EP: Tokky Horror – ‘I Found The Answers and Now I Want More’

If you love The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’, Tokky Horror’s latest EP I Found the Answers and Now I Want More is the exhilarating debut you need to hear. Hailing from Liverpool, London and Manchester, the virtual hardcore collective made up of Zee Davine, Ava Akira and Mollie Rush layer growling guitars with EDM. The result? A cyber goth masterpiece that hits you as hard as MDMA.

Kicking wormholes through genres, the queercore group mix rave and rock to produce a record that emulates the same intense and futuristic energy of The Matrix. This is the kind of special EP you need to listen to through both earphones to fully appreciate.

Dragging us into a new dimension is the brazen, pulse-racing opening track ‘Girlracer’, which launches listeners into punk-infused drum and bass. Lyrically tearing apart the pop culture bond between masculinity and fast cars, the song revs its engine angrily at the expulsion of women from hyper-masculine spaces, which Davine notes often includes “dance culture itself.”

The beats on ‘Simulate Me’ pulse at levels that could match a Love Honey vibrator. Laced with laser synth sounds and erotic imperatives like “touch me / love me”, the song frankly takes on the topic of virtual love and dating, particularly fitting for the pandemic restriction era we are living in. Next up is ‘Godliness’, which stands out against the others and offers a slightly mellower take on electronic rock. As Davine says, “I think we show our more expansive side on ‘Godliness’…it’s us letting our guard down a bit for something more genuine.”

With croaking, shrieking vocals and distorted heavy guitar sounds, ‘Eden on Acid’ is probably the most punk-sounding song of the EP (and my favourite track too.) It’s only one and half minutes long, yet has an edge and intensity to it that reminds me of the intro of My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Only Shallow’. Finishing with ‘Sleeper’, Tokky Horror strips the opening riff from The Beastie Boys ‘Sabotage’ and creates an exhilarating build-up to a hypnotic refrain. A strong end to an EP that shows off the trio’s instrumental momentum and individuality.

Listen to Tokky Horror’s new EP, released via Alcopop! Records, here.

Follow Tokky Horror on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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LISTEN: CHANG – ‘Tinderella’

Like blisters from a glass slipper, CHANG’s latest release epitomises the frustration we might feel when walking home from an abysmal date. A modern, grisly take to fairy tale romances, ‘Tinderella’ radiates a headbanging heat that would set a mosh-pit alight. Though catchy, its muddled, almost confused narration and sections of random noise are heavy haphazardness at its finest. Fuelled by drummer Jeff “The Jingle” Ingle’s feverish energy, this song angrily launches us into a regimented beat that is simultaneously crashing and catchy.

Though singer Alexandra “Geez” Amargianitakis’s pacing of the vocals in ‘Tinderella’ is reminiscent of Poly Styrene’s in ‘I am a Poseur’, her grungy tone pushes the band into the 90s Riot Grrrl arena, with her Courtney Love-esque crooning veiled in the vigour. Laced with allusions to Snow White with lyrics like “mirror mirror” and “who is the fairest of them all?”, the song reflects a world in which dating is doomed with debauchery. It’s when the song slows that we really get to see the lustre of some of the lyrics though. Alexandra’s sultry singing is juxtaposed with vividly grotesque imagery like “I’m a deep-fried slug / slithering deep back down to the earth.”

With various pace changes, it’s clear that ‘Tinderella isn’t mindless chaos but has pockets of deliberate, carefully constructed aptitude. Despite having garnered the attention of BBC Radio 6 Music and Radio X, it’s early days for CHANG. But one thing is for sure, there will be several monstrous melodies to come.

Watch the video for ‘Tinderella’ below.

Follow CHANG on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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WATCH: Roxanne de Bastion – ‘Molecules’

Having just announced the her upcoming second album, due for release in September, London based artist Roxanne de Bastion has now shared a bewitching new video for latest single ‘Molecules’.

This newest slice of dark pop from Roxanne de Bastion, ‘Molecules’ is a philosophically searching hit, tinged with perfectly dramatic late ’60s influences. The track twists around moody, gothic melodies, until the beautiful clarity of de Bastion’s vocals cut through the eerie strings and grunge-infused feedback as it builds to a stormy crescendo. The lyrics speak of seeking spirituality in the everyday, as Roxanne explains, “What if we got it wrong? If there is such a thing as divinity, maybe it’s more on a modular level.”

‘Molecules’ is electrifying and evocative, toying with vintage sensibilities and dragging them firmly into the contemporary, and stationing Roxanne de Bastion as a remarkable performer and sonic force to be reckoned with.

Produced by Bernard Butler, the upcoming album is sure to sound similarly massive, as well as inventive; the track’s powering drum sounds are in fact clapping and hitting tambourines and floor toms in Bernard’s living room. 

Watch the White Stripes-inspired new video for ‘Molecules’ here:

You & Me, We Are The Same, the upcoming new album from Roxanne de Bastion, is set for release 3rd September via ROM.

Leonie Bellini
@teenpeachmovie

Photo Credit: Amanda Rose

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LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with BISHI 02.06.21

Tash, Kate & Mari were back on the NYC & Culture channel on Soho Radio‘s airwaves for their second GIHE show! They played a mix of golden oldies and new music tunes from some of their favourite women, non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists.

Multi-instrumentalist & all round icon BISHI also joined them to talk about her upcoming WITCiH Digital Festival, the many musical projects she’s involved in and to praise the ground-breaking new Channel 4 drama We Are Lady Parts.

Listen below:

Tracklist
PJ Harvey – This Is Love
Nina Simone – I’m Gonna Leave You
Tirzah – Sink In
MAITA – Dumb (Nirvana Cover for Kill Rock Stars)
Fraulein – Pretty People
Mumble Tide – Sucker
Maeve – Sick
Circe x Sleigh Bells x Dream Wife – TRK 3 (Dream Wife Mega Mix)
Sofia Bolt – Get Out Of My Head
Krush Puppies – Slay The Dragon
Tokky Horror – Eden On Acid
Janette King ft. DijahSB – Cool Me Down
Ragdoll ft. Husk – Throwback
BISHI – Don’t Shoot The Messenger
**Interview with BISHI**
Serpentwithfeet – Fellowship
Fossa Beats – Gonna Be
Wolf Alice – No Hard Feelings
Lemondaze – 1990 nine
Kllo – Still Here
Penelope Trappes – Blood Moon
Solidarity Not Silence – This Is Sisterhood
The Bug Club – Checkmate
Lucy Dacus – VBS
Fightmilk – Hey Annabelle
Sleater-Kinney – Hurry On Home

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