Track By Track: Ziv – ‘Near Mint’

22 year old singer, rapper and beatmaker from Jerusalem. Ziv has been making music since the age of 13. Writing, recording and producing all her music herself, she’s had a strong sense of dedication to her own music from early on, quitting high school at the age of 16 to pursue her dream of studying music, which she did at the esteemed RIMON School for Jazz and Modern Music.

Now, having just released her new EP Near Mint, Ziv has showcased her shimmering, dreamy sounds and seductive vocals by creating an exquisitely crafted blend of mega chilled, lo-fi hip hop.

To tell us more about the EP, Ziv has given us the lowdown on each track:

‘Fav Shirt’
This song is a harmonic depiction of my bed as a deserted island, shared with a lover, a joint, and Netflix binge watching, while wearing my fav shirt – his huge T-shirt. A memory of me and my ex-boyfriend.

‘Lips To Kiss You’ 
This is a song about experiencing and sharing an intimate moment, compared to other habits of nature.

‘9/11’
My heart got broken so bad, it felt like a 9/11 attack on my body. The pain in my heart was so physical, and the struggle was real and harsh, but singing about it made it easier to cope through.

‘Bigger me’
‘Bigger me’ is an experimental pop song, the only song from ‘Near Mint’ to use auto-tune, which gives it a strange sound and a strong feeling of tension. The lyrics are about the relationship between a therapist and her client, finding himself in a familiar dark place in life, in a loss of control and the fight to get out to a better place.

‘Feels like’
I wrote this song on Yom Kippur, the holiest day according to Jewish tradition, a day of self-examination, observed mainly with a fast. I personally self-examined by smoking weed in my room and thinking about my ex-boyfriend – the first time I felt love, and everything I learned from it. I was flipping through samples and this one hit my heart – I knew it was meant to be.

Huge thanks to Ziv for this track by track lowdown. Listen to Near Mint in full on Spotify now. 

Photo Credit: Silvi Cohen

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Track Of The Day: ARXX – ‘You Got What You Want’

“Unapologetically loud” Brighton duo Hannah Pidduck and Clara Townsend are GIHE faves ARXX. With ‘You Got What You Want’, they deliver an empowering, raging anthem that fuses pure, primal rock ‘n’ roll with a bouncy, pop sensibility.

‘You Got What You Want’ starts with sparse, grungey guitars and quickly builds to a big chorus that’ll get your toes tappin’ and your fists pumping. It feels like a battle cry; a ‘fuck you’ to hopelessness.

It’s a great showcase for Pidduck’s fabulous voice, which effortlessly veers from a rich, throaty growl to full on power-pop. If she were singing for her supper, she’d definitely be bringing home a chippy tea!

While there might only be two of ARXX, ‘You Got What You Want’ proves that they can make a big noise and a massive impact.

‘You Got What You Want’ is out now. Catch ARXX live across the UK throughout September and October, all details here.

Vic Conway

Photo Credit: Jessie Morgan

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Introducing Interview: Glossii

Having performed at Camden Rocks Festival and supported the likes of HMLTD, proud members of the LGBTQ+ scene Glossii have now shared their raucous new single.

Filled with scuzzy riffs and the raw grit of Sofia Zanghirella’s vocals, ‘Watching Me’ is an instantly infectious blast of post-punk bliss, complete with plenty of snarling attitude. 

We caught up with the band to find out more…

Hi Glossii, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band? How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
We all used to play in different bands on a Saturday music club. Our bassist Charlie Face-timed Lewis asking to be in a band where they would go on stage in drag. It developed into the androgynous style we have today.

Your new single ‘Watching Me’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?
‘Watching Me’ is about growing up and going against your parents’ rules.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Wolf Alice and Garbage, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
We each all have different influences, and that is what creates our sound. Between all of us our main influences are Wolf Alice, Slaves, Idles, Marmozets and Haze to name a few.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
The London and southern music scene is strong because of the rise in popularity of Post-Punk which has made a new cult following of young and old punks as one. We try to go to a gig once a week as a band to network and make friends and connections.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
If you come to experience our live shows you should expect non-stop high energy, loud chanting and a cram-packed sweaty audience. Don’t shy down at our shows, we wanna see you move!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
The list could go on! But some of our favourites are: Gurr, Haze, HMLTD, Wooze, Squid and Viagra Boys.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
The music industry is hard for new bands to understand and it does take a huge amount of determination and perseverance to get noticed. Your music is not always going to be liked by everyone, even if it’s well produced or written, but your can’t take that to heart. Just move on and do what you like the sound of.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for Glossii?
We have lots of gigs to look forward, supporting great bands in amazing venues, so keep up to date through our Instagram or Facebook – @glossiiofficial or through our website – www.glossii.com  We’re going back into the studio soon to record our new juicy songs, so stay tuned and keep listening to Watching Me!

