NEW TRACK: Coolgirl – ‘High Altar’

Following on from her previous single ‘Silverlight‘ – a synth-soaked exploration of the intense, transitory nature of infatuation – Dublin-based artist and producer Lizzie Fitzpatrick aka Coolgirl has shared her latest single ‘High Altar’. Taken from her upcoming EP, Failed Reboot, which is set for release on 8th November via VETA Records (HAVVK, Sive, DYVR, Maria Kelly, St. Bishop), the track is a hypnotic blend of magnetic synths, intriguing samples and atmospheric beats.

GIHE fans will recognise Fitzpatrick as the front person of grunge trio Bitch Falcon, but under her new solo moniker she uses electronics to create vivid, sometimes ambient, sometimes upbeat soundscapes. After releasing a handful of singles over the past few years and performing live alongside the likes of HAVVK, Alyxis and Plus One, Coolgirl is preparing to share her new EP, with ‘High Altar’ offering further insight into what listeners can expect from the upcoming release.

Created in her bedroom studio, on ‘High Altar’ Coolgirl creates a mesmeric blend of analogue synths, modellers and samples – including the sound of knocking on a radiator – to showcase the “emotional aspect of dance music”. By using an upturned bass melody and rolling cutoffs to evoke an “intense sadness”, Fitzpatrick takes listeners on a bittersweet, euphoric journey into her thrilling, experimental world.

Coolgirl’s upcoming EP Failed Reboot will be released on digital platforms and on cassette tape too.

Watch the visualiser for ‘High Altar’ below.

 

Follow Coolgirl on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

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Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: O Hell – ‘hard times’

Following on from their previous single ‘It Heals So Quick‘ – a compelling extrapolation on sexuality, ritual and sacrifice – Brighton-based artist and producer Lucy Sheehan aka O Hell has shared their latest offering, ‘hard times’.

Influenced by a love of the eclectic sounds of PJ Harvey, Massive Attack and Mark Lanegan, O Hell’s music sees them explore and deconstruct themselves over brooding electronics, twitchy beats and crystalline vocals. On ‘hard times’ they continue this dismantling, taking cues from the often restricting views we have about love and the way in which it evolves over time.

“I have a hard time forgiving you sometimes / and a hard time loving you less” confesses Sheehan in the chorus, their simplistic words made more potent by their clear, emotive vocals. Underscored by atmospheric beats, evocative synths and idiosyncratic samples, O Hell tenderly navigates the uncertain territory between romantic and platonic love, dismissing the idea that we need to burn bridges, whilst also acknowledging that we need time to recover from the end of a relationship in order to remain close to someone.

“I wrote the chorus in about five minutes, but then George and I kicked it around for weeks before he moved to San Diego,” O Hell explains about the conception of ‘hard times’. “Ben and I visited him there in North Park a few months later, and maybe it needed a bit of that Californian sunshine, ‘cus we finished it as soon as we got back. We started adding on little samples and field recordings that started to provide the verses’ glazed fairground atmosphere. One is a phone recording of when my friend and stylist Abi were being accosted by some council bloke trying to fine us. That’s on there…the sound of Brighton in the summer. That adult fairground atmosphere is definitely there lyrically too, maybe in response to San Diego itself, all the gas station watermelon and donuts.

“The whole thing is a bit of a collage,” Sheehan ultimately reflects. “What I wanted to say in the chorus is: get back to what love really is, ‘cus it’s way bigger and better than the bullshit possessiveness we’re told it needs to centre around. It might change state, it might morph between romantic and platonic, or everything in between – but fuck all the drama off, if you love someone, let that love take its course. It was always bigger than the first label you smacked on it anyway.’

O Hell’s poignant message is enhanced by the accompanying DIY road trip video for ‘hard times’, which Sheehan, filmed, directed and edited by themselves. Watch it below.

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Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’

A different character with a commanding rhetoric, but fuelled by the same raw, passionate voice; interdisciplinary artist Kristin Hayter has returned with new music under an updated moniker. Formerly known as Lingua Ignota, she has now re-branded to Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter and shared the cathartic, startling track ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’.

Lifted from her upcoming album, SAVED!, which is set for release on 20th October via her own imprint Perpetual Flame Ministries, the song is an auspicious-yet-ominous offering that sees Rev. Hayter “rise” triumphantly from the place where they fell. Moving away from the trauma that underscored her previous works, including her acclaimed second album Sinner Get Ready (2021), Hayter’s new work focuses on healing. This emotional exorcism is at the core of SAVED!, which she worked on with long-time collaborator Seth Manchester.

Once again taking inspiration from Christian values – specifically the Pentecostal-Holiness Movement which dictates that one’s closeness to God is demonstrated through transcendental personal experience – Hayter uses her voice as a vessel for redemption, with ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’ forming her first potent sermon. Her sparse instrumentation allows her idiosyncratic vocal to remain the the centering force as she seeks salvation in direct, unrelenting fashion: “I’m getting up from the place where I fell / Lord please forgive me / I don’t want to be like my friends who are going to hell”.

Described as “an apocalyptic revelation on the complex, sometimes ugly, always nonlinear process of healing,” SAVED! looks set to be Hayter’s most unflinching, raw record to date. High-fidelity recordings of each song were committed to a 4-track recorder, then degraded in a series of small half-broken cassette players. This achieved the atmosphere of timeless decay that Hayter wanted, enhancing the power of her unusual pilgrimage further. ‘All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell’ is accompanied by a video that follows Hayter into a riverside baptism, and was filmed, directed & edited entirely by Hayter herself. Watch it below.

On Friday 13th and Saturday 14th October, Hayter will perform her final shows as Lingua Ignota in London as part of “Perpetual Flame v.2” with some very special guests across each show. Find out more and buy tickets here.

Follow Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter on
bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter (X), Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Rev. Herschel B. Rutherford

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Touch Excellent – ‘Couch Song’

Following on from their debut single ‘Record‘ – a tenacious anthem highlighting the failures of the healthcare system when it comes to treating women, non-binary and transgender folks – Dublin pop punks Touch Excellent have shared their new single, ‘Couch Song’. Full of dreamy vocals, relatable lyrics and melodic riffs, the track is a buoyant musing on introversion and attraction at house parties, and how these dueling states play out in a crowded room.

Describing themselves as “Ireland’s most transgender band (surely)”, Touch Excellent create raw, frenzied, politically-driven cacophonies that are designed to dismantle the systems that oppress us. Together, Lenny (vocals/bass), Ló (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Amber (drums) transform their feelings of hopelessness and injustice into loud, cathartic, catchy anthems that address the issues facing young people today. That was certainly the case for their first single ‘Record’, but on ‘Couch Song’ the band showcase a more tender side. The trio opt for softer riffs and vocals on the new track, but it still retains the enthusiasm and wit of their debut release.

“This one goes out / to the people on the couch, at the party” directs Lenny, making space for those who “don’t want to dance” despite enjoying the rowdy atmosphere. The song shifts in tone, tempo and mood to reflect these conflicting feelings, expressing how joy can still be found in crowded rooms by focusing in on a crush, or simply sitting slightly inebriated on the couch. Described as “a rallying cry for introverts and a sly glance at a beautiful person from across the room,” ‘Couch Song’ is Touch Excellent’s “break from raging against the machine” and a nod to their more intimate, affectionate song-writing style.

Listen to ‘Couch Song’ below.

Follow Touch Excellent on bandcamp, Spotify, YouTube, Twitter (X) & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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