NEW TRACK: Mere Child – ‘Don’t Let Me Go’

A delicate rumination on grief and hope, independent artist Aimee Herbert aka Mere Child has shared their latest single ‘Don’t Let Me Go’. Written, recorded and produced in her “poorly soundproofed kitchen/conservatory”, Mere Child’s new track is a tender, atmospheric ode to persevering in the face of adversity.

Herbert started Mere Child as a solo project back in 2016, a few of years after her son was born and after the loss of her father prior to his birth. She felt the need to start writing and recording in a different way after these life events. Going solo seemed to fit with the content of her new songs, which were far more vulnerable and anxiety driven.

She released her first single ‘Not Good Enough‘ in 2016 and began playing live shows in London and Brighton, but the Covid-19 pandemic understandably put a stop to Herbert’s project for a while. Now, she’s back and ready to share her new music, with ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ being the first offering. Mixed and mastered by Julian Tardo at Church Road Studios in Brighton, the track is a poignant reflection on a difficult time. ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ shimmers with its melodic guitars, earnest lyrics and Herbert’s soft, clear vocals, which provide a lullaby-like comfort.

Speaking about her new single, the songwriter explains: “Battling depression and a creative lull, I wrote this song on an acoustic guitar late one evening. It sits somewhere between hope and trepidation. It’s the first new single in three years, with an EP to follow later in the year.”

Listen to ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ below.

Follow Mere Child on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: CLT DRP – ‘New Boy’

A visceral, incendiary anthem exploring the conflicting thoughts in the aftermath of a breakup, Brighton Feminist Electro-Punks CLT DRP have shared their latest single ‘New Boy’. Released via Gallows’ label Venn Records, who the band have recently singed to, the track is a rush of potent emotion, from it’s candid opening line about barely affording therapy, to its various cathartic, noisy breakdowns.

“‘New Boy’ reflects a very manic immediate post-break-up brain. As if I was sitting in therapy desperately trying to figure out why it didn’t work,” explains vocalist Annie Dorrett. “I was switching from hyper-independence to then trying to find love literally anywhere else around me. A lot of questioning my gender, sexuality, and past painful history. Hence ‘New Boy’ — hoping for a new love interest but also me coming out of the heartbreak era a ‘New Boy’.”

Dorrett’s ruminations have resulted in an urgent four minutes of genre-bending sound. Their crystalline vocals cut through the cacophony of knockout drumming and corrosive riffs that are doused in FX, providing listeners with a burst of intense, vital energy. ‘New Boy’ is lifted from CLT DRP’s upcoming album, which is set for release later this year. The single is accompanied by a video, directed by Harry Steel, which shows the band in their natural habitat: sweating it out under a spotlight.

“The three of us have never actually featured in a music video together so we thought it was time to get a high energy group music video to really show the force that is the three of us playing live,” says Dorrett. “The playfulness and energy that comes with the excitement of the recorded sound. Harry Steel did an incredible job of capturing our natural performances, both as a team and individually. The video beams personality and attitude—it’s a perfect insight of what to expect from our band live.”

CLT DRP are gearing up for an extensive run of UK and EU live dates and festival appearances this year, including a support slot with label-mates Tokky Horror alongside the iconic Alice Glass. Full details below.

Watch the video for ‘NEW BOY’ here:

CLT DRP UK Live Dates 2023
08th Apr – TakeDown Festival @ Portsmouth Guildhall (UK)
26th Apr – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds (UK) *^
27th Apr – Hug and Pint, Glasgow (UK)
28th Apr – The Lodge, Manchester (UK)
02nd May – Concorde 2, Brighton (UK) ^
03rd May – Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich (UK)
04th May – Shacklewell Arms, London (UK)
05th May – Exchange, Bristol (UK)
06th May – Zerox, Newcastle (UK)
11th May – The Great Escape Festival, Brighton (UK)

^ w/ Alice Glass
* w/ Tokky Horror

Follow CLT DRP on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: moralxdecay

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: The Pearl Harts – ‘Hypocritical’

Described as a “bratty, fun” song to scream along to, London-based duo The Pearl Harts have shared their latest single ‘Hypocritical’. Lifted from their upcoming second album Love, Chaos, which is set for release on 21st April via Double Bang Records, the track is full of swaggering riffs, commanding beats and chant-worthy lyrics that bite back at the restrictive stereotypes surrounding women in rock.

