Jo Lloyd: vocals, bass
David Magee: drums
James Wright: guitar


Lovers of noisy guitar-pop take note. London-bred, New York-based trio Stretch Princess have hit the U.S. with eleven tracks of tightly wound, guitar-driven punchy pop. Their self-titled debut delivers instantly memorable melodic hooks with a unique contrast of soaring vocal arrangements against a riveting post-punk instrumental attack.

"We all came to the band from very different places," notes Ireland-native singer / bass player Jo Lloyd. "I played in piano bars while James (guitar) and David (drums) played in much heavier bands." The three were on separate paths gigging at a feverish pace throughout Europe and Australia: "where we came together was over the idea of making a great song. We all share a common bond there - the sense that the song is the most important thing."

With the help of the production team of Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hole) Stretch Princess has quickly developed into a team capable of translating their raw onstage energy and emotion into inspiring studio tracks. "Sugar,"one of the harder cuts on the album, showcases that live power, while "Shoes" lays out the group's radio-friendly finesse.

"We wanted to have that balance, and we thought that Sean and Paul could help keep the delicacy of Jo's voice without sacrificing the rougher side of the band," notes James. "The fact that Jo writes on piano adds another dimension as well. When it all gets too confusing, we just let Dave sort it out. He's usually the one who steps in and says 'look, you're being an idiot - why do you want to change that part?'"

Stretch Princess has the knack for turning out the perfect single. "Sorry," the first track released from their album, is a mixture, as James describes, of low-fi style rhythm against big melodies. He's also quick to point out that the song is not an apology.

Stretch Princess first played together just over two years ago, and, as James jokingly recalls, "the band set out a plan for world domination." It almost worked too well. A flurry of industry interest came their way after they'd played just a handful of gigs, and the band, slightly bewildered, decided to back off and hone their craft a bit before falling prey to the UK press' "premature adulation syndrome."

"We wrote two songs right after our first rehearsal and we knew that things were really going to click," says James, who met his bandmates in a local London pub after he relocated from his hometown of Perth, Australia. "Even though we only had seven songs, we went ahead and booked a gig. We were so nervous and played so fast that we had to do the entire set twice just to fill the time we were given."

Shortly thereafter, the trio issued a well-received single entitled "Stupid Boy" as part of the Dedicated Records new band series "Best Kept Secrets." This opening salvo was immediately picked up by national radio in the UK.

"I think we might have been a bit scary to some English audiences at that point because we were so enthusiastic and so...up," says Jo. "Everything around at the time was a bit dour, a bit oppressive and we were flying in the face of that in a way. We always wanted to put on a good show, and write great songs and some people felt that was a bit obvious, I suppose." The band signed with New York-based independent Wind-up Records in early 1998. Stretch Princess now make their home in New York City and are hashing out their material in rehearsals and local gigs in preparation for phase two of that "world domination" plan. Stretch Princess is ready. Are you?