evvol - credit Sven Serkis

WATCH: Evvol – ‘It’s Ok’

Lo-fi, atmospheric electronics and reassuring lyrics underscore a message of hope on ‘It’s Ok’, the latest track from Berlin-based duo Evvol. Taken from their second album The Power, set for release on 8th May via !K7 Records, the track is accompanied by a new set of visuals, directed by vocalist Julie Chance.

“It’s about all relationships, including but not limited to our own”, explain the duo, referring to their new record. “It details the intimate powers that bind us together”, and these powers are prevalent throughout ‘It’s Ok’. Both the song and the video act as a reassuring mantra that things will get better, even when it seems like all hope of reconciliation is lost.

“The song is about a relationship where despite uncontrollable outside forces at play, that toy and disrupt emotions – love prevails”, explains Chance. “In the video we wanted to explore this idea of how that might look. Using the idea of two sworn enemies at war who meet for the showdown of a lifetime, only to be stopped in their tracks by their wild desire for each other”.

Watch the video for ‘It’s Ok’ below, and follow Evvol on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Sven Serkis

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Indian Queens – ‘Shoot For Sexy’

An intoxicating blend of hazy guitars, alluring vocals, and brooding beats; Indian Queens‘ latest single ‘Shoot For Sexy’ is a sublime new offering. Lifted from their debut album God Is A Woman, set for release via Cool Thing Records on 3rd April, the London trio consistently impress us with their beguiling sounds.

Formed of sisters Jennifer (guitar/ lead vocals) and Katherine (bass/vocals) O’Neill, and lifelong friend Matthew Dudan-Bick (drums), Indian Queens were born and raised in Hackney Wick. Influenced by the restless city that surrounds them, the trio’s soundscapes reflect both the darkness and the light on a personal, and a universal scale.

Single ‘Shoot For Sexy’ is an anti-party anthem, despite its suggestive lyrics and smoldering bass lines, it’s a track best appreciated under low light with limited, or intimate company. It fits the mood of the band’s upcoming album perfectly, as Jennifer explains: “God Is A Woman is a late night record, an album to put on during a dark drive, to play at the end of the party when it all slows down”.

We’re more than happy to slow down to the captivating sounds of this talented trio. Listen to ‘Shoot For Sexy’ below, and follow Indian Queens on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Kana Waiwaiku

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: For Breakfast – ‘Mother’

A cacophony of melodic, jazzy, post-punk inspired sound; North London six-piece For Breakfast have shared their latest single, ‘Mother’. Released via DIY label Glasshouse Records, the track is lifted from the band’s debut EP Songs In the Key of O, which is set for release later this year.

Formed of Will Eckersley (drums), Joe Thompson (guitar), Sam Birkett (bass/backing vocals), Omar Zaghouani (guitar), Gail Tasker (flute), and Maya Harrison (vocals/keys), For Breakfast create spacious, alternative soundscapes. ‘Mother’ is a shining example of this; with its caressing vocals, psych-infused guitars, and manic breakdown at the close of the track. The song is inspired by “adolescent anxiety in the family home”.

The band will be celebrating the release of their new track at their headline show at The Windmill, Brixton on 19th March (event details here), so make sure you head down if you like what you’ve heard. Listen to ‘Mother’ below, and follow For Breakfast on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Benjamin Leggett

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: The Wants – ‘Container’

Formed by Madison Velding-VanDam and Heather Elle from New York art-punk band Bodega, The Wants‘ debut album Container is a punchy, defiant, riot of a record that simultaneously reflects and resists anxiety, on both a personal and wider scale. With its swaggering beats, techno influences, and to-the-point lyricism; it flows seamlessly from track-to-track demanding uninterrupted listening from the offset.

The Wants began taking shape when drummer Jason Gates and Velding-VanDam met in New York in 2014, but became fully formed while Velding-VanDam and Elle were working together under the Bodega moniker years later. Realising they all had a passion for electronic music, the three began writing together, and Container is the result of this collaboration.

Instrumental opener ‘Ramp’ commands attention with its thudding kick drum, while eponymous track ‘Container’ pulses with brooding bass lines and deadpan lyrical delivery. Pounding instrumental ‘Machine Room’ bleeds in to ‘Fear My Society’. “Will you love me if I’m a failure?” agonises Velding-VanDam, over funky beats and surprisingly buoyant synths. It feels odd to dance around to a track that’s fueled by anxiety and alienation, but it’s a natural response to The Wants driving rhythms.

Making space to individually review each of Container‘s tracks feels odd, as the record is such a cohesive creation, where each track transitions smoothly in to the next. Instrumental ‘Aluminium’ blends in to the unsettling ‘Ape Trap’. “I will stay a deviant, or else I die of boredom” Velding-VanDam sings, desperate to escape his metaphorical cell. Instrumental ‘Waiting Room’ builds on this tension, until its relieved by the confessional ‘Clearly A Crisis’. “I have no intimacy, I’m never vul-ner-able” – Velding-VanDam takes care to repeat, and speak this line with intense clarity.

The funky beats on ‘Nuclear Party’ float around as the cute threat of “kiss my bombs” ricochets between your ears. The bouncy ‘Hydra’ follows, before eerie instrumental ‘Voltage’ closes the record on a somber note. It’s a striking offering, with each scratch, pulse, and echo captured clearly. The band recorded the album in their bedrooms and their rehearsal space — a re-purposed HANJIN shipping container situated in the middle of a dumpling factory parking lot — so it’s a testament to their personal, and joint production skills that these elements can be heard in the mix.

With their myriad of influences – including the literature of Jenny Holzer, the sounds of The National, and a love for techno –  The Wants have created a sonic space on Container that’s somewhere between the catchy electronics of Depeche Mode, the angsty lyrics of early Sonic Youth. It’s a distracting record, in the best possible way, and deserves your undivided attention.

Listen to Container in full here. Follow The Wants on Spotify and Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Madison Carroll

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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