girlfriends, the Southern California pop-punk duo made up of Travis Mills and Nick Gross, formed in 2020 and quickly gained attention. Releasing two albums before their latest, THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, the duo have toured extensively, including supporting acts like Avril Lavigne and playing major festivals like Warped Tour.
Melodic Magazine sat down with girlfriends at Warped Tour Orlando to chat about their third album, THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, which dropped this past October. From discussing the inspiration behind their band name to revealing which tracks on the album are hidden fan favorites, the conversation gave a glimpse into their creative process, touring adventures, and plans for 2026.
The band named girlfriends came a little bit early. Have you guys had any issues with brand identity or people being like, you’re two dudes, what is this?
Nick: I think that was kind of the purpose and the goal of the band name was imagining ourselves on stage to what Travis always says, saying, “Hey, what’s up Nashville? We’re girlfriends” and having it be two guys on stage. Travis was the man behind the name. He brought a list of five names to a rehearsal, and the first one was girlfriend and I said, “don’t list the rest of them, because that’s the best band name in the world and we’re gonna figure out how to make it work.”
You guys dropped your album back in October, THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Where did the name come from?
Travis: We actually had the name before we wrote any of the music, and I think it’s just a testament to everything that Nick and I grew up exposed to and the things that we loved and just the feelings of childhood and self-discovery and the first time you fall in love and the first time you have your heart broken and the first time you realize that life isn’t perfect.
There’s very sobering realizations that you come to when you’re growing up. I think we wanted to write a record from that perspective. It’s not things that happened to us last week or last month. We really got to curate this world that meant a lot to us as kids. We felt like the title was perfect. It really gave us a direction for the whole record.
Now is it a place in your mind, like can you visualize that neighborhood or is it kind of whatever you interpret it as?
Travis: It’s for sure where I grew up. I could see the neighborhood I grew up in, the cul-de-sac, the houses I would ride my bike by, the friends I had. Nick and I shared really similar experiences in that regard.
Are there any tracks on the album that you feel are hidden gems that people kind of sleep on?
Nick: I don’t know if anyone’s sleeping on them, but it’s always fun to put out new music and new records and see what fans respond to that we might not have thought about when we made the record. You get so used to hearing our songs over and over again when you make stuff. It’s like you’ve heard them so many times, you really don’t know what’s good anymore until you put it out.
There’s a song called “MOUTH LIKE A LOADED GUN” that’s been one of those songs that fans have really responded to. Now we’re playing at Warped Tour and getting to play these shows, which we wouldn’t have thought about if we wouldn’t have gotten that fan reaction and response. Another song is “MIDNIGHT AT THE CHATEAU.” Those would be the two songs.
Travis: I think when you make an album, it’s so insular. It’s just us in the studio listening to it, you kinda have a warped perspective. Then when you put the work out into the world, you see other people’s opinions and perspectives and what they gravitate towards. It’s like, “oh, I never would’ve guessed that that song would mean a lot to someone.” Putting the music out is always the most important part, even more important than making it.
More important than touring or do you think touring kind of gets you in front of new people?
Travis: I think you can’t tour unless you put it out though. It’s like the chicken or the egg. You gotta put out new music to tour. That’s what’s been really fulfilling for us. Getting to have new songs to go and play and experiment with at the live shows revamps everything.
Speaking of touring, you guys have been nonstop. You went from Avril Lavigne to Marianas Trench to an mgk show. Now you’re here [at Warped Tour Orlando], then you go overseas. Is there something that stuck out this year or last year?
Travis: For me, it’s Warped Tour. It’s the 30th anniversary of a festival that changed so many people’s lives, so many artists’ lives. What Kevin Lyman has built for bands is really special. The fact that we get to be a band that gets to play all three of those dates this year when they bring it back after it hasn’t been around means a lot to both of us.
I know you, [Travis], are no stranger to Warped. How do you see it from an artist side?
Travis: Yeah, even just the sheer size of it now, like the tickets that they’re selling, it’s bigger than ever. It’s really cool to have seen it. 2009 was the first year I did it, 2012, 2019. We’ve each had our own experiences with Warped. To be able to come back for the anniversary and relaunch for the first time as a band has been full circle.
If you could tell 2020 girlfriends anything, what would you tell them about the exciting things you were doing?
Nick: I would tell us to keep going, stay inspired, keep putting things out, stay authentic and consistent. We get into trouble when we’re not touring and when we’re not writing music. It’s about keeping the engine going at all times and knowing that the whole thing’s a process. What we’ve done in five years is incredible, but what we could do in 15 or 20 years is gonna be really exciting.
What’s another five look like? Who do we wanna tour with? Collab with?
Nick: Lots of artists. I’ve never been to Japan. We’d love to go to Japan, Asia, Australia. More touring, different continents. We’d love to tour with artists we grew up loving: blink, Yellowcard, The Used, Pierce the Veil, Avril Lavigne. It’s different to be around those acts and on the same stage as them.
Travis: A bucket list venue for us is Red Rocks. We need to cross that off the list.
Nick: Came close, but someone got COVID a week before and couldn’t play.
What’s next? What’s the plan for 2026?
Travis: We’ll really enjoy having this music out, see what people gravitate towards, and hopefully Kevin Lyman will let us play more Warped dates.
Nick: My goal is at least 75–80 shows in 2026 at a minimum. That’d be a good goal.
girlfriends will be spending the remainder of their 2025 year touring the United Kingdom and Ireland before calling it a year. Tickets are available on the bands website.
Remaining tour dates:
Dec. 10, 2025 // Glasgow, United Kingdom // The Cathouse Rock Club
Dec. 12, 2025 // Dublin, Ireland // The Grand Social
Dec. 14, 2025 // Manchester, United Kingdom // Gorilla
Dec. 16, 2025 // London, United Kingdom // Downstairs at The Dome
Dec. 17, 2025 // London, United Kingdom // Downstairs At The Dome
Dec. 19, 2025 // Bristol, United Kingdom // Exchange
Keep up with girlfriends: Instagram // X // Website // Facebook // Spotify
