Track Of The Day: ĠENN – ‘ Du Da Dance’

Having been firm favourites for a while, wowing us live with their live show on more than one occasion, Brighton-based ĠENN have just supporting Big Joanie on one of their tour dates in Leeds, and have now released their dynamic new single. 

With a spunky spin on classic beach rock’s charm, ‘Du Da Dance’ brings listeners mighty rock energy. Kicking off with adventurous plucky bass and a vocal shrill, it is hard not to immediately bop along to the contagious and vital experience that ĠENN bring to the table.

Through a distinct vocal style during its verses, ‘Du Da Dance’ reflects vintage tones that date back to the ’50s. However, where ĠENN truly showcase their own unique sound, is during their punchy sing-along choruses. Here is where ĠENN fuse garage rock with a frenzied Riot Grrrl spirit, all under one pop-rooted roof.

The stylistic harmony that the band have created here is truly something special and sonically exciting for fresh ears. ĠENN’a team of four know how to embody their empowering personality not only with their lyrics, but their fierce instrumentals. The lively pulse of ‘Du Da Dance’ is relentless and ongoing, even ringing out during the song’s broken down outro.

ĠENN are putting down significant boots in several genre realms and calling upon a wide audience with their fearless charisma in this latest empowering offering.

Watch the new video for ‘Du Da Dance’ here: 

‘Du Da Dance’ is out now. Listen on Spotify.

Jill Goyeau 
@jillybxxn

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LISTEN: Brooke Bentham – ‘Control’

Fueled by the frustration of being cut off and ignored; Brooke Bentham‘s latest single ‘Control’ is an introspective, moody exploration of how it feels to be ghosted. The track is taken from her debut album, Everyday Nothing, set for release via AllPoints on 28th of February.

Self doubt and insecurity permeate the lyrics in ‘Control’, which centers around Bentham’s own experience of being left behind. She explains further: “It’s about when someone cuts you off entirely. It’s weird when someone does that. I got blocked out with absolutely no reason why, and it makes you question yourself and you just can’t stop thinking about it. you’re just talking to a wall; it’s bouncing back and you end up with this mess in your head.”

This “mess” has translated into brooding guitar noises and hypnotizing vocals on Bentham’s latest single. The track is accompanied by a video, which shows Bentham intermittently staring out of windows and stretching out awkwardly across household furniture, reflecting both the heaviness, and the dark humour in being left hanging by a lover.

Confronted with the mundanities of life and caught between two jobs in London, Bentham has found relief in writing about the smaller, more personal elements of life on her upcoming album. “There is so much frustration in being young and unsure of what you want, especially when your path is creative,” she muses. “You can only hope that it leads you to something fulfilling, so you cling on to the everyday details – burning candles in your bedroom at three AM aged sixteen, or having a bath in the evening at twenty-three, or watching your breath when you step outside in winter. I was reflecting a lot when I wrote these songs, romanticising those moments.”

Bentham is about to embark on a sold out UK tour with Sam Fender as his main support (30th Jan – 6th Feb), which includes two home-coming shows at Newcastle Academy, and a date at Brixton Academy. Bentham’s clear vocals and instinctive lyrics are sure to charm Fender’s crowds. Listen to ‘Control’ below, and follow Brooke Bentham on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Pre-order Brooke Bentham’s debut album Everyday Nothing here.

Photo Credit: Lauren Maccabee

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Suzie Stapleton re-releases ‘Thylacine’ to raise money for Australian Wildlife

Previous headliner of ours at The Finsbury, Suzie Stapleton, has announced a special digital release to raise funds to help injured and displaced wildlife affected by the Australian fires. This digital release of Stapleton’s latest single ‘Thylacine’ comes with an exclusive, previously unreleased track called ‘Song of Murray’s Brigade’.

A musical adaptation of a 1940 poem by Australian bush poet Banjo Paterson, ‘Song Of Murray’s Brigade’ is a heartfelt acoustic offering. Whereas ‘Thylacine’ features Rolling drums and adventurous riffs painting a sonic landscape complete with Stapleton’s captivating gritty vocals and a majestic, haunting depth.

The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian Tiger, was a dog like mammal that inhabited Australia. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction. The last known thylacine died in captivity in 1936. Many of the species that have been affected by these fires were already threatened or endangered due to factors such as habitat loss from land clearing for agriculture and urban development, invasive species, and pressures from extreme heat caused by climate change and ongoing drought. These fires pose a huge threat for their ongoing survival, but we still have a chance to help and ensure that they don’t end up in the history books next to the thylacine.

This digital release is available for £5, though you can pay what you want and there is no upper limit. 100% of proceeds will go to Wildlife Victoria. Please give generously to help Australia’s unique wildlife.

Available via http://www.suziestapleton.com and Bandcamp until January 31st.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Pitcher Photography

 

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LISTEN: Katie Gately – ‘Waltz’

Inspired by one of her Mother’s favourite artists, Leonard Cohen; Katie Gately‘s new track ‘Waltz’ is a haunting, powerful call to arms encouraging listeners to dance, even in the midst of overwhelming grief.

The track is lifted from Gately’s upcoming album Loom, which is set for release via Houndstooth on 14th February. The record is dedicated to Gately’s Mother, who passed away in 2018 due to a sudden onset of a particularly aggressive form of cancer. The electronic musician & producer has channelled her grief into these new songs, and ‘Waltz’ is one example of how transformative this can be.

After listening to Leonard Cohen’s track ‘Take This Waltz’ on repeat for an entire day, Gately was inspired to write ‘Waltz’. The accompanying video directed by Samantha Shay was shot at an abandoned Catholic convent, and features modern dancer Bobbi Jene Smith opposite Gately, who appears in her own video for the very first time.

“When you see me, I am already gone” muses Gately at the beginning of the track, as Jene Smith performs her primal, urgent, crooked choreography around the stark walls of the convent. Speaking about the track, and the accompanying visuals, Gately explains further: “When I listen, I see images that correlate to a zebra on a bad LSD trip. But I feel that its absurdity honours the chaos of losing someone you love more than time, space or measure. And so perhaps my message is: it’s okay to feel like a drunk zebra when your heart is breaking. Or, to quote the far greater poet Leonard Cohen: “When things get really bad, just raise your glass and stamp your feet and do a little jig. That’s about all you can do.””

Gately’s admirable outlook and bravery in writing and recording the video for ‘Waltz’ didn’t go unnoticed by Director Samantha Shay. “When I work with a musician, there is a wide spectrum to feelings about being filmed or photographed, and Katie expressed that she didn’t feel comfortable on camera,” she explains. “The day of the shoot, I asked Katie if she wanted to be challenged as a performer or not, and she practically demanded it of me. What resulted was absolutely magnetic. She wilfully and bravely let her walls collapse in front of us, and this video, to me, is a powerful portrait of her.”

And what a beguiling, intense portrait it is. Watch the video for ‘Waltz’ below and follow Katie Gately on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Katie Gately UK Live Dates 2020
April 1st – London’s Cafe Oto

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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