Interview: Meg Remy (U.S. Girls)
“I'm doing my own thang / I don't owe you anything.”
That defiant declaration from U.S. Girls’ “Like James Said” could double as a mission statement for Meg Remy’s entire career.
Since launching U.S. Girls in 2008, Remy has remained resistant to genre restrictions, fusing post-punk, Brill Building pop, riot grrrl energy, and disco into a singular sound. Her home-recorded debut, Introducing, buried that blend beneath lo-fi murk, but each subsequent release has sharpened the production and deepened her incisive, socially conscious lyrics.
Her 4AD debut, Half Free (2015), marked a major breakthrough. Like a warped, lost Shangri-Las disco dub tape left too long in the sun, the album retained the experimental charm of earlier work while combining catchy hooks with cutting critiques of the patriarchy. With In A Poem Unlimited and Heavy Light, Remy leaned into bigger, brighter production without sacrificing her genre-blurring instincts — delivering bold pop that could pack dance floors while boldly dissecting then-President Barack Obama’s use of drone warfare (“Mad As Hell”).
By 2023’s Bless This Mess, recorded while she was pregnant with twins, Remy had softened her edges just enough to introduce optimism into her sonic pastiche. Across 15 years, U.S. Girls has evolved constantly, yet always centered on Remy’s gift for transforming musical nostalgia into something urgently of-the-moment.
Her new album, Scratch It (out Friday, June 20), signals another shift. Recorded to tape in Nashville with a band assembled by longtime friend Dillon Watson, it’s her warmest, most relaxed effort yet. Featuring harmonica work by Nashville A-Team legend Charlie McCoy — most notably on the album’s epic centerpiece, “Bookends” — the record filters her genre-hopping sensibility through a sun-baked Americana lens. The Blonde on Blonde (on which McCoy also played) influence is unmistakable, but the spirit remains unquestionably U.S. Girls.
As with past albums, Scratch It draws on the grooves of classic southern soul and Remy’s enduring love of disco. So while there are shades of that Music City sound, you’ll also hear the echoes of Ann Peebles, Bettye Swann, and Doris Duke — especially on tracks like “Walking Song” and the throbbing, heartfelt ballad “Firefly on the 4th of July.” It’s a mix of groove and twang that hits deep, complementing Remy’s cool confident falsetto and heartfelt, substantive words.
With the album’s release imminent, U.S. Girls will take the show on the road, beginning with a performance at The Grey Eagle on Saturday, June 21. Asheville Stages caught up with Remy to talk about the new record, how motherhood has shaped her perspective, and the role of catharsis in turbulent times.
Jonny Leather: Your Asheville show kicks off the tour. Aside from that recent pop-up in Nashville, will this be the first time you and the band perform songs from Scratch It live in front of an audience?
Meg Remy: It will be the first show of the tour and the first show ever with this specific lineup. We did two shows in New York in December and one show in Austin in April where we did songs from the album but sans keys. Asheville will be the real deal — no more trailing wheels; the open road.
JL: One thing I’ve always loved about artists with evolving backing bands is how older songs take on new shapes over time — something you've also explored on record with “Red Ford Radio” and “State House (It’s a Man’s World).” Are there any deeper cuts you're especially excited to revisit with this current lineup?
MR: Yes! Looking forward to doing “Sororal Feelings,” “Mad As Hell,” “Island Song,” “Jack,” “Woodstock ’99,” “Incidental Boogie,” and other oldies but goodies.
JL: Scratch It marks a pretty significant shift from digital to analog production, with far fewer overdubs than past records. What drove that shift, and has it opened up new artistic possibilities for you?
MR: Meeting these friendly folks from Nashville is what steered the car. They were surprised I had never tracked to tape before and encouraged me to do so; they thought I would enjoy the process. And now, the artistic possibilities (freedom!) of The Process are very clear to me. If there is some Process in place that everyone is aligned with/knows their role within, a focus takes over the group and performative magic can be born.
JL: Were there any albums you had in mind as touchstones when making Scratch It?
MR: The entire U.S. Girls discography!
Photo by Colin Medley
JL: What was it like bringing in a legend like Charlie McCoy to play on the record? Did his presence change the way you approached those sessions?
MR: Having Charlie on a session was like a dream I never knew I could have. Jo Schornikow, who played organ and synths on the album, produced said session — thank god! She has mucho musical knowledge and amazing bedside manner, so she was the perfect person for the job.
Everyone was very excited and kind of twitchy that day and I remember trying to look nice for Charlie. I think I wore a dress and even did my hair. Because of the weight and breadth of his experience, we were very deferential to him and, in the end, it meant he kind of called the shots. Jo gave him a bit of feedback but, overall, he just laid down what he felt was right and we didn’t really question him. And he was right; he served the songs perfectly.
JL: You've long been in dialogue with the past — referencing or reinterpreting songs like “Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing,” “MacArthur Park,” and “Down in the Boondocks.” With “Like James Said,” you’re responding directly to [James Brown’s] “Get Up Offa That Thing.” What draws you to this kind of musical conversation across eras?
MR: I can’t really say. Though I do think it’s impossible to not have this conversation. Even if you aren’t overtly sampling or covering someone, you are in dialogue with All Music that has come before you.
JL: Pregnancy played a central role in Bless This Mess. Since then, how has motherhood shifted your creative world or the way you engage with your art?
MR: It has shifted my time and energy immensely. I barely recognize life. My old life is gone, never to return. I don’t have time for any bullshit anymore. Ha! I need to make records efficiently and in a non-precious manner. I can’t really doubt myself because there’s no time to! I can’t tour the world anymore — nor should I?. Overall, my children guide me to make better choices. They put the entire music industry into perspective and, let me tell you, it don’t look good. My children show me that I am an artist, and I couldn’t stop being one if I tried. It’s not dependent on nor allowed by the “industry”; it’s just me. It is my essence.
JL: Given the current political climate and what many see as a slide toward authoritarianism in the U.S., do you see this tour as offering a kind of necessary catharsis — for yourself, the band, the audience?
MR: I was born in Joliet, Illinois, into Reagan’s 1985 and I believe that my entire conscious life has been seeking cathartic acts to counterbalance the pressures of The Empire/The Family/The Mystery of Existence/etc. Being in a room with others and bearing oneself on stage in song and dance is my favorite cathartic release. So, yeah, it’s necessary for me and I always hope to in turn provide some sort of release for others — the audience, my band, the venue staff. Or even just an example of how to let loose that they can later reflect on — or laugh at!
IF YOU GO
Who: U.S. Girls with Faun Fables
When: Saturday, June 21, 9 p.m.
Where: Grey Eagle Music Hall, 185 Clingman Ave., thegreyeagle.com
Tickets: $24.60
(Photo by Colin Medley)
