Get In Her Ears

LISTEN: Venus Grrrls – ‘Hate Me’

After much critical acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, and Radio X for their previous releases including ‘Goth Girl‘, Leeds band Venus Grrrls are back with another angry bop that’ll help you release some pent-up rage.

The song explores the consequences of unvoiced emotions and lack of communication, delving into “the internal complexities this can cause, and explores the desire to have clarity and closure.” A very relatable situation which makes the question demanded in the chorus “Why do you hate me honey?” very cathartic to scream along to.

‘Hate Me’ is a danceable, angry song that makes you want to sway in the verses and pogo during the chorus. These two ends are held together by the consistency of lead singer Grace Kelly’s powerful, smooth vocals. The drums and rhythm section bring a frenzied energy when needed and the transitions between this and the more swayable verses are seamless. The gorgeous creeping bassline, perfectly matched with the vocals, grips listeners from the get-go and manages to be both punchy and melodious. The synths bring the song to another level sonically without being distracting or gimmicky. Perfect for this riot grrrl-inspired number.

So, do yourself a favour and listen to ‘Hate Me’ by Venus Grrrls. In fact, put it on repeat.

‘Hate Me’ is out now via Monomyth Records.

Red
@redthewarrior86

June 18, 2021June 18, 2021

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ALBUM: Lost Chimes – ‘Lost Chimes’

Lost Chimes is Gemma and Nicky Kirk, an indie-folk duo from north London. The husband and wife team have now joined musical forces after ten years of playing in separate DIY, folk, punk-rock and post-hardcore bands.

Their new captivating self-titled album blends traditional folk with a contemporary twist. The storytelling lyrics, delicate finger-picked guitar and memorable melodies keep your ears enticed from the first track to the last.

Opening track, and first single, ‘Island’ is a soothing track about a mystery island. Gemma’s smooth, crystal clear vocals gently bob over lush and jangly guitar lines like a boat upon the waves, with the second verse painting a beautifully nostalgic picture: “You’ll do a lot of talking and I’ll do a lot of listening and one day the records will come out of their sleeves / the one that has my name on the back and the one that has the secret track, and everything between the backdoor and the sea wall…” The accompanying video of overlaid singing, sea, and birds perfectly complements the musical content, which evokes thoughts of nature and water.

My personal album highlight, ‘Voices’, offers a traditional folk-inspired melody, encompassing a fiddle which weaves around the vocal lines with a waltz-like rhythm. The sparse yet present drum beat gets your foot tapping and gives it a sea shanty feel. Gemma’s vocals may be delicate, yet they emit a strength bringing to mind Pentangle’s Jacqui McShee.

‘Stone Steps’ offers Nicky’s most interesting guitar riff on the album, a melancholic yet hopeful refrain. Gemma’s lullaby vocals in the verses erupt into something more powerful and reminiscent of Delores O’Riordan’s vocal in the chorus. Later on in the song, a spoken word section is introduced, giving your ears a new element to enjoy.

The duo’s cover of Joy Division’s iconic song ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ is both atmospheric and haunting. The finger-style of the guitar combined with the cinematic vocal arrangement does this tricky-to-cover song justice, retaining its sadness and depth whilst adding Lost Chimes’ own spin.

Ella Patenall
@nazandellamusic

June 9, 2021June 9, 2021

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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

June 8, 2021

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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.