WATCH: Maria-M – ‘Endtimes’

Having previously captivated us as front person of ambient alt-pop outfit Grawl!x at the last gig we put on at The Finsbury, Maria-M has now shared their first solo offering.

A song of hope during this uncertain period, ‘Endtimes’ flows with glitchy hooks and swirling atmospherics, creating a euphoric, cinematic soundscape, propelled by the captivating majesty of Maria’s soaring vocals. Oozing a twinkling musicality and effervescent charm along with uplifting ’80s-infused vibes, it’s a perfectly uplifting offering, tugging at the heartstrings with a poignant, stirring emotion.

‘Endtimes’ is accompanied by a beautifully hand-crafted video, reflecting on the feelings of isolation that come with lockdown, but with an overriding sense of hope and unity within the LGBTQ+ community. Depicting a transgender couple communicating whilst separated during the pandemic, it’s a heartfelt and moving visual accompaniment to the track.

Of the song and video, Maria expands:

“… it’s a song of hope, reminding myself mostly that though things can seem a little overwhelming these days, things are hopefully getting better (particularly for marginalised groups) & that while there are doomsdayers, the naysayers; there are also brave wonderful folks who are fighting to make people’s lives better… I decided it would be nice to convey this through a trans couple Yvonne & Chloe, who have been separated because of the pandemic but are there for each other with love & here’s hoping – I chose to use text-to-speech voices cos I thought it sounded cool!

Watch the video for ‘Endtimes’ here:

‘Endtimes’ is out now via Year Of Glad, a Derby based collective specialising in outsider music, art and writing. The track features a garage influenced remix by label mate Tom John Hall, and a stunning nine minute ambient B side, and all funds will be donated to the charity Derbyshire LGBT+. Download/buy on Bandcamp now.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Laura Mi

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Guest Playlist: Sink Ya Teeth

Covid 19 and the necessary restrictions surrounding it have brought about a number of cancellations of music events, including what would have been Get In Her Ears’ very first festival. Taking place this Saturday 18th July, it was set to be a pretty special day, filled with some of our favourite female and non binary artists. Fingers crossed we can finally make it happen next year…

One of the bands set to play was Norwich duo, Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford – aka Sink Ya Teeth. Creating their own unique dance-punk soundscapes, they’ve become firm favourites of ours over the last few years, having blown us away with their soaring, sparkling majesty at one of our earliest gigs at The Finsbury.

In the absence of our festival, and any gigs, at the moment, Gemma and Maria have put together a playlist of the songs that have been getting them through lockdown… Have a listen, and make sure you check out their latest album Two now!

Gemma’s Choices:
My song selections are songs by new (to me) bands, or songs that I’ve discovered during lockdown (mainly via playing Scrabble while listening to music!) or RE- discovered – songs that I’d forgotten how good they are.

Automatic – ‘Too Much Money’
Really enjoyed this album!

U-Bahn – ‘Turbulent Love’
Devo-esque greatness. The whole album is great!

Public Practice –  ‘Extra-Ordinary’
My favourite new band discovery via Lockdown. 

Le Tigre – ‘Friendship Station’
Listened to the whole album again for the first time in a long time and it was like “this song is my favourite, no THIS song is my favourite, no THIS song is my favourite…” – you get the jist!

French Vanilla – ‘Suddenly’
Love a bit of post-punk and sax.

This Human Condition – ‘God Kills Another Kitten’ 
A Bristol band that we were introduced to when doing a short interview for Punka/Wig in A Box All Out and Loud programme on Twitch. 

Spandau Ballet – ‘Glow’ (12″ Version)
I’ll let this speak for itself. 

Eddy Grant – ‘Electric Avenue’
Was reminded of this great song by some American friends. Then became a massive ear worm for days on end!

The Bangles – ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’
As soon as I hear this, I wanna dance!

Juniore – ‘Adolescent’
ADORE this song! Perfect.  

A Certain Ratio –  ‘Always in Love’
Their new single from their upcoming album, which we’ve heard and can confirm is amazing!!! And we’re also proudly doing some vocals on a couple of songs on it.

