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Taking their name from the self-titled Mercury release by The Clay People, The Raygun Girls began in 2001 as a studio only project. Originally leaning heavily toward the Gothic and Industrial music styles, The Raygun Girls have gone through a few line-up changes and finally found their niche in between Hard Rock, Metal and Industrial, with Gothic undertones. The new sound has been compared to Lacuna Coil, 69 Eyes and Killing Joke with Pat Benatar on vocals.
In January of 2004 “Mars Eclipsing” was released. The album was very electronic driven with a mid-tempo groove and with Geoff, singer/songwriter/guitarist and co-founder, taking on the majority of vocal duties. The hit song “Accelerate” and a high-energy cover of Berlin’s “The Metro” were spawned from the album. “It took a long time to get to the point where we were at with Mars Eclipsing,” says Geoff. “There are some great songs on that album, but my vocals aren’t up to par and the songs don’t have the guitar work that I wanted to have on it.”
Geoff’s vision for The Raygun Girls leaned more toward the guitar oriented side of music. The band as it is today began to take shape with the addition of George on bass. George came from NY punk band The Obots. He brings to The Raygun Girls a great live presence, an intense attack on the bass, as well as a keen ear for the dynamic structure of songs, which aids in The Raygun Girls songwriting process.
The Raygun Girls also needed a permanent female vocalist who could take on more of the lead vocal duties; enter vocal talent Maya. “Maya adds to The Raygun Girls a haunting, sexy, melodic contrast to my deep and sometimes gravel-throated singing,” says Geoff. Taking on the majority of the lead vocal duties has brought a dark angelic quality to all of the new music.
“At the same time that I wanted to refine our electronic elements, I also wanted to have intense guitar solos.” After having already written most of what would be become the new album, Jason came in like a breath of fresh air to take on lead guitar duties. Jason was previously in What4, Aphellion and other bands throughout the years. Jason’s Progressive Metal background adds a new layer to The Raygun Girls. Jason's lead playing adds a skilled intensity, and his rhythm work accentuates Geoff's songwriting.
In 2005, a new album was born. Clay People members John Delehanty and Dan Neet took on production duties and helped to create a true Raygun Girls album. “The Ones I Denied” is a 10 track Hard Rock album with an Industrial kick in the ass. The album was released in February of 2006.
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