Kate Crudgington

Track Of The Day: Majken – ‘This War Belongs To You’

With her gentle voice and “sad but sloppy” guitar playing, Majken is fast becoming a Get In Her Ears favourite. The Swedish songwriter has released her latest single ‘This War Belongs To You’ – another low-fi gem written in the same vein as it’s predecessor, ‘Lovely Daughter’.

Speaking of the new track, Majken explains: “The song is about self-preservation. The tension that is built up over the first two minutes bursts as the synths come in like a wall of tears. I was very young when I wrote this song, but my chest still gets heavy whenever I perform it.”

Majken has been writing songs since the age of fourteen, dealing with themes such as adolescent insecurity, desires of the heart, and her own mental health. Her musical insight in to these issues is sure to make her debut album (scheduled for release this Autumn via Kollektivet Records) a heart-wrenching, but valuable listening experience.

Listen to ‘This War Belongs To You’ below and follow Majken on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

September 6, 2018

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Track Of The Day: Evvol – ‘Song For The Broken Hearted (Rollin)’

If you’re looking for “bright pop songs” with a “darker tone underneath the surface” – Evvol are the band you’re looking for. Comprised of Julie Chance and Jane Arnison, the Berlin-based duo take their exasperation at the state of the world and turn it in to well-crafted electronic melodies.

‘Song For The Broken Hearted (Rollin)’ is one of four tracks that were written to playfully address the serious dilemmas of contemporary life, and the band’s sheer resentment for the residual status quo. The other three songs – ‘Release Me’, ‘Oceania’ and ‘New Old’ – are equally as bitter sweet as this new offering. Speaking of the collection of songs, the band have said: “These songs were written looking inwardly at how we cope when faced with challenges. They’re about escaping into hedonism and really just running from the mad, fucked up world we live in.”

At the end of 2016, the pair worked on an experimental piece commissioned for Berlin’s Pop-Kultur Festival, performing an immersive sound and visual performance and installation called ‘Human Resonance’. If their video for ‘Song For The Broken Hearted (Rollin)’ is anything to go by, it must have been a sublime artistic experience. Watch the visuals for the new track below and follow Evvol on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

September 4, 2018

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WATCH: Penelope Trappes – ‘Carry Me’

Sublime, haunting vocals and beautifully shot images make up the video for Penelope Trappes‘ latest single ‘Carry Me’. The track is taken from her sophomore album Penelope Two, which is set to be released via Houndstooth on October 26th.

Originally from Australia but now based in London, Penelope’s dark, pensive, melancholy soundscapes are formed around “field recordings…guitars and synth drones, piano and reverb”. They declutter the mind and ensnare the senses, and ‘Carry Me’ is a beautiful example of her ability to blend tender vocals, layers of sound, and divine visuals with artistic flair.

Speaking about her upcoming album Penelope Two, Trappes extrapolates: “I spent 2017 being an empath with two dear friends, who lost very close loved ones. One lost nearly her whole family in an accident and the other lost his partner of 23 years, after she gave birth to their third child. Echoing distance, pain, love and infinity – this album is dedicated to them”.

Trappes transforms real pain in to other-worldly comfort, proving her worth as a confidant and as an artist. Watch the video for ‘Carry Me’ below and follow Penelope Trappes on Facebook for more updates.

Pre-order your copy of Penelope Two here.

Photo Credit: Agnes Haus

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

August 31, 2018September 3, 2018

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

ALBUM: The Menstrual Cramps – ‘Free Bleedin’

Raw, righteous, and a rallying cry against pervasive capitalist and patriarchal oppression: The Menstrual Cramps‘ sophomore album Free Bleedin’ drips with irrepressible anarchy and wit. Following 2017’s excellently named debut We’re Not Ovaryacting, the four-piece have returned with fourteen new tracks that systematically strip away the hateful forces that threaten to hold these riot grrrls back.

Front-woman Emilia has a vocal range that ricochets between dangerous, disinterested, screeching and savage. From opening track ‘Boycott The Lot’, she begins calling out corporations including The Sun, Amazon, and the dairy industry; whilst urging listeners to avoid all interaction with these dishonest establishments. She’s backed by the formidable Cooper Rose on guitar, as well as the equally formidable rhythm section comprised of drummer Beth and bassist Robyn.

Intelligence and piss-taking combine in memorable style on second track ‘The Smash’, which calls for a political and personal revolution amidst lyrics such as “Theresa May don’t even masturbate”. The girls continue their take down on following track ‘Neo Nazi’, which acts as a warning and a defiant middle finger to any fans of punk music who confuse the genre with outdated, fascist ideals. As Emilia so aptly says: “Nazi cunts need to disappear” – and we couldn’t agree more.

Up next on The Menstrual Cramps’ “bullshit we shouldn’t have to address, but will do anyway” list is toxic masculinity. On ‘Boyz Will Be Boyz’, the girls urge men to take responsibility for sexual assault and “do something about it”, instead of hiding behind the all-to-familiar saying and remaining complacent. What follows is an unorthodox and unexpected ode to long-haired, liberal lads and lasses. On the pop-ier sounding ‘Long Haired Babe’, Emilia delightfully declares “guys with long hair make me scream, guys with long hair make me cream”. That’s the great thing about this record: one minute you want to punch a hole through a patriarchal wall, and the next you just want to lay back and show yourself some sweet self-love.

Cue next track, ‘Mutual Masturbation’. It’s as fabulous and filthy as it sounds; celebratory (guitar) strums and raucous percussion combine with Emilia’s lyrics about defying shame and spending some time on yourself. The girls dial up the sarcasm on ‘I Like That Top’, a track which laments the comments made by dull housemates who insist on making passive aggressive remarks about your lifestyle and fashion sense. The band switch back to full on assault mode on ‘Idols’, calling out the inadequacies of the biggest icons in the industry and stripping them of their God-like status. It’s eye-opening and entertaining in equal measure, with trademark Menstrual Cramps bite.

Guitarist Cooper takes lead vocals on the seemingly tender-sounding ‘Tinder Girl’ which tackles a very modern dating dilemma: “I don’t want nothing serious, but I think I want more than this”, before the self-explanatory ‘Tory Scum’ kicks in. It’s a punishing anthem about the policies crippling the working class under Theresa May’s Government. It bleeds in to the aptly named ‘Killin Us’, which shouts back against poor mental health services that have inevitably been affected by Tory budget cuts to the NHS. Things get a bit Orwellian on ‘Phone Hack’, but the severity of the message is made more palatable by a garage-pop-esque rhythm.

Penultimate track ‘No Means No’ challenges male entitlement and bodily autonomy. Emilia’s spoken word style lyrics about consent, rape, and sexual assault make things crystal clear here, and her vicious and wailing delivery of “Nooooooo!” towards the close of the song leaves no room for interpretation. Body positivity is promoted on closing track ‘Bush’ which champions natural hair growth with the simple lyric “let my bush be free!”. Bleedin’ furious, Bleedin’ funny, and Bleedin’ eye opening; The Menstrual Cramps latest record provides the perfect soundtrack for any feminist activist to rage and recover to.