LISTEN: Gurr – ‘Fake News’

Gurr‘s latest track ‘Fake News’ is a poignant observation on the world’s indifference to the opinions of others. The single is taken from the band’s upcoming EP She Says, which is set for release on 5th April. It will also be accompanied by a video shot by visual artist Shelby Sells.

The German duo – formed of Laura Lee & Andreya Casablanca – were inspired to write the song by the current political climate, as well as a recent trip to London. The pair explain further: “‘Fake News’ was a direct response to what was going on (and still is) politically at the time, and the growing gap I feel between people leaning both left and right. I think with press and algorithms, we are only fed the kind of news we already believe in and agree with, which is super dangerous”.

“The song then connects that to an experience I had when we visited the the BBC for an interview with Huw Stephens. We went inside and there was this gigantic newsroom with so many screens but no windows at all. I found that a bit disturbing: Like here’s the people making the news and they can’t look outside.”

Gurr are currently in the middle of performing at SXSW, followed by tours in Germany and USA next month. We’re looking forward to hearing their new EP, and hope the rest of the tracks are just as cutting and well-crafted as ‘Fake News’. Listen to the track below and follow Gurr on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Miriam Marlene Waldner

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Jackie Mendoza – ‘Seahorse’

An ethereal ode to the symbiotic nature of the creatures her new track is named after, Jackie Mendoza has shared her latest single ‘Seahorse’ taken from her debut EP LuvHz (Love Hurts). Set for release on April 26 via Luminelle Recordings, Mendoza has said this track “encapsulates the EP sonically and thematically”, and it’s atmospheric beats and dreamy vocals make for an intriguing listen.

Born and raised in the border city of Chula Vista, California, Jackie Mendoza blends the cultural influences of her hometown and her motherland of Tijuana, Mexico, creating eccentric pop, Latin-driven dance beats and vibrant soundscapes. It wasn’t until she took a course for Ableton in college that she became interested in producing her own beats. These skills have taken her to SXSW this year and have assisted her in the creation of her debut EP.

Mendoza’s LuvHz is an exploration of love and relationships. She’s used her personal experiences to unravel the feelings of online unrequited love, the indecisiveness of a new romance, and the toll that being away for long periods of time has taken on her relationship with her home. The EP was recorded with Rusty Santos (Panda Bear’s Buoys), a collaborator that Mendoza quickly realized she had many parallels with. Both have lived in Los Angeles, New York, and Mexico and have an appreciation for Latin producers and Reggaeton artists.

Listen to ‘Seahorse’ below an follow Jackie Mendoza on Facebook for more updates.

Pre-order Jackie Mendoza’s EP LuvHz here.

Photo credit: Tayo Okeyan

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LIVE: Madison McFerrin @ Jazz Cafe, 08.03.19

With just a loop pedal and a small tablet, hidden behind the flowers looped around her mic stand, Madison McFerrin has got more stage presence than most four-piece bands. She’s got a gift for putting an audience totally at ease, switching up the pace between songs with chatty anecdotes about her school days and occasional self-deprecating humour.

Typically at the start of a gig, there’s a shift in the atmosphere of a room as the artist begins their set and the audience decides whether or not they’re on their side: this audience are instantly on Madison’s. Her songs develop seemingly from scratch, using the loop pedal to build increasingly complex vocal harmonies that, despite their soulful pop melodies, have a jazzy undercurrent of progression and improvisation.

She’s supported by new London artist Rahaven and R&B duo S4U, in an all-female line-up curated by gal-dem for International Women’s Day. Jazz Café usually does a great job of booking a diverse range of acts (as I recently grumbled about on Twitter, they were at the time of writing the only London venue to have booked a non-male act for Piano Day), and this collaboration with gal-dem is a master stroke. Hats off to them, and here’s hoping for more Jazz Café takeovers in the year ahead.

Apropos of not much, I’ll also mention here that it’s apparently one of the few venues in London where it’s still possible to vape indoors (a fact I’ve learned from my boss, Sam, an enthusiastic vaper): the DJ backing one of the support acts, keen to keep things casual, had a quick vape on stage in the middle of a song.

In my old age, I’m increasingly grumpy about weeknight gigs where the headliner doesn’t come on stage til after 9.30: it’s not very punk-rock of me I know, but I love an early bedtime. Madison McFerrin’s jazzy a cappella and witty banter are worth getting the last train home for, and that’s saying something.

Frances Salter
@goodcanarymusic

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WATCH: Shana Cleveland – ‘Don’t Let Me Sleep’

For me, Shana Cleveland’s new single is something from another time in an alternate universe. ‘Don’t Let Me Sleep’, from her upcoming album, has shimmering guitar licks reminiscent of a desert wanderer. Layer that over Cleveland’s effervescent vocals and it’s a sterling performance of futurist folklore; a psychedelic vision explored in the music video that accompanies the track’s release.

With the vast palm-scattered soundscapes of her other project La Luz to influence her sound, Cleveland’s ‘Don’t Let Me Sleep’ is a sonic homage to the great guitar-wielding crooners of days gone by, with distinct shades of the likes of ‘Moon River’ and ‘Wichita Lineman’.

With this exquisite track as our first taste, it seems that Shana Cleveland’s first foray into a full-length LP is less of a dipping of toes into new waters, and more of a full body submersion into a warm oasis pool, the waves rippling into an infinite sea of ethereal sound and peaceful refrains. Night of the Worm Moon is already looking to be a serene reverie, and with influences rooted in the Afro-futurism of Sun Ra and cosmic consciousness, it may be the perfect score for a midnight journey through starlit desert.

Night Of The Worm Moon, the upcoming album from Shana Cleveland, is out 5th April via Hardly Art.

Luke Janke
@jankeleg

Photo Credit: Eleanor Petry

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