Gully Boys

The exuberant grunge-pop of Gully Boys has made waves rippling from the group's native Minneapolis to club stages and showcases across the country. The group burst onto the scene with 2019's self-released Phony EP before spending the better part of a decade honing their style and sound, expanding from trio to quartet in the process. Their self-titled debut, released in 2026 and featuring winners like "I'm Not Yours," "Break," and "Big Boobs," proved to be a successful payoff to the work done in between. Gully Boys started as the brainchild of friends Kathy Callahan (vocals/guitar) and Nadirah McGill (drums), who got the idea to start a band while working together in a thrift store. With schoolmate Natalie Klemond on bass, the trio worked diligently on a cadre of demos (self-released as Not So Brave in 2018) and formally introduced themselves with Phony, the EP featuring "New Song No. 2." While the COVID-19 pandemic initially inhibited more momentum, the Not So Brave demo "Neopet Graveyard" earned some virality, attaining streams in the millions. With the addition of lead guitarist Mariah Mercedes, the group came out of lockdown swinging on 2021's Favorite Son EP and standout singles "See You See" (2022) and "Optimist" (2023). They also started honing their skills as a live act, making it to South by Southwest showcases and opening for acts like Motion City Soundtrack and Destroy Boys. All this activity primed the pump for 2026's Gully Boys, which expanded the pop-punk and riot grrrl sound of previous records with cleaner production and even cross-genre overtures (such as the guest rap on "Big Boobs" by indie musician ZORA). ~ Mike Duquette