Track Of The Day: Basic Bitches – ‘You Know I’m Right’

If you’re constantly battling Zoom-induced fatigue, or if your opinions are still being ignored in online work meetings, Basic Bitches are here to set the record straight. Their latest single ‘You Know I’m Right’ is a rallying cry against unfair work-place politics, and a middle finger to the mediocre men who are one step ahead of you on the career ladder – even when you’re all working from home!

The Brooklyn-based duo combine thrashing beats, riotous riffs and a chant-worthy chorus to communicate their frustrations. The track is taken from their 2019 EP, Relatable Content (released via Hell Hath No Fury Records), and is accompanied by a familiar looking set of visuals. Directed by Erin Waters and edited by Erin & Johnathan DeMuth, the video shows how a conference call “dissolve into chaos as a condescending middle manager faces a revolt from his bored and disgruntled workforce”.

Check out the video for ‘You Know I’m Right’ below and follow Basic Bitches on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Photo Credit: Nikki Krivanek

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

FIVE FAVOURITES: Bryony Williams

Wolverhampton based artist Bryony Williams has been busy building self-confidence and exploring new territories on her upcoming EP, State I’m In. Set for release via Beth Shalom Records on 18th September, the songwriter has crafted a collection of her boldest sounds to date, and latest single ‘I Can Be’ is a shining example of this.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Bryony to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five songs that have inspired her new EP. Check out her choices below, and scroll down to listen to her single ‘I Can Be’ at the end of this post.

 

1. Julia Jacklin – ‘Pressure to Party’
After seeing Julia perform live at the Castle & Falcon in Birmingham last year or so, she absolutely floored me. I was only aware of this single of hers, yet I was so transfixed with her presence. Julia was herself, she didn’t feel the need to excite the crowd through body movement or any stage tactics. Her songs were simply enough. That was a pivotal point for me when reflecting on how I approach my own music. ‘Pressure to Party’ will always be a reminder of that, and when you trace back the lyrics through the dry production, she’s telling you a story that we all know too well. But we don’t mind being told again, because she tells it so forgivingly.

2. Jen Cloher – ‘Forgot Myself’
To choose one song from Jen’s self-titled album is hard, but this particular track just goes that extra little bit further for me. It’s self-deprecating and whiney, yet so poetic and raw. It’s a direct reflection of how she was feeling towards herself at the time and she’s brutally honest about that, yet the guitars almost give Jen an opportunity to show her inner-strength and that this negative spout she’s going through is only temporary. It shows guts and I like that. I actually interviewed Jen a couple years ago for the Grrrl Groannn publication when she was touring this album, and let me tell you, it has been my favourite interview since. We spoke all things music for a good hour while drinking Guinness (okay, it was only me drinking Guinness). But the things she said were just so honest and true, to take a quote from our interview, “When you’re younger you do worry about what people think. It’s just human. But as you evolve as a person you care less and less and with this album, I’m not worried about what people will think.” And so with this record of mine coming out, that’s exactly the energy that I have adopted.

3. Chastity Belt – ‘Different Now’
This SONG. It humbles me. My personal memory of this song was when I was being driven to the New Orleans airport in a beach buggy?? After just being broken up with half way across the world, and this song came on as we were all wistfully and awkwardly watching the Louisianan landscape pass us by in our final moments together. That was a hard time. But this song to me represents change, and yeah that can suck, but you have to make light of whatever you’ve got and grow from that. Just like Chastity Belt say: “You’re hard on yourself / Well you can’t always be right / All those little things that keep you up at night / You should take some time to figure out your life”.

4. Clairo – ‘Bags’
Taking it down a little for a moment now… The storytelling here just blows me away. On a surface level it can seem quite easy, yet with every line there is meaning behind it whether that’s hidden or not. You can tell it comes from a place of deep emotion and that really grabs you. I always find it interesting when an artist can write something so open and heart on their sleeve and have it listened to anyone and everyone, yet it could be a situation from their personal life that showcases them being the opposite of that. So these juxtapositions really compel me and I’ve not been afraid to lyrically story tell my inner-demons through song in the past, but if you unpick this track, it’s just genius. Plus my mum really digs this track too so, thanks Clairo!

