Girls Against Boys' dual-bass attack and Scott McCloud's wheezy sing-speak vocals (reminiscent of the Fall's Mark E. Smith) produce an energetic, if sometimes noisy, sound that would probably annoy listeners if it weren't for the Baltimore band's great Fugazi-influenced songs. The band's 1989 debut album Tropic of Scorpio appeared on Adult Swim label, followed by a leap up to the major indie Touch and Go for Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby. The albums that followed -- 1995's Cruise Yourself and 1996's House of GVSB -- charted the growing fortunes of the band, but their jump to major label Geffen, 1998's Freak*on*ica, was the worst record of their career. After a lengthy hiatus, Girls Against Boys returned to the underground with a contract for Jade Tree and a 2002 full-length, You Can't Fight What You Can't See. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
The group began as a side project of Eli Janney and Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. Canty soon left the project and by 1991 Janney had gone on to recruit three former members of D.C. hardcore punk group Soulside—Scott McCloud, Johnny Temple, and Alexis Fleisig—to complete the line-up. Girls Against Boys are perhaps most notable for employing dual bass guitars, a rarity in rock music, and for their second album, Venus Luxure No.1 Baby, a heavy yet nuanced entry into early 1990s post-hardcore. This album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series, and at the 25th anniversary concert for Touch and Go Records held in Chicago in September 2006.
Scott McCloud currently plays in Paramount Styles. After Girls Against Boys became inactive in 2003, Eli Janney became a full time producer for many bands.
Sample of Girls Against Boys' cover of Joy Division's 1979 song "She's Lost Control", released on the Joy Division tribute album A Means To An End (1995)