LISTEN: Death Valley Girls – ‘Dream Cleaver’

Scuzzy riffs and a cosmic context inform ‘Dream Cleaver’, the latest single from doom-boogie LA rockers Death Valley Girls. Released via Suicide Squeeze, the track is “an anthem in praise of psychonaut and ethnobotonist Terrence McKenna, his research on “the spirit molecule” DMT and the possibility of trans-dimensional travel”.

Rolling rhythms and impassioned vocals permeate the new standalone single, which the band say is inspired by a desire to connect with the afterlife, whilst being in the midst of real life. The girls explain further: “Mr. Mckenna proposed that DMT (dimethyltryptamine) sent one to a “parallel dimension” and that literally enabled an individual to encounter “higher dimensional entities.” We believe that these entities hold the secrets of the universe and the afterlife! We became obsessed with trying to contact them, so we don’t have to wait till the afterlife to have some answers to these questions!”

It seems Death Valley Girls have the answers to questions we didn’t even know we needed answering, and we’re happy to swagger along to their mystical new offering. They have a sound rooted in nostalgia, but an outlook that spans the past, present, and future dimensions. Listen to ‘Dream Cleaver’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Photo credit: Deb Frazin

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: El Tee – ‘How I Like It’

Full of hazy guitar sounds and hushed, heartfelt vocals; Melbourne-based artist El Tee has shared her latest single ‘How I Like It’ via AWAL. The track is both a “protest against, and an acknowledgement of losing yourself to someone else” and showcases the songwriter’s strength and vulnerability over the course of five sweet minutes.

El Tee (aka Lauren Tarver) has been busy performing in her hometown recently, both as a solo artist and as part of local five-piece outfit Club Med. Her relatable lyrics and her honest narratives mark her out as an interesting new talent on both the Aussie new music scene, and further abroad.

Speaking about her latest single, El Tee explains: “‘How I Like It’ captures the surrender of identity in fear of disapproval and rejection, while holding on to just enough self-respect to voice your needs and desires”. It’s this willingness to confront emotional difficulty that makes her new track linger in the memory for so long. Listen to ‘How I Like It’ below and follow El Tee on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Chastity Belt – ‘Elena’

Dreamy, overlapping vocals and lush guitar sounds permeate ‘Elena’, the new single from GIHEs faves Chastity Belt. The track is taken from their fourth self-titled album which is set for release on 20th September via Hardly Art records, and Milk! records in Australia and New Zealand.

It’s a subtle, personal song inspired by the band’s love of author Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, which they all read over the course of last year. Bassist Annie Truscott explains further: “We individually related to the ways in which the main character’s sense of self is inextricably linked to her desire for love and validation, both from lovers and friends. The overlapping voices on top of the whimsical wave-like instrumentals captures the universal feeling of having a conversation with yourself about yourself.”

After taking a break from band life and pursuing their own solo endeavours, it seems that Julia Shapiro (vocals, guitar, drums), Lydia Lund (vocals, guitar), Gretchen Grimm (drums, vocals, guitar) & Annie Truscott (bass) have been refreshed by their time apart, which ironically seems to have brought them closer together. The band co-produced their new album with Melina Duterte (aka Jay Som), which sees them sharing lead vocals on different tracks, and working with different instruments such as violin (played by Annie), cello, trumpet and keyboards.

“I feel like this record is a really good representation of who we all are, and I feel like we’re at a point where we’ve really come into our own” explains Julia. New single ‘Elena’ sounds like the sweetest taste of what’s to come from a band who value time, authenticity, and celebrating long-term friendship both on and off stage.

Listen to ‘Elena’ below and follow Chastity Belt on Facebook for more updates.

Pre-order your copy of Chastity Belt’s new self-titled album here.

Chastity Belt’s 2019 UK Tour Dates (with GANG)
Oct 13 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Oct 15 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Oct 16 – Manchester, UK @ YES
Oct 17 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
Oct 19 – Oxford, UK @ Ritual Union
Oct 20 – Cardiff, UK @ SWN Festival
Oct 21 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
Oct 23 – Southampton, UK @ The Joiners
Oct 24 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall

Photo by Beto Brakmo

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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PREMIERE: Kianja – ‘There’s Nothing More’

Sincere lyrics, heartfelt vocals and an understated power permeate British multi-instrumentalist Kianja‘s new single ‘There’s Nothing More’. Released via Best Laid Plans, the 20 year-old artist has demonstrated her ability to create beautiful soul-pop sounds on this latest release.

“It’s about longing for love that you can’t fix,” Kianja explains, “It’s gone, but you constantly wish you could repair it”. She wrote the song originally when she was 14, but has since reworked it and collaborated with Dan Smith (Bastille) and producers Mark Crew and Dan Priddy (Rag’n’Bone Man, James Arthur) in order to fully develop the track.

Born and raised in north-east London, Kianja moved to Durban in South Africa as a teenager. There, she experienced a totally different way of life, before moving back to London again in recent years. “Moving to South Africa gave me a shift in perspective. education is a focal point there and I went to two solid schools. I got a music scholarship for a private school. I’ve experienced two very different worlds, which I feel feeds into my creativity”

We’re certainly fans of Kianja’s creativity here at GIHE. The songwriter is set to release her debut EP Glory later in 2019, and we’re looking forward to hearing more of her smooth, soulful songs. Listen to ‘There’s Nothing More’ below and follow Kianja on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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