Girl Tones aren’t interested in blending into the background. Today, Kenzie and Laila Crowe, a sister duo hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky, release their debut album, Precious. Here, listeners are drawn into a wilderness of emotion, sound, and color. Written and worked on for the past six years following the death of a loved one in 2020, Precious dives into the sonic relationship between total grief and sparkling joy, inviting us into a world where guitar riffs cut meandering punk-y paths through a thorny underbrush of bad feeling. It's a world where two sisters reach behind them and say, Hey, this darkness doesn't have to be scary. Let's dance our way through it!

And dance, they do. Colorfully, at that. Think of the Girl Tones and you'll think of brightly colored tights with mismatched gloves, shaggy curls, and an attitude that is as sharp as their sound. Their video for the album’s title track, “Glowing Buzz,” leaves you feeling exactly as such: a tad brighter, a little playful, and entirely ready to dance. 

There’s something refreshing about Girl Tones’ appeal. Their sound carries a certain carefree spirit, rooted in creative freedom and a desire to have fun without overthinking it. Drawing on the anything-goes 80s, the sisters channel a time before digital distractions and endless notifications– when being present meant moving without inhibition, surrendering to the noise, and throwing yourself into a sea of gloriously sweaty bodies That same sense of freedom runs through their journey. From writing songs together in the woods, to making their mark on Kentucky playing DIY shows, Kenzie and Laila have built Girl Tones on instinct, sisterhood and a shared love of artistry. 

With today marking the arrival of Precious into the world, the pair can look forward to sharing a live performance during a nearly sold-out headline tour. First, though, they’ll commemorate the occasion with an album release celebration at Grimey’s in Nashville.

We caught up with the sisters to discuss all things Precious, family, finding freedom in music and within oneself.

Girl Tones is built around family – you are sisters, and Precious is about the loss of your grandmother. How has music brought you all together? How does making or performing music help you grieve? 

Laila: Kenzie and I have been playing music together pretty much our entire lives. It has most definitely been a huge factor in our closeness as a family. Not just for Kenzie and I as sisters, but for our entire family, music has always been a huge part of how we connect. We’ve been going to concerts as a family for as long as I can remember. Both of our parents hugely impacted our music taste growing up and by encouraging us to learn how to create our own music have pushed us to pursue this path. Music can be very cathartic for grief, but it can also be very difficult. It’s a beautiful way to express and process these deep moments of grief. 

Since your grandmother’s passing in 2020, you took a beat before writing Precious. With the album releasing six years later, how has your relationship to the project evolved since you first started writing it? 

Laila: It’s one of those things where we’ve been in the thick of it all for so long it’s hard to take a step back and really take it in. It still hasn’t really set in yet that it’s finally about to be released. I’m sure once it comes out and people start listening to this project as a whole and hearing what people think of it, it’ll feel real. 

How did working with Brad Shultz impact the direction of the album? Did he challenge your initial vision for Precious?

Kenzie:  It was so important to have Brad on this project because he did challenge us when we needed it. That’s what we wanted. We wanted someone to come in and tell us “what if we tried it this way instead?” Originally, the title track “Precious” was going to be on guitar, and a beat more upbeat. But Brad heard the demo and immediately wanted to do piano. I’m so glad he did because that’s what makes the song!

Songs like “Stubborn Mouth” and “Blame” playfully explore being defensive in conflict – what drew you to write about these moments of frustration? 

Kenzie: I think in both of those songs there is a lot of self-reflection. We did a rewrite of “Blame” in the studio, the original version was pretty much blaming everything on everyone else. It’s just something you learn with time that you have to take responsibility for your own actions. It's very hard to admit you were wrong or did something wrong, but that subject fascinates me. It’s only human to want to be right about everything, even when you’re absolutely wrong.

Kenzie, Girl Tones carries another layer of intimacy for you, with your sister as a co-star and your husband as a co-writer. As you began dating him around the time of your grandmother’s passing, how did navigating new love alongside grief shape your perspective on both? What did it mean to bring your husband as a songwriter for Precious?

Kenzie: It was a difficult time in life, but he brought joy and laughter when I needed it most. I am beyond grateful that we ended up together during that time. It is amazing to bring him on the album (he plays on several songs!) because a lot of the writing of the album started at home, so of course he was the first person to hear the title track. He helped elevate it!

You both began as classically trained musicians before graduating from cello and piano to guitar and drums. What did your early musical training teach you about songwriting, and how did that background influence your current sound? 

Kenzie: It really helped to learn how to read and be able to write music. It was also super important to know the basics of music theory and scales. Those things even though at times can be extremely boring, can elevate everything about your own writing. It’s super important to have a foundation and understanding on what you are playing and why it sounds good (or not).

You started playing DIY shows in Kentucky to now playing for massive crowds at Just Like Heaven and Lollapalooza – how does it feel? As you perform Precious live for the first time, are there any tracks you’re especially excited to perform? 

Laila: It’s incredibly satisfying. We put a lot of work into Girl Tones for a long, long time so it is always so amazing to perform at these iconic festivals and share the stage with such amazing other artists. I am very excited to start playing “Glowing Buzz” live! We haven’t worked that one up for the live performances quite yet so it’ll be a fun challenge.

What is most precious to you?

Laila: Family.