her next records ''
In a Poem Unlimited
''In a Poem Unlimited'' is an album by U.S. Girls, the solo project of Toronto-based American musician Meghan Remy. It was released on February 20, 2018 through 4AD.
Background
Moving on from the still experimental previous LP "Half Free", "In A P ...
'' (2018) and '' Heavy Light'' (2020) also received the same accolades.
Remy collaborates with a number of Toronto-based musicians on both songwriting and music production.
Background
Remy grew up in Illinois and attended a Catholic high school. She was raised mostly by her mother. She was in her first punk band as a teenager. She cites
riot grrrl
Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington, and the greater Pacific Northwest, and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. A subcultural movement ...
and
Crass
Crass was an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977 who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a lifestyle, and a resistance movement. Crass popularized the anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, ...
as some of her early influences.
She attended an art college in Oregon, concentrating on paper arts and graphic design.
The name "U.S. Girls" originated from a casual conversation she was having with a friend talking about a European band coming to town. She joked, "Wait 'til they get a look at these U.S. girls!" and the phrase stuck.
Music career
Remy began making music in the mid-2000s, playing in bands in Chicago and Portland. In 2008 she started recording solo at home.
After signing to 4AD in 2015, first album '' Half Free'' received critical acclaim from publications including ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
''. She performed the album at festivals through 2016, including
Primavera Sound
Primavera Sound (commonly referred to as Primavera) is an annual music festival held at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, during late May and early June. It was founded in 2001 by Pablo Soler as "a showcase for Spanish Noise rock, noise ban ...
.
In 2018, Remy's sixth studio album, ''
In a Poem Unlimited
''In a Poem Unlimited'' is an album by U.S. Girls, the solo project of Toronto-based American musician Meghan Remy. It was released on February 20, 2018 through 4AD.
Background
Moving on from the still experimental previous LP "Half Free", "In A P ...
,'' was released on 4AD''.'' and was awarded
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
's Best New Music accolade. She made her Coachella debut in 2019 as part of the album cycle.
2020's '' Heavy Light'' was released shortly before the pandemic, preceded by singles "4 American Dollars" and "Overtime".
Her 2023 album '' Bless This Mess'' was longlisted for the
2023 Polaris Music Prize
The 2023 edition of the Canada, Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2023. The winner was electronic musician Debby Friday for her album ''Good Luck (Debby Friday album), Good Luck''.
The longlist was announced on June 13, ...
.
Writing career
In 2021, Remy released her first book, ''Begin by Telling'', published by Bookhug Press.
CBC.ca
CBC.ca is the English-language online service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It was introduced in 1996. Under its previous names, the CBC's online service first went live in 1993.
The Web-based service of the CBC is one of Canada's m ...
wrote that " experimental pop sensation Meg Remy spins a web out from her body to myriad corners of American hyper-culture. Through illustrated lyric essays depicting memories from early childhood to present day, Remy paints a stark portrait of a spectacle-driven country."
Personal life
Remy later moved the band to Toronto from Chicago in 2010 after marrying Canadian musician Max "Slim Twig" Turnbull. Alongside Turnbull, she operates record label Calico Corp., and sometimes performs as a guest vocalist with Turnbull's
Badge Époque Ensemble Badge Époque Ensemble is a Canadian musical project led by Max Turnbull. They are most noted for their self-titled debut album, which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
In addition to Turnbull, the band includes guitarist ...
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'', November 21, 2020.
She is a permanent resident of Canada.
Discography
Studio albums
*''Introducing...'' (2008)
*''Go Grey'' (2010)
*''U.S. Girls on KRAAK'' (2011)
*''Gem'' (2012)
*'' Half Free'' (2015)
*''
In a Poem Unlimited
''In a Poem Unlimited'' is an album by U.S. Girls, the solo project of Toronto-based American musician Meghan Remy. It was released on February 20, 2018 through 4AD.
Background
Moving on from the still experimental previous LP "Half Free", "In A P ...
'' (2018)
*'' Heavy Light'' (2020)
*'' Bless This Mess'' (2023)
*''Scratch It'' (2025)
Split albums
*''U.S. Girls / Slim Twig'' (2011) (with
Slim Twig
Max Turnbull (born in 1988), better known by his stage name Slim Twig, is a Canadian songwriter, musician, and film actor, who has performed both as a solo artist and as the leader of Badge Époque Ensemble.
He was born the son of Toronto-based ...