Meg Remy, the brilliant mind behind U.S. Girls, is back with a new full-length album ‘Scratch It’, dropping June 20, 2025, via Royal Mountain Records and 4AD. And in true U.S. Girls fashion, she’s not easing in—she’s launching this new chapter with Bookends, a sprawling 12-minute single and short film that hits like a slow-motion lightning strike.
This isn’t just a song—it’s a whole world. Co-written with Edwin de Goeji, Bookends is the emotional core of ‘Scratch It’, and it’s built from deep reflection. Remy wrote it in memory of her late friend, Power Trip frontman Riley Gale, while immersed in Eyewitness to History, a hefty tome of first-person accounts spanning centuries. One idea stuck with her: “There is not a hierarchy to suffering, and death is the great equalizer.” That sentiment pulses through every second of Bookends.
The track arrives with a cinematic short film directed by Caity Arthur. It’s surreal, theatrical, and strangely euphoric—death not as an end, but as a transformation. Picture a 1960s pop performance, a bit of sleight-of-hand magic, and a ghostly variety show melting together while Remy’s voice weaves through each scene. It’s mesmerizing, weird in all the right ways, and deeply moving.
So, where did ‘Scratch It’ come from? As usual with Remy, it started with a gut feeling. When she was invited to play a festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas, she asked longtime collaborator Dillon Watson to put together a Nashville-based band for the gig. The chemistry was immediate. After the show, instead of heading home to Toronto, Remy followed that feeling straight to a Nashville studio to lay down what would become this new album.
Recorded live off the floor in just ten days, ‘Scratch It’ features Watson on guitar, Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather) on bass, Domo Donoho on drums, Jo Schornikow and Tina Norwood on keys, and legendary harmonica player Charlie McCoy (who’s played with Bob Dylan and Elvis, no big deal). There’s a warmth and ease baked into these recordings that only comes from musicians locking in together in real time—no fuss, no filters.
Stylistically, the album is a total shape-shifter. Country, gospel, garage rock, disco, folk—it’s all here. Remy’s voice rides on top of it all, sounding freer than ever. After years of working with computers and layers, she traded it all in for tape and instinct. The result? Raw, honest, and wildly alive.
‘Scratch It’ drops June 20 on digital, vinyl, and CD, with a special screen-printed test pressing available exclusively through the U.S. Girls Bandcamp.
Tracklist for ‘Scratch It’:
- Like James Said
- Dear Patti
- Firefly on the 4th of July
- The Clearing
- Walking Song
- Bookends
- Emptying the Jimador
- Pay Streak
- No Fruit
PRE-ORDER/SAVE ‘SCRATCH IT’ via Royal Mountain Records, HERE.
Live Dates Incoming
To celebrate the album, U.S. Girls is hitting the road this summer with the Nashville crew. It kicks off May 14 with an ultra-intimate pop-up show at Soft Junk in Nashville—expect that one to sell out fast. Then it’s a run of U.S. dates through June, with more cities to be added later this year. The live band energy is the same as the record: raw, bold, and totally in-the-moment.
U.S. Girls 2025 Tour Dates:
June 21 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
June 22 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis
June 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
June 25 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
June 26 – Somerville, MA – The Rockwell
June 28 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
June 29 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
September 9 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
September 11 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
About U.S. Girls
Originally from Illinois and now deeply rooted in Toronto, Meg Remy has become one of the most compelling voices in experimental pop. Over the years, she’s built a reputation for fearless, genre-hopping albums that blend personal narrative with political bite. Her past releases—Half Free, In A Poem Unlimited, Heavy Light, and Bless This Mess—have earned Juno nods, Polaris Prize recognition, and a devoted following.
But Remy’s talents stretch beyond music. She’s a published author (Begin By Telling, with a follow-up in the works), a filmmaker, and now a film composer—her latest score for Dead Lover premiered at Sundance this year. As a producer, she’s worked with Bria Salmena on her 2025 Sub Pop release, Big Dog.
With ‘Scratch It’, Remy continues to blaze her own trail—feminist, fearless, and completely in tune with her creative instincts. It’s U.S. Girls in full bloom. Pre-order it, put it on repeat, and get ready to be moved.
‘Scratch It’ is out June 20 via Royal Mountain Records and 4AD. Pre-orders are live now.
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