Kate Crudgington

Track Of The Day: Riotmiloo – ‘Vile Butterflies’

Abrasive beats, pulverizing electronics and seething vocals mesh together on ‘Vile Butterflies’, the latest single from London-based industrial riot grrrl Riotmiloo. Released as part of Chaos Theory’s fundraising compilation album 11 Years Of Chaos, the track bristles with intense unease, mimicking the nervous twitches of the wings of the titular insect.

“The idea behind this song is to not to let negative thoughts suppress your potential. Don’t listen to your vile butterflies,” Riotmiloo explains. Due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, Riotmiloo and London-based music promoters Chaos Theory have been unable to perform live shows at one of their favourite venues, The Black Heart in Camden, for over a year. ‘Vile Butterflies’ is one of twenty-six tracks on 11 Years Of Chaos, a compilation album that aims to raise much-needed funds for the venue, as well as promoting many of the artists Chaos Theory have worked with too.

Currently available on bandcamp, 10% of the profits made before 22nd March will be donated to the #SaveTheBlackHeart campaign, with other profits being shared fairly between artists and Chaos Theory so they can invest in more livestreaming equipment. The alternative, genre-defying collection features tracks from heavy rockers Vodun, a beguiling Cocteau Twins cover by Maud The Moth, as well as contributions from Brigitte Handley, Kate Arnold, Prisa Mata, Årabrot, Black Orchids and more.

The album is a fierce, cathartic soundtrack for escapism, but it’s also a heartening reminder that the DIY music community provides a crucial support network for artists, venues and promoters during this unpredictable and difficult time.

Listen to Riotmiloo’s ‘Vile Butterflies’ below.

Download your copy of 11 Years Of Chaos from bandcamp.

Follow Riotmiloo on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Follow Chaos Theory on bandcamp, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

March 4, 2021March 4, 2021

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LISTEN: Bess Atwell – ‘Co-op’

A nostalgia-tinged reflection on the different ways we seek comfort in a relationship, British songwriter Bess Atwell has shared her latest single ‘Co-op’. Released via Lucy Rose’s label Real Kind Records, Atwell gently shifts between tenses and re-traces her emotions on this charming musical snapshot, exploring what it means to truly trust someone to help you through life’s difficult moments.

“I think of this song the same way I think of a memory that keeps interrupting the current moment,” Atwell explains. Through her stream of consciousness lyrics and gentle melodies, she finds herself resting somewhere between insecurity and genuine confidence, treating everyday occurrences with a poetic poignancy – “Half your furniture we found on the street outside / Hey somebody is throwing out a perfectly good piece of mind.”

“‘Co-op’ is an illustration of mine and my partner’s life together,” Atwell continues. “The relationship seemed to provide me with some sort of permission to recuperate from family trauma, as if realising for the first time that there was a life outside of that chaos lulled me into an emotional slumber. Through the song I grapple with the desire for, and fear of, comfort. I used references to Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway to depict a vivid nostalgia and an affinity for trivialities that serve to calm when darker thoughts set in.”

The track is accompanied by a soft-looking set of visuals, co-directed by Atwell and her good friend George Ogilvie, which gently attempts to “marry two worlds at odds with each other,” contrasting “the mundane and the emotional” elements of the track with Atwell’s eccentric props, outfit and choice of setting.

“‘Co-op’ started out as a bit of a private joke, so I wanted the video to have a self-awareness and sense of humour to it too,” Atwell explains. “I think there can be a tendency, when you’re shooting a music video yourself, to try too hard to make it look professional. Instead, I wanted to lean into the fun of making it with a friend. It felt reminiscent of our childhoods, when we would make up plays or dances and perform them to anyone who would watch.”

Watch the video for ‘Co-op’ below.

Follow Bess Atwell on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

March 3, 2021March 3, 2021

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LISTEN: Inland Murmur – ‘Waterline’

A stirring reflection on how interactions with nature can help us move past feelings of grief, Cardiff-based indie band Inland Murmur have shared their second single ‘Waterline’. The group take a gentle dive into difficult emotions through their fluid, atmospheric guitar sounds, rolling rhythms and smooth dual vocals on this latest offering.

Formed of Hannah (bass, vocals), Toby (vocals, guitar & drums) and Alan (guitar), Inland Murmur met in London and were busy playing shows at independent venues when Covid-19 hit last year. During the first lockdown, the band used the time to write and record new music, resulting in new single ‘Waterline’. The track is a restorative and instinctive effort from the trio, who like many of us were forced to re-evaluate things when the pandemic restrictions set in.

“Lockdown gave me some time to reset and I realised how much I enjoy singing,” explains Hannah, who sang lead vocals for the first time on this single. “I realised that a lack of confidence was holding me back and life’s too short! With a supportive band and producer, I felt able to step up to sing lead vocals which has really unlocked a new dimension to the band’s sound.” With her new found confidence, Hannah and her band mates have created a sound that shines with charming authenticity.

Listen to ‘Waterline’ below.

Follow Inland Murmur on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

March 3, 2021

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: HighSchool – ‘De facto’

A yo-yoing, infectious synth tune that dwells on the darker side of love, Melbourne trio HighSchool have shared their latest single ‘De facto’. Released via Dalliance Recordings, the track traces the highs and lows of falling into a romantic relationship via its racing beats, brooding bass lines and catchy electronics.

Formed of Lilli Trobbianni, Luke Scott and Rory Trobbiani, HighSchool are inspired by the sounds of New Order, LCD Soundsystem and Future Islands. Through their pulsing beats, catchy synths and Rory’s meandering vocals, the band focus their song-writing lens on the shadowy space between euphoria and melancholy, with new single ‘De facto’ shining a light on the complexities of romance.

“We created ‘De facto’ to shed a mortal light on love,” the band explain. “It presents relationships as being temporary and expected.” This unease around the illusions and fallacies of the sought after emotion are reflected in the track’s accompanying video. Self-directed by the trio, the visuals contrast footage of the band performing with flashes of pagan-like rituals and other paraphernalia associated with love and death, exposing the romanticism and the ridiculousness of it all.

HighSchool are currently putting the final touches to their debut EP which should be melting our ear drums by the summer. Watch the video for ‘De facto’ below.