5. Anna Burch – ‘Tea-Soaked Letter’
Okay, so Anna Burch is my current no.1 inspiration. All these tracks have all contributed to the making of my upcoming EP, from drum rhythms to the lyrical storytelling, but this track takes the cake! I am just so jealous that I didn’t think to write this song! The lyrics really make me think about how I want to move forward with my self-portrayal and I’m kind of sick of writing sad songs. I’m just not that person anymore. So Anna has really drawn out a different lyrical direction for me in order to express myself in perhaps more of a nonchalant way.

Thanks to Bryony for sharing her favourites with us. Follow her on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

State I’m In by Bryony Williams

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: National Treasure – ‘Come And Go’

Releasing your debut single in the middle of a national lockdown is a pretty brave move – but if there’s one advantage, it does mean that National Treasure had the unparalleled opportunity to film the song’s video in deserted carparks, with lead-singer Mille standing out of the sunroof of a moving car. And it’s fitting, in a way, to have crafted a DIY pop-style video to fit this DIY pop gem, which conjures a mature, well-built and catchy sound that the band are referring to as “Classic cougar pop, with added mellotron”. To these ears, however, what the Bristol four piece have come up with is a hefty slice of indie/sophisti-pop, that belies its debut nature and its DIY origins.

The song, largely centred around Millie’s lyrics and vocals, commences with a C86-style shimmer of a synth riff, which swells throughout most of the running time, dovetailing with the backing vocal harmonies and the pacey rhythm of its drums. Lyrically, the song is written from a male perspective – its title and chorus being something of a double entendre – and subverts its otherwise upbeat sound by depicting a negative experience of love, that its frustrated artist narrator is largely at fault for creating. It’s another smart move, that keeps bringing the listener back whilst also marking out its author’s approach as one to watch. After a middle eight breakdown, around the halfway mark, the song builds back up – featuring a particularly effusive curse – before slamming into an absolutely searing guitar outro, giving it a delightfully AOR conclusion.

With lockdown starting to be lifted, it looks like National Treasure may have to look for other opportunities to make videos in future. But what won’t change will be the group’s ear for a hook, and their pop sensibilities. And, with their “class on a shoestring” ethos, the forthcoming EP The Good Light looks set to be a winner, come Autumn.  Volvo, or no Volvo, NT look to be set to stay.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

WATCH: GYMNAST – ‘Ghost’

With glitchy experimental-pop synths roaming across a rushing soundscape, Gymnast’s ‘Ghost’ exudes the feeling of exploration, travel and transition.

From the song’s start, long reverb swells set Gymnast’s footprint in a world that is in motion at the speed of light. A sense of urgency is pressing, and the stakes are high risk and eerie. A scurrying string solo continues the feed into the hunt of what ‘Ghost’ is leading us to. Or is it where?

Sounds of pattering keys and echoing vocals beg us to run at the pace of the track and trust its sense of quick direction and pit stops along the way. Skimming through perspectives from “the ghost in the garden” to the “the bride in the branches”, Gymnast’s ability to characterise their captivatingly whimsical lyrics is stellar. Even while only resting for a moment in each one of these characters’ shoes, ‘Ghost’ both instrumentally and emotionally paints vivid personal images of the track’s overall themes. At times, we are all “the kid at the picnic, the pixels in your rockpool”, merely taking part in the background in our transitional surroundings.

With a compelling chorus that sounds as wide as a choir, Gymnast lends a hand to us all in our current universal experience of change – we are in this whirlwind together.

‘Ghost’ is accompanied by an intricately made video; an innovative Google Maps animation, fitting the song’s exploration of themes of belonging vs. hosting, outside/inside boundaries… plus allowing some vicarious world-exploration for locked-down viewers!

 

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment