Although he found early success as a rapper, Travis Mills always liked the idea of being in a band. He grew up admiring blink-182, MxPx, and The Used. Early groups didn't work out for various reasons, and he found solo success with tracks like "Diemonds" and "Young & Stupid." In drummer Nick Gross, Mills found a musical partner with the drive to make their band a success. Together as girlfriends, the duo has embraced the music that shaped their youth. They enlisted producer John Feldmann, the Dr. Dre of pop punk, to complete their sound. Over two albums and an EP, they've created anthems that sound like artifacts of the early 2000s, rather than recreations of TRL rock. Their recent single "shut & kiss me" sounds like it could have been on the Road Trip soundtrack. It's the first new music for the band since the EP Over My Dead Body last May. This summer, girlfriends will join Avril Lavigne on her North American tour. Mills and Gross talk to Jordan Edwards about their experience with girlfriends, touring with Lavigne, and making music at The Noise Nest.