“’Hypocritical’ is influenced by the hi-octane pop of Miley Cyrus and Gwen Stefani with the punk attitude of ‘Impeach My Bush’-era Peaches,” the band explain. “It’s an empowerment song for women and girls taking on the world.” Following on from their previous single ‘More’ – a defiant declaration of self-autonomy that demands listener’s full attention – The Pearl Hart’s latest cut flows in a similarly unapologetic vein.

Across the twelve tracks that make up their new album, Love Chaos, which they produced in collaboration with Danio (Husky Loops, Kari Faux), the duo reflect on what it means to stay true to themselves in the face of adversity – whether that’s on a personal or industry level.

“As women in rock’n’roll we have had to fight and unpick a load of history and patterns to accept ourselves as we are today,” they explain, “Shake off the ‘good girls’ we have been brought up to be’, not to become ‘bad’ but to become our real, true, authentic selves. We are starting a new conscious pattern of how we want to play rock’n’roll our way. We don’t just have to be hard, tough women. We can be sensitive ones too.”

Fuelled by this new attitude, The Pearl Harts will be touring their new music across the UK & Ireland this Spring, with HotWax as support. Full details below.

Watch the video for ‘Hypocritical’ here:

The Pearl Harts UK Tour Dates 2023
3rd May ST ALBANS The Horn
4th May NORWICH Voodoo Daddy’s
16th May LONDON The Lower Third
17th May BRIGHTON The Prince Albert
18th May PORTSMOUTH Edge of the Wedge
19th May BRISTOL The Lanes
25th May BELFAST Voodoo
26th May DUBLIN, The Workmans Cellar
27th May LIMERICK Kasbah

Follow The Pearl Harts on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: @del_photos

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Ailbhe Reddy – ‘Endless Affair’

“My God look at the state of me / this is so embarrassing” sings Irish songwriter Ailbhe Reddy, scrutinising her drunken reflection on ‘Shitshow’, the opening track to her latest album, Endless Affair. Following on from 2020’s debut full length release, Personal History, on her new record Reddy finds the sweet spot between romantic melancholy, unfiltered shame and wry humour, as she re-frames her fractured memories of nights spent partying in her early 20s and various fluctuating loves and infatuations.

Written and recorded between January 2019 and October 2020, Reddy paired up with producer Tommy McLaughlin again to co-produce Endless Affair. She relished the opportunity to create a truly rounded sound on the record, which maintains the raw spirit of her debut, but showcases a development in her intuition for writing songs that continue to tap into both a personal and universal vein.

Whether she’s admiring the unique way the light defines her partner’s body on ‘Shoulderblades’, or feeling the walls closing in on ‘Last To Leave’, Reddy’s skill for revisiting a moment and making it more poignant – or more painful – than before is the lifeblood of Endless Affair. “It’s not just your drink you’re spilling / to anybody who will listen” she observes on the latter, over gentle beats and considered instrumentation, softening the awkward reality of the situation. It’s a relatable reflection on wanting to atone for potentially embarrassing behaviour – whether personally, or vicariously.

Reddy presents her emotions with endearing and at times excruciating honesty, learning to “take love where it’s planted” on the beautifully sincere ‘Bloom’, revealing the rawness of the wounds left by a breakup on ‘Damage’, and remembering a period of painful apathy on ‘Inhaling’. She explores all these things with charm, wit and impressive grace. This is especially true of ‘Pray For Me’ – dedicated to her late Grandmother – and moving ode ‘Motherhood’, which the songwriter nurtured and developed multiple times throughout the album’s recording process.

Whilst tenderness flows through the veins of Endless Affair, it’s also permeated with moments of recklessness and humour. This is epitomized especially by Reddy’s half-hearted attempts to verbally get under an ex’s skin on ‘ILYW’ (‘I’m Losing You’re Winning’), and the the rolling rhythms and energetic riffs on ‘A Mess’. A reflection on an early, chaotic relationship, the track is a buoyant rumination on the cyclical nature of bad habits and a lively effort to move past them. Whilst the repetition of the titular lyric ‘A Mess’ could sting if it was delivered differently, Reddy claims it as a lighthearted label, accepting that youth and inexperience are all part of the learning process when it comes to forming healthy relationships.

Ultimately, Endless Affair is a patient, earnest reflection on personal growth and a heartening reminder that we’re all just ‘Amateurs’ trying to make sense of the bruises that mysteriously materialise on our bodies the morning after we’ve had too much of a good time. It reaffirms Reddy’s astute songwriting sensibilities and is a tonic for any extended emotional hangover.

Follow Ailbhe Reddy on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo credit: Niamh Barry

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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