Francesco Amoroso per TRISTE©

Over the course of nearly forty years, Would-Be-Goods have occupied a space all their own in the history of British independent pop: lateral, coherent, and resistant to easy categorisation within any specific scene. Born in the late 1980s as a Jessica Griffin project, they emerged in the orbit of Mike Alway’s El Records with The Camera Loves Me (1988), an album that showcased an extraordinary songwriting voice, capable of portraying eccentric characters and oblique situations with a seemingly impassive tone and melodies of surprising elegance. Flanked by The Monochrome Set, Griffin immediately defined a distinctive aesthetic, destined to stand the test of time. Soon afterwards, however, she withdrew from the public scene to return to her work in the City, resurfacing only a few years later with Mondo (1993), which confirmed and expanded that universe, before Would-Be-Goods evolved, from 2000 onwards, into a fully-fledged band. With the addition of Peter Momtchilloff, Deborah Green, and Lupe Nuñez-Fernandez (later replaced by Andy Warren) the project assumed a new shape, giving rise to a series of EPs and the albums Brief Lives and The Morning After, culminating in 2008’s Eventyr. After a long silence and the unexpected release of The Night Life (2023), conceived in the midst of Covid and built around songs written and recorded in a single day, with Tears Before Bedtime, the band reaffirm their poetics of restraint, imagination, and attention to detail, far removed from the pressures of passing trends. A discreet yet tenacious journey, spanning decades without ever losing its identity. With Jessica Griffin, affable and elegant as ever, we went for a deeper journey -track by track- into the heart of Would-Be-Goods amazing new album.

Inside Tears Before Bedtime, track-by-track (by Jessica Griffin)

The Gallopers
Inspired by the drama and lush melodies of Roy Orbison’s songs and the sinister stories of Ray Bradbury. Innocence is on the cusp of experience. Is the girl who ‘stayed too long at the fair’ the mother or the daughter? I can’t decide. Dedicated to my own mother, who is an obsessive painter of fairgrounds. (You can see one of her paintings at the beginning of our Gallopers video.)

Doctor Love
I’m not the first songwriter to portray love as a doctor – and one you’d want to steer clear of. The moody bar-room piano was played by our multi-talented recording engineer Jon Clayton. 

Tears For Leda
Inspired by a lady called Margaret who wrote to me after mishearing the lyrics of my 1988 song Velázquez and I. Thank you, Margaret. A garage-band take on a Greek myth.

The Back of Your Bike
I used to see Mr. Munday’s sign whenever I took a bus along west London’s Harrow Road. I also had in mind the 1964 film The Leather Boys (starring Rita Tushingham and Dudley Sutton) with its scenes of bikers hanging out at the legendary Ace café. It’s dedicated to the memory of my father who used to ride his 1960s Triumphs at top speed around the lanes of Surrey. I once rode pillion with him – once was enough. 

The Tears of Cora Pearl
This was the name of a 19th-century cocktail created in memory of a famous English courtesan. The song tells the tale of her rise and fall in belle époque Paris. 

The Rose Tattoo 
A story of obsessive love, set in 1950s Mississippi. Loosely based on the Tennessee Williams play.

 Don’t Come Crying To Me
I wrote this as part of my ‘song a day’ project. It has a ‘60s Bollywood feel to it, helped by Peter’s blazing guitar and Allison Thomson’s blaring trumpet. It’s not autobiographical, in case anyone’s wondering.

Witch Hazel 
I used this natural beauty product as a teenager in the 1970s. A few years ago I came across it again and the scent took me back. I wished I could travel back in time and tell my fifteen-year-old self that things would get better. I was a huge David Bowie fan, hence the hint of glam rock.

Old Flame 
Another song about being older and wiser. 

Carmilla
The title comes from a short story by Sheridan Le Fanu about a beautiful but sinister girl who befriends the narrator. She’s the ultimate frenemy. North London garage legend Parsley plays mod organ.

The Bride Wore Black 
A bit of sinister fun, partly inspired by the Truffaut film.

Madame X
Inspired by John Singer Sargent’s notorious portrait but the scenario is entirely my own invention. 

Away with the Fairies 
This one is about the Victorian artist Richard Dadd who painted scenes of the supernatural while imprisoned in Broadmoor. I’ve used some of his own words in the lyrics. My brother Oliver plays flute and Jon Clayton the cello.

The Moon Doesn’t Mind 
I’ve always had a soft spot for the gentle, whimsical dance-band tunes of the 1930s. The muted trumpet makes me think of children in flannel dressing gowns, sitting in front of the Bakelite wireless, sipping Ovaltine. A nice note to end on. 

Tears Before Bedtime is out now via Skep Wax Records. Look HERE for more information on Would-Be-Goods.