Track Of The Day: Petrol Girls – ‘Big Mouth’

Always at the forefront when it comes to fighting for equality and fair representation; Petrol Girls have shared a powerful new video for their new single ‘Big Mouth’. Supporting the ongoing defamation case for Solidarity Not Silence – a group of women who are being silenced for speaking out against the behaviour of a man in the music industry – their new single is a necessary shout-back and a call to arms to support their activist sisters.

Vocalist Ren Aldridge explains more about the track’s context: “[Big Mouth] focuses in on voice as a physical sound that comes directly from our bodies, and also more generally as self-expression. There’s a lot of politics around who is heard and what that means, and many marginalised groups are only tolerated when they’re quiet. When they refuse this containment and control, they’re met with attempts to silence them.”

“Just one example of this is the defamation case which aims to silence the Solidarity Not Silence girls…whilst the case is ongoing, we are limited in what we can say about it, but encourage everyone to spread the word and donate to the crowdfunding campaign for their legal costs. They are determined to not allow their case to set a precedent for silencing marginalised voices in the music industry and beyond. There’s no legal aid for this kind of case – they need money to pay for their legal representation in order to pursue justice. You can get a Solidarity Not Silence t-shirt, as worn by Joe in the ‘Big Mouth’ music video, here.”

As well as Ren’s own powerful voice, the new single includes a sample of Poly Styrene’s iconic intro to X-Ray Spex’s ‘Oh Bondage! Up Yours!’- with lyrics that still resonate with activists and musicians over forty years later. ‘Big Mouth’ is taken from Petrol Girls’ upcoming album Cut & Stitch, which will be released on 24th May via Hassle Records. A companion Rough Trade Publishing ‘Edition’, written by Ren, is also available to pre-order via the band’s official store.

The band will be touring extensively from the beginning of May, including in-stores at Rough Trades in the week the album is released, tours with War On Women and La Dispute, plus appearances as festivals like The Great Escape, 2000trees and Roskilde. Watch the video for ‘Big Mouth’ below and follow Petrol Girls on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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SKYND

WATCH: SKYND – ‘Jim Jones’

An industrial spiked exploration of how manipulative the human mind can be; SKYND have shared a video for their latest single ‘Jim Jones’. The duo – formed of vocalist SKYND and producer Father – are inspired by true crime, so far sharing tracks about infamous serial killers and their victims including ‘Elisa Lam’, ‘Gary Heidnik’ and ‘Richard Ramirez’.

Both their sound and aesthetic are intensely dark and unsettling, and their new material is no exception. Speaking about the new single, SKYND explains: “I always wanted to write about Jim Jones because I’ve long been fascinated by how easily people are manipulated when it comes to religion. It was interesting how people followed him while ignoring all of the facts to the contrary about who he truly was.We put the facts of the story into music. I was also intrigued by the audio tapes of him talking his followers into suicide, I knew I had to write about it.”

Producer Father also offers some insight in to the song’s context: “Although this horrible mass suicide happened 30 years ago, this case, at its core, is more relevant than ever. Where it has always been easy for religious leaders and governments to brainwash people, it became very easy for the silver-tongued Joe Blow to do so in recent years through the help of social media and the internet. Through the invention of the World Wide Web, we’ve been promised the age of information, which ironically became the age of misinformation. It is now harder than ever to tell the difference between the facts and what’s fake. Could this development lead to a fatal event like in 1979, but on a global scale? It’s harder to imagine that it couldn’t.”

SKYND’s uncompromising vision and wariness of the warped minds of others has culminated in a fascinating new video for ‘Jim Jones’. Watch the visuals below and follow SKYND on Facebook for more updates.

SKYND UK Live Dates 2019
5/9 — The Great Escape — Brighton
6/14 — Download Festival — Donnington

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Something Leather – ‘Sip The Thrill’

A cynical psych-tinged commentary about how we try to simultaneously stall and speed up time; Brighton trio Something Leather have shared their latest single ‘Sip The Thrill’. Their sharp percussion, dark guitar noises and striking use of their vintage Philips organ gives their skepticism an intensely appealing sound.

Released on purple 7” vinyl via We Can Do It Records, this is the third single the band have shared following ‘Shotgun Persona’ and ‘Disappear On Me’. They’ve managed to secure impressive support slots with Black Midi, Phobophobes, Madonnatron, Saint Agnes and JOHN, and they’re slowly building up a reputation as one of the most vibrant and distinctive live bands on the scene. Their beloved 70’s Philips organ is fixed up with old parts of frontwoman Phillie’s grandmother’s first colour TV, giving them an authentic sound with real character.

Speaking about ‘Sip The Thrill’ the band explain: “[It’s] a song about the contradictory way in which we try to live forever without enjoying the process, dedicating so much of our time denying the inevitable. From the stop-start attack of the drums and guitar, to the driving energy of the organ and frenetic ending, juxtaposed with the dark nature of the lyrics, it’s a cynical song about chasing time.”

Watch the video for ‘Sip The Thrill’ below and follow Something Leather on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Madeline Spencer

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Hatchie – ‘Stay With Me’

“I’m a sucker for crying-in-the-club tracks” says Australia’s Hatchie – and we’re happy to sob under the strobe lights to her catchy new single ‘Stay With Me’. The electronic-pop gem is taken from her highly anticipated debut album Keepsake, which is set for release on June 21st via Heavenly.

Hatchie (aka Harriette Pilbeam) explains how ‘Stay With Me’ came to be: “[The song] was written as a writing exercise in an effort to step away from my usual style into something more fun and dancey. We originally wrote it with someone else in mind, but realized it was the perfect fit for my album as I wanted to expand into a different sound. It became one of my favourite songs on the record”.

On her upcoming album, Hatchie has blended and explored new textures – from industrial to new wave to dance-pop. Despite not being a sentimental person, Hatchie says the record is “a keepsake in itself” – an aural memory of moments and experiences translated with her shining, upbeat energy.

Watch the video for ‘Stay With Me’ below and pre-order your copy of Keepsake here.

Hatchie UK live Dates 2019
9-Jun Green Door Store, BRIGHTON UK
11-Jun The Louisiana, BRISTOL UK
12-Jun Moth Club, LONDON UK
13-Jun Yes, MANCHESTER UK
14-Jun Brudenell Social Club, LEEDS UK (Heavenly Weekender)

Photo credit: Joe Agius

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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