LISTEN: Tara Tine – ‘The Night Was Cold’

Activist and artist Tara Tine has shared her single ‘The Night Was Cold’, taken from her debut EP Battle Cry. The native Dundalk author & musician is dedicated to putting the arts scene of her hometown in the spotlight of the national and international media, as well as championing the independent warrior spirit in her music.

In the last two years, Tine has balanced writing two novels and a novella alongside playing and writing music. She’s supported the likes of The Pale, The Fureys and Jinx Lennon, and now she’s shared her debut EP Battle Cry – “a rallying call for the would-be warriors of the world”. The release hosts six tracks, which Tine describes as a “patchwork” of musical genres – from Zeppelin-inspired blues, to old-school reggae.

The atmospheric ‘The Night Was Cold’is the lead single from the EP, and it’s accompanied by a gothic set of visuals, which show Tine wandering through the woods and around a graveyard. Watch the video below, and be sure to grab your copy of Battle Cry from Classified Records in Dundalk, or via Tine’s Facebook page.

Photo Credit: David Manning

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LIVE: Boy Harsher – HEAVEN, London 27.02.19

Jaded electronics, sultry vocals, and 80s inspired beats dominated Boy Harsher‘s sold out show at Heaven earlier this week. The Massachusetts’ duo blended nostalgic percussion with sharp modern production – and a stunning light show – to create an immersive live experience.

Presented by Night Terrors, the evening began with one-man-show Kontravoid. Masked and moving between his synths, the soloist was well versed in the nuances of the cold wave sound, paving the way for Boy Harsher to deliver a set that was designed to ricochet around Heaven’s walls.

Together, Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller played a mixture of old and new material, kicking things off with the aptly named ‘Intro’. The pair played a slow-burning but slick first half, which included the title track from their 2016 album ‘Yr Body is Nothing’, ‘A Realness’ and new single ‘Fate’, taken from their recent album Careful.

Caution was thrown to the wind mid-set as denser beats and more sporadic lighting was introduced, with Matthews fully relaxing in to her movements. The throbbing synths and pounding beats on ‘Come Closer’ were intoxicating, and the grand synthesizers on new track ‘LA’ felt like they could’ve scored an escape from a night-time crime scene. Matthews’ voice was as morose and lusting as it is on record, and Muller’s triggering capabilities were equally as precise.

The pair tore through the remainder of their set list – which included ‘Suitor’, ‘Tears’, ‘Tower’ and ‘Modulations’ – before returning for an encore that included ‘The Look You Gave (Jerry)’ and the pulsating intensity of ‘Pain’.

A cohesive blend of slow-burning and scintillating tunes, Boy Harsher’s live show was an alluring, seductive affair. Their capacity crowd was proof that Matthews and Mulller continue to capture the ears of their loyal fan base after five years together, and we’re excited to see what direction the pair take next.

Follow Boy Harsher on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Mint Field

A soothing tonic for minds that are scarred from the stresses of modern life; Tijuana-based psych trio Mint Field have shared their new EP Mientras Esperas via Innovative Leisure. Translated roughly as “While Waiting”, their new release focuses on themes of connection with the modern world, and how our own well-being is affected by it.

Following the success of their 2018 debut Pasar de la Luces, and now with bass player Sebastian Neyra on board; Amor Amezcua and Estrella del Sol Sánchez continue to make thought provoking music with a shoegazey, dream-pop feel. We asked the band to share their “Five Favourites” – five artists or albums that have influenced their songwriting techniques. Check out their choices below, and make sure you listen to Mientras Esperas at the end of this post.

1. Beak – <<
We have no memory of coming across this album or how we discovered it, it’s as if it magically appeared in our files. We heard this album together so much last year while we were touring and we got to see Beak for the first time in Desert Daze, such an epic show. They’re definitely one of our biggest influences.

2. Kikagaku Moyo – House in the Tall Grass
We first heard Kikagaku Moyo when we were recording our debut album, Pasar de las Luces, in Detroit. Chris Koltay, our producer, has a big wall and drawers foiled with vinyl collections and one of the LP’s he put one day was this one. Ever since then, we became big fans of them. We got to see them in Desert Daze last year too and it was such a great show – they’re such a good live band.

3. Ulrika Spacek – Modern English Decoration
Ulrika’s new EP is so nice, we loved their last album as well but this one is more significant because of the fact that we got to tour with them across America last year after they released their EP. We became good friends with them and it was a gift to see them play every night, they’re a really great live band.

4. Helvetia – Helvetia’s Junk Shop
We discovered this band and album when we were touring with Ulrika Spacek, it was in one of their road trip playlists and we’ve been listening to them ever since. It has such good drums and melodies.

5. Lorelle Meets the Obsolete – De Facto
We have been fans of Lorelle Meets The Obsolete for quite some time now and this is their new album. We really loved it, specially the two last songs – they’re so good, as is the whole album really. We definitely recommend this band that also happens to be from Mexico.

Thanks to Mint Field for sharing their favourites with us! Follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Adriana Tangassi

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Mint Field – ‘Jardin de la Paz’

A soothing tonic for minds that are scarred from the stresses of modern life; Tijuana-based psych trio Mint Field have shared their new single ‘Jardin de la Paz’. Translating roughly as ‘Peace Garden’, the track is taken from the band’s upcoming EP Mientras Esperas, set for release on 1st March 1st via Innovative Leisure.

Following the success of their 2018 debut Pasar de la Luces, and now with bass player Sebastian Neyra on board; Amor Amezcua and Estrella del Sol Sánchez continue to make thought provoking music with a shoegaze, dream-pop feel. Their new EP focuses on themes of connection with the modern world and how our own well-being is affected by it.

On new track ‘Jardín de la Paz’, the trio tackle these feelings with understated vocals and melodic guitar sounds, helping listeners to acquire the peace of mind the group are searching for. Listen to the new single below and follow Mint Field on Facebook for more updates.

Photo credit: Adriana Tangassi

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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