Drogheda/Dublin band hotgirl have released their new five-track EP, Sick Sad World, and play a headline show in the Grand Social, Dublin on the 30 November for our EP launch. We asked singer/songwriter Ashley Abbedeen of the band the BIG questions . . .

hotgirl began as the bedroom project of Ashley Abbedeen when she threw a lo-fi, trip-hop style demo of her first single Jam on Soundcloud in July 2021.

Deciding to put a band together, she posted an Instagram call-out which caught the attention of guitarist Sophie Boxwell, drummer Nick Stanley (aka Muttonhead) and bassist Jake Hurley (aka Local Boy).

Tell us three things about yourself . . .

My name is Ashley and I sing and play guitar in hotgirl. I'm a Leo, I'm deathly afraid of butterflies.

How would you describe your music?

It's a unique blend of all the music we love - everything from 90s' grunge and punk to 2000s’ pop. What separates our music from others is nearly every song is inspired by a different genre, but it seems to all tie together through the distinctive riffs and heavy use of dissonance and chromaticism. I see Sick Sad World as a time capsule for little memories from the past few years of my life, the whole college experience from start to finish and everything in between. I wanted to store all the funny stories and sad stories somewhere and I'm glad we could do that in this project.

Who are your musical inspirations?

There are so many I could talk about but I'm very inspired by the Irish music scene at the moment! My favourites right now are Search Results and Cruel Sister who have both put out fantastic projects the past few months. I'm also loving I Dreamed I Dream's debut EP. It's a privilege to get to play with talented musicians across Ireland and it definitely plays a part in pushing my own boundaries in my songwriting.

What was the first gig you ever went to?

My best friend and I got meet and greet tickets to see Jack and Jack in the Academy in 2015 after getting our Junior Cert results. We became friends because we were both obsessed with all the Magcon boys from Vine, It felt like a dream come true at the time but I think after that our obsession quickly faded.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam soundtrack. I got sick of having to skip through the movie to sing along with all the songs. Demi Lovato was definitely a big singing inspiration for me after those movies.

What’s your favourite song right now?

Bending Hectic by The Smile. When I first heard the song it popped up randomly on my Spotify and I thought "who are these guys and how are they not mega famous?". I thought I'd discovered the best new band the world's seen since Radiohead. My friend quickly burst my bubble and told me it essentially was Radiohead and then it all made sense. But the sentiment still stands, they're geniuses.

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Favourite lyric of all time?

"I look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping, while my guitar gently weeps" - While My Guitar Gently Weeps. That second "look at you all" in the last chorus just breaks my heart every time. We all need to be better, for the sake of George Harrison's poor guitar.

If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Key to the City by Sorry. They've been my favourite band for a long time and I'll never get sick of that song. I cry nearly every time I listen to it. It's not even the lyrics that do it for me, it's Asha's raw vocal delivery and it hits even harder live. I saw them play it in the Academy in 2022 and I started uncontrollably sobbing right in front of the band. People next to me were trying to console me. I was fine really; some songs are just so beautiful that I can't help but cry. I hope we get to play with them someday!

Where can people find your music/more information?

We're on all the streaming platforms as 'hotgirl' and also on Instagram @h0tgrrrl, if you'd like to catch a show or listen to us you can find all relevant links here. Always beware when looking us up online, you might want to wipe your search history after.

Alan Corr