Maria’s Choices:
Just feeling kinda mellow and summery. Enjoying the sunshine, wild flowers, and the slow pace of life. My choices are just a backdrop to that vibe…

Rare Silk – ‘Storm’
Falle Nioke/Ghost Culture – ‘BARKé’
The Style Council – ‘Long Hot Summer’
The Rah Band – ‘Messages From The Stars’
Sylvester – ‘I Need Somebody To Love Tonight’
Carly Simon – ‘Why’
Yasuaki Shimizu – Kakashi’
Jan Hammer Group – ‘Don’t You Know’
Virna Lindt – ‘Underwater Boy’
Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes – ‘Summer Nights’ 

Listen to the full playlist on Spotify now!

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Five Favourites: Bugeye

Having just released their explosive debut album, Ready Steady Bang, GIHE faves Bugeye have fast been building a reputation for their wonderfully unique colourful pizazz, with recent acclaim from the likes of John Kennedy, Amazing Radio and God Is In The TV Zine. And rightly so, the album is like nothing you’ve heard before; a vibrant fusion of disco, punk and everything in-between, all fused together with magnificent energy into a relentlessly riotous and utterly uplifting collection.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them or influences their writing. So, we caught up with Angela from Bugeye to find out her “Five Favourites” – five albums that have influenced her writing and Bugeye’s current sound. Check out her choices below, and make sure you listen to the new album asap!

Altered Images – Happy Birthday
I can’t quite remember when I discovered the Scottish band Altered Images. It may have been on one of those punk comp albums, but it was a band that would be one of my main influences for Bugeye’s music. I love the way they blend new wave punk tones with disco, cover dark themes but with upbeat musical accompaniments. It’s certainly what we try to do with Bugeye and although we don’t sound like Altered Images, their album Happy Birthday has been a big influence on my writing style.

Blondie – Parallel Lines
Another incredible band that merges disco and new wave punk in such a
seamless way. I have always been a huge Blondie fan from an early age, and this was one of my dads’ favourite albums. It’s spiky pop in its finest moments and is one of those albums that made me want to pick up a guitar and play. Whenever I need inspiration to write, I listen to Blondie.

Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish
Probably an unexpected choice but I was rediscovering the beginnings of Brit-Pop before it all went south and this was an album I played a lot. It’s lyrically witty, wise, catchy, dark, light and everything in between. The music is simplistic but smart, and I think it was a great album that perfectly captured a mood, social change and the political climate. We wanted to write something that looked at the world today so surrounding ourselves with important records to inspire us to take a long hard look at the world was key. This was one of those albums.

Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine
Exciting synths and exploring the impact of technology upon humanity,
this album was the perfect atmospheric inspiration for our own writing on this subject. Synths have become such an important part of Bugeye’s sound and what better place to explore possibilities than with the work of Kraftwerk?!

Donna Summer – Best Of
Queen of the dance floor and a big influencer on dance music, Donna Summers’ music is pop, disco, soul and funk. It has a brutal futurism to it with icy electronics pulsing in a dark but fun way. We loved the way she mixed styles and sounds and we wanted to capture some of this with our album. You’ll hear arpeggiators and big disco sounds across our album as a salute to Donna Summer.

Massive thanks to Angela for sharing her Five Favourites!

Ready, Steady, Bang, the new album from Bugeye, is out now via Reckless Yes. Download or buy the CD on Bandcamp, or find one of the few remaining vinyl copies at selected independent record shops.

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Track Of The Day: All Things Blue – ‘Dicking Around’

In a swanky, dream-punk manner, LA based All Things Blue create a lush and infatuating soundscape in their new atmospheric single ‘Dicking Around’.

Fusing together elements of alt-pop and experimental art-rock, All Things Blue curate a unique tone that reflects a mature essence with shades of Angel Olsen or Mitski. Front woman India Coombs chills this track with vocals that echo with mystery and fullness. This powerful inflection that India so precisely provides is a lovely juxtaposition against the song’s floating and spacious instrumental. There is as much grounding as there is soaring in ‘Dicking Around’, and that is what makes it so immersive.

“Where’s my mind?”, wonders the track. As listeners swirl with the psychedelic guitars and steady dampened percussion, this tune becomes the perfect backdrop for a roadtrip through the desert or a low-lit shindig. All Things Blue build their presence as ‘Dicking Around’ goes on – fluttering into a soundscape that celebrates transition and uncertainty, it’s an anthem for losing ourselves and being okay with it, a moment of giving ourselves a break from an ever spinning world. 

‘Dicking Around’ is out now, listen Spotify. And Get Bit, the debut album from All Things Blue, is out 23rd October.

Jillian Goyeau
@jillybxxn

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