Track Of The Day: MAITA – ‘A Beast’

A poignant, under-stated guitar ode to the difficulty and desperation that comes with heartbreak; Portland-based MAITA has shared their latest single, ‘A Beast’. Taken from their upcoming album Best Wishes, set for release on 3rd April via Kill Rock Stars, the track is a relatable, melancholy-tinged exploration of being able to forgive, but not forget.

Speaking about the track’s premise, songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler explains: “’A Beast’ [is] a musing on the pain that one person is capable of causing another, and the endless potential for forgiveness that exists within that space. That forgiveness always comes with a price, however: the memory of it that we carry beneath our skin, as does the abused dog that flinches when you lift a hand to pet it.”

MAITA’s willingness to confront emotional uncertainty is what makes ‘A Beast’ such a compelling listen. The accompanying video also reflects the pain and isolation that underscores the track. Maria offers her thoughts on the setting for the visuals: “It was inspired by [the place] where I wrote the song, which was at an old studio apartment in Portland. Though spacious for a studio, [it] had the potential to feel claustrophobic and lonely at the same time, transforming into a hot-bed for creative angst and pining. I wanted the video to take place in a similar setting: an empty apartment to serve as a backdrop for the many stages of waiting- – the tenderness, the frustration, the desperation.”

We’re big fans of MAITA’s tenderly frustrated sounds. Watch the video for ‘A Beast’ below, and follow MAITA on Spotify and Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Ingrid-Renan

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Nova Twins – ‘Who Are The Girls?’

Driven by devious bass lines and ferocious lyrics, Nova Twins‘s debut album Who Are The Girls? is an aural uppercut that proves the London-based duo’s furious instinct for writing anarchic anthems. Formed of Amy Love & Georgia South, the pair have been praised by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello for their genre-defying tunes and their debut LP is bursting with their trademark heavy sound.

Released via 333 Wreckords on 28th February, Who Are The Girls? is a raw, abrasive collection of thundering bass lines, uncompromising rhythms and wicked riffs. Opener ‘Vortex’ – home to the lyric the album is named after – is the perfect introduction to their noise. Swirling, distorted bass and pounding beats permeate the track, as vocalist Amy rips through verses with enviable vocal power. She possesses a stunningly clear voice; it’s as if she needs no amplification when switching between shouts, snarls, and smoothly delivered lines with ease.

‘Play Fair’ and ‘Taxi’ are assaults on the senses, with more of Georgia’s mind-melting distortion blaring throughout. Armed with her instrument and her pedal board, she executes ear drums with lethal force on the pulverising ‘Devil’s Face’. Listeners should heed Amy’s warning to “get out my way” on following track ‘Not My Day’, after which the brilliant ‘Bullet’ kicks in. The track is a powerful statement against street harassment and the myth that women are “asking for it” if they dress in a certain way. Amy’s lyrics are the ultimate weapon against such insults, making it crystal clear that those who touch without permission are not fucking welcome.

You can take a walk on the “wild side” when the belting ‘Lose Your Head’ bursts through, before being schooled by more of Amy’s savage lyricism on the menacingly slow ‘Ivory Tower’. Hair-raising screams and ear-shredding riffs dominate penultimate track ‘Undertaker’, before ‘Athena’ closes the record. Named after the Greek Goddess associated with warfare, it’s an apt way to end a collection of genre-defying, lethal new tunes.

Nova Twins’ battle cry for equality and diversity on Who Are The Girls? resonates long after their record stops spinning. They are a force for fun, for fury, and – most importantly – for change in an industry that still can’t/won’t book a female-fronted band to headline a major festival. Nova Twins have us riled, re-energised, and ready to ask for more.

Pre-order your copy of Nova Twins’ debut album here.
Follow the band on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Noga Erez – ‘VIEWS’ (feat. Reo Cragun & ROUSSO)

The inimitable Noga Erez stylishly explores the absurdity of paying for exposure on social media on her brand new track, ‘VIEWS’. Collaborating with her partner Ori Rousso, and LA-based hip-hop artist Reo Cragun, Erez effortlessly commands attention in the striking video that accompanies the single.

After a string of stand-alone releases over the last two years (‘Bad Habits’, ‘Cash Out’, ‘Chin Chin’), ‘VIEWS’ is the first single lifted from Erez’s highly anticipated second album, which is set for release later this year. The Tel-Aviv musician’s clear vocals glide over slick beats and pop hooks to create an infectiously powerful anti-fakeness anthem.

Speaking about the track, Erez explains: “In my verse, I tried to voice that insecurity that can lead to people faking or buying views to portray an appearance of success. I wanted to relate to that feeling, not criticize. We thought it would be more interesting to have a counter perspective to mine so we reached out to Reo and he came back with his magnifying verse about (as I understand it) how this sort of stuff comes back to haunt you in the end.”

Directed by Indy Hait, the video for ‘VIEWS’ boasts some stunning choreography, and reflects the themes Erez that engages with throughout the track. She explains further: “VIEWS’ is one of those songs that was inspiring and easy to write a visual piece for. The “endless staircase” idea came to me after writing four treatments for the video. That’s when Indy came in and started to strip away all the bullshit, layer by layer. He stripped the idea down to its core and in his unique style and aesthetic, directed a piece that only has significant & memorable moments in it.”

Lyrically and visually, Erez’s new single is certainly memorable. “It just hit the fan…” she raps, and we couldn’t agree more. Watch the video for ‘VIEWS’ below, and follow Noga Erez on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Photo Credit: R604M

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LISTEN: Anna B Savage – ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’

An intense, personal, exquisitely revealing celebration of female pleasure; London-based songwriter Anna B Savage has shared her latest single, ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’. Taken from her upcoming album which is due via City Slang later this year, the track is an affecting, powerful exploration of female desire, and how Savage has learned to dismiss the damaging tropes associated with it.

Fans of Leonard Cohen may be familiar with Savage’s opening lyric – “He was giving me head on my unmade bed” – as it’s paraphrased from Cohen’s track ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’. Over tentative guitar sounds, revealing lyrics, and through her measured, captivating vocals; Savage reveals how she learned to prioritize herself, and how female pleasure is not “secondary”. She subverts Cohen’s storytelling, re-writing the narrative to rid her feelings of shame and confusion.

Savage explores the meaning behind ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ in more details: “‘Wank More’ was my 2016 New Year’s Resolution. It was part of my need to battle all the internalised bullshit I had ingested about women. I’ve spent the last few years actively unlearning things I spent my first twenty years passively being fed. Like how women are sexualised, but never allowed to be sexual, they are the object (sometimes even an object). It took me until 21 to start masturbating, even longer to realise that sex was also for me (groundbreaking, I know) and that I had agency and could and should ask for things. It’s wildly frustrating and sad. Out of these thoughts came ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’.”

“While it’s a naked nod to Cohen’s Janis Joplin in ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’, in my mind it’s an even bigger nod to Chris Kraus’s I Love Dick, a book which prompted me to be able to express myself in this way. The man in ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ is a stand in for all men, and as I’m telling my story, here he plays the role of the passive pawn and “muse”, a like-for-like role reversal of how women have “inspired” men for centuries. The song is a groan of boredom for the role of passive, mute, muse women, and a scream for female autonomy and pleasure.”

Produced by William Doyle (East India Youth), ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ marks the first new music for Savage since her 2015 EP, which caught the attention of Father John Misty and Jenny Hval (both of whom brought Savage out on European tours). Savage defiantly sings on her new track “I will learn to take care of myself”, and we fully believe that she will.

Watch the video for ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ below, and follow Anna B Savage on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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