Huge thanks to Glossii for answering our questions!

‘Watching Me’ is out now.

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Introducing Interview: Galileo’s Fan

Set to release their new album next month, Scottish duo Galileo’s Fan have previously received acclaim from the likes of Folk Radio UK and BBC Radio Scotland, and played at festivals such as Edinburgh Fringe and Yes Festival. Delivering cinematic alt-folk soundscapes with twinkling electronics and soaring emotion, they look to set to charm ears a plenty with their upcoming release.

We caught up with Galileo’s Fan to find out more…

Hi Galileo’s Fan, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band?
Hi! Thanks for having us. We are brother and sister, Martin and Fi Vass, from the Scottish highlands. We play guitar and piano/keyboards, respectively. We both write the material for Galileo’s Fan, so we each contribute (and lead) 50% of the songs, so it’s an interesting mix! The music is predominantly indie-pop with some electronic themes and textures, but I think our northern roots can be heard throughout as well. 

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
We used to play Scottish folk music with our other siblings, Mike and Ali, when we were all very young. Then, as we grew up listening to indie, electronic, pop and everything in-between, we began composing ourselves (separately, as adults). Music has been a hugely strong common bond for us and we have always loved sharing our songs with each other. Eventually, as we began to jam more and arrange the songs, we decided to try some recording and we made a demo in a studio on Loch Fyne, with our brother Mike at the desk. We had a lot of fun doing that, so I suppose the idea of Galileo’s Fan was conceived then. 

Your new album I Won’t Be Found is out in September – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the album?
Yes, that’s right. The album is a collection of some of our favourite songs that we’ve written to date. The songs are stories about love, loss, political dismay and life experience, told from both a female and male perspective.

 

You’ve been compared to the likes of The Frames and The Cranberries, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Ooh, such a tough question. I think it changes so much over time and we’ve been writing these songs for years! In our younger years we listened to a lot of indie bands like Biffy Clyro and Jimmy Eat World and I think they are still a big influence. Also The Frames, The Cranberries, Sigur Ros. There are lots of bands we have enjoyed more recently too, like CHVRCHES, Dry The River and Kiasmos. Too many to name actually! 

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
We are based in Nairn (near Inverness) and St Monans (Fife) just now, and we both travel for gigs regularly… Every time I (Fi) see a live gig I vow to try to see more because each one is inspiring in its own way. In the central belt, you’re really spoilt for choice. There’s the Edinburgh fringe festival in August, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections in January and loads in between. I saw Olafur Arnalds (Kiasmos) in Glasgow recently and First Aid Kit in Dundee. Inverness always has plenty on too. There was a new festival run by the Feis in July called ‘Under Canvas’ and we’ve been along to the songwriters’ circle at Magregor’s Bar a few times now. 

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
It depends! We love playing with the full band when we can – it’s always loads of fun and high-energy but we also enjoy a wee acoustic gig. The stripped back, more intimate performances are great in the right setting. We recognise that audiences will have a definite preference so we’re happy to offer both. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
Absolutely! Wee bit of nepotism here for you but it is a truly outstanding album… Our brother, Mike Vass, is a well known instrumental composer but he has just released his first ever song album. It’s called Save His Calm and is stunningly clever and beautiful. Well worth a listen. 

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
There is so much good music available just now. The industry is incredible. It’s a steep learning curve, but there are definitely little tricks you pick up along the way. The internet offers a wealth of information for new artists, so you just have to be willing to put in the work and have realistic expectations to begin with. It’s also been really helpful having Mike (Vass) as a sort of mentor. We can always rely on his expertise when we need a bit of guidance. 

Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for Galileo’s Fan?
I’m hoping the rest of 2019 will provide a little respite… Hopefully just some time to decompress and get back into writing a bit more. There is a huge amount of work that goes into releasing an album, so we’ve had the blinkers on for a while. We have such respect for the musicians that are churning them out! It’s been an illuminating process. I’m not sure I’ll ever leave a gig without buying a CD now… 

Huge thanks to Galileo’s Fan for answering our questions! 

I Won’t Be Found, the upcoming album from Galileo’s Fan, is out 16th September via GF Records.

 

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