On 'Blonde', Tigirlily Gold's small town roots are showing

Singer-songwriter country music sibling duo Tigirlily Gold (Kendra and Krista Slabaugh) are from a town of 2,000 people equidistant between Fargo, North Dakota and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where recreational vehicle parks outnumber high schools two to one. Thus, "Blonde," their latest EP, featuring a quaint rock-country track entitled "Hometown Song," feels appropriate.

Their time as a duo has more frequently been spent far from there -- and directly below where they sat while speaking to The Tennessean on a recent raucous early Tuesday morning on Lower Broadway: the main floor of Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row Saloon. The legal capacity for that floor alone is 560 people, or roughly one-quarter the population of their Hazen, North Dakota hometown.

Listen to their EP and another song jumps out. "Shoot Tequila," a song about dancing atop a bar after doing a quadruple-shot of Mexican liquor to get over an ex-partner, is reminiscent of some of the covers they've played in recent years, such as Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places" Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel," Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" and Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman."

Crowds thirsty for libations and the energy those songs bring to jam-packed venues are responding in ever-growing numbers to Tigirlily Gold's latest work.

"All of the EP's songs were tested out live for a year," says Kendra Slabaugh.

"We loved these songs in the studio," continues Krista Slabaugh. "But once we saw the types of reactions live crowds were having for material by two women who they sometimes didn't know beforehand, in our gut we knew were comfortable performing these songs for a lifetime."

"At a minimum, we know these songs have one percent of the magic of Shania Twain's catalog," jokes Kendra.

Throw in their vocal and musical inspirations of Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and nearly two-dozen-time country chart-topper Brad Paisley and they've discovered a potent creative direction.

"Our EP shows off many types of songs we make -- but we know we specialize in carefree, fun, honky-tonk anthems that make people feel good," says Kendra.

Regarding other types of songs, their EP's title track could easily be a throwaway homage to their platinum-colored hair, which, on the surface, could suggest something of a disposable flash-in-the-pan.

"Blonde" is not that type of track.

Pop arrangements that soften the edges of heavier material have been a staple of country music since Dolly Parton -- another brightly-blonde artist -- first achieved renown five decades ago.

Thus, lyrics that allude to Parton and Marilyn Monroe go beyond stereotypical standards of beauty but rather "highlightin' up" when "feeling low."

"'Blonde' is an anthem that creates a state of mind," Krista states.

Country's globalizing appeal blends well with all things Tigirlily Gold. The genre is growing ever-more popular, from New York's Times Square billboards to Los Angeles' legendary Troubadour club. Still, what Kendra Slabaugh describes as "hard-working, blue-collar and family-first people" in less populated Midwestern and Northwestern regions are equally as crucial to sustaining the genre's growth.

"As much as [hard-working people are] stressed out in their lives, they deserve songs meant for pulling up to a bar on a Friday night and having a drink," says Kendra Slabaugh.

A full album release slated for early in 2024 has a very practical goal for the sisters Slabaugh, who have lived mainly together most of their lives.

Krista currently lives in the same home as Kendra, who has been married for three years.

"These next few records are the 'move Krista out of my house fund', so we'd love for something to be a hit," says Kendra Slabaugh.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: On 'Blonde', Tigirlily Gold's small town roots are showing