the song starts out with three crisp hi-hat clicks, the bell of a ride, then the drums and a sweet, warm toned bass lock in for a driving, mid-tempo, beautifully melodic cut time. guitars, once in, are clean-toned and somewhat polyphonically arranged, (that is, they play alot of single-note lines that swirl around each other, harmonizing at spots, and creating counterpoint). the vocals are potentially a little hard to swallow at first, jeremy has a tendency to sing a little through the nose, but it's really quite endearing. i personally find that after a bit of exposure to it, not only does it fit the music perfectly, but i really have grown to love it, (i listen to them ALOT).
this is one of those songs that you put on when you need to feel better- a kind of resolute, "well, time to go on, and hope for the best" feel. it can also easily be listened to when in a great mood. best listened to outside, looking at the sky.
when listening to ANY sunny day real estate, you must be patient. it's patient music, and it requires a certain amount of consideration that keeps it from being good "background music."
i fucking love this stuff.

rick white is a prolific songwriter, whether with eric's trip, or his more recent project elevator. 'girlfriend' in particular characterises the sound with acoustic guitar up front, fuzz guitar in the background and floating away vocal. eric's trip came out of the so-called halifax pop explosion of the early 90s, and their name comes from the sonic youth song. but their sound is a lot more lo-fi and home recorded, guitars and sounds popping out of strange places in the mix.

Fans of Flight of the Conchords, who bill themselves as "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo", will know this track already as it is one of their most popular. Although lyrically clever and funny, I think their music writing is saved a lot by the production, to the point where the songs are very listenable and enjoyable (I wouldn't be recommending other wise, I guess). From their first widely available album (self-titled), this track is a highlight, as is 'Ladies of the World' (especially the shortvocal reprise - hard to believe it's them at times), and 'Business Time'. The second album has some great tracks also. The TV show's worth catching also.