Garage-born grunge-pop brilliance from Nashville – JILL PILL are the lo-fi heroes we didn’t know we needed
Straight outta Nashville garages and into our collective daydreams, JILL PILL is the brainchild of Ava Frank and Lucas Hubbard (aka maycave), serving up charmingly scrappy indie that is now officially on rinse and repeat at the Happy Mag office.
Their 2024 debut album BOYiSH is a jangly, eight-track gem of lo-fi goodness – equal parts emotional grit and melodic gold.
Now, the band’s quirky cool is getting a wider spotlight as they enter Happy Mag’s Needle in the Hay competition, a launchpad for emerging talent that’s dished out over $50K in prizes – and vinyl pressings for the lucky winners.
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While their official NITH submission remains under wraps until the 23rd of May, you can dive deep into BOYiSH, featuring fuzzy anthems like “Stars,” “Bones,” “Lover,” and the irresistibly hazy “SUNKISSED” (ft. Kandi Lake).
On stage, the full JILL PILL experience comes alive with Ava up front, joined by Louis Rubino on lead guitar, William Naaden on bass, Dominic Escandell on drums, and Lucas Hubbard holding it down on rhythm. It’s a tight-knit gang with the kind of chemistry that can’t be faked and songs that wear their imperfections like badges of honour.
Backed by the likes of Noise Machines (the Newtown studio and sonic sanctuary behind Happy Mag’s live sessions), the NITH comp continues to bring fresh talent to the fore. And if JILL PILL is anything to go by, the international pool is swimming in promise.
Keep tabs on JILL PILL here and here – and if you are a Nashville local – catch the band at DRKMTTR 8PM 27th May.
Want in on Needle in the Hay? If you’re in Australia or NZ, sign up here. International? Hit this link.
