Track Of The Day: Maria BC – ‘The Only Thing’

A gentle musing on relinquishing yourself to the feeling of being in love again and having that feeling reciprocated, Maria BC has shared their latest single ‘The Only Thing’. Taken from their debut album Hyaline, which is set for release on 27th May, the track is a disarming, tender reflection on the serenity that sets in once you are fully “seen” by your partner in a new relationship.

Following on from their dreamy debut EP Devil’s Rain (2021), on Hylaine, Maria BC has created another tender collection of songs that “Let the world wash over you…rather than trying to pin it to one single thing.” This immersive quality is captured beautifully on ‘The Only Thing’, through Maria’s tentative guitar picks, atmospheric beats and soothing vocals.

“The track is about allowing yourself to be seen fully by another person. When you find they aren’t afraid, you realise you shouldn’t be either,” Maria explains about their new single. “It took me a bunch of tries to finish the arrangement for this one. It felt too sparse, while the song is about that full, effervescent, sun-is-coming-up feeling of new love. I spent several weeks adding parts and scrapping them — you know, getting nowhere. Then, at some point, I realised the refrain of another song I was working on had the same chord progression as ‘The Only Thing’ refrain. I turned that into a kind of counter-melody, Liz Fraser style, and I think it tied the whole thing together.”

The new track is accompanied by a beautiful video, shot by Olivia Q. Pintair and choreographed and Performed by C Green. Watch it below.

Follow Maria BC on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Ulysses Ortega

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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EP: Softcult – ‘Year Of The Snake’

Like the serpent that it’s named after, Year Of The Snake, the second EP from Canadian duo Softcult is a determined effort to shed the skin of past trauma, reject toxic behaviours and make space for healing.

Informed by their experiences of sexism and objectification as young women in the music industry, twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn Horn’s debut offering Year Of The Rat (2021) was a collection of bittersweet, grunge-infused sounds that soothed the sting of a painful past. On their follow up record Year Of The Snake, Softcult continue to dissect these difficult memories, but with a renewed focus on how they can use them as the foundations for true self autonomy.

A seething take down of the all-too-familiar excuse “Boys will be boys,” opener ‘BWBB’ sends a direct message to enablers of toxic “bro-code”. Heavily distorted riffs and crashing percussion drive home the message “Boys will be boys / but these boys are men / and these girls didn’t ask / to be touched by them.” It sits in powerful contrast to closing track ‘Uzumaki’, a heavy lament about the “vicious cycle” of PTSD caused by the behaviours the pair attack in ‘BWBB’.

Softcult’s hard earned emotional resilience shines through on ‘Spit It Out’ and ‘Gaslight’. The first is a brooding extrapolation on rejecting unconscious bias, whilst the second is an urgent, shadowy exploration of that “sinking feeling” of self doubt in an unbalanced relationship. On the more introspective ‘House Of Mirrors’, the pair channel their fears of falling short through swirling riffs and soft dual vocals, whilst ‘Perfect Blue’ is a melodic reflection on compromising your identity to please others.

Antagonistic and tender in equal measure, Softcult’s Year Of The Rat is a melodic reckoning, urging listeners to peel away the remnants of self-doubt, trust their instincts and to allow themselves the time and space to heal.

Listen to Sofcult’s new EP Year Of The Rat here

Follow Softcult on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

 

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Track Of The Day: Tanya Tagaq – ‘Colonizer’

A powerful statement against centuries of colonisation aimed directly at the perpetrators, Canadian avant-garde artist Tanya Tagaq has shared her latest single ‘Colonizer’. Taken from her recent album Tongues, on which she explored themes of social and political exploitation with distinctive flair, the track is a commanding, brutal listen that reduces five hundred years of colonising history into four words: “Oh. You’re. Guilty. Colonizer.”

An award-winning improvisational singer, composer and best-selling author from Ikaluktutiak, Tagaq’s work has been recognised by the Order of Canada, Polaris Music Prize and the JUNO Awards. Described as “an original disruptor,” she confronts the horrors of inequality on a global and personal scale, seeking to erode the foundations of unjust systems through her pulverizing soundscapes, elastic vocals and spoken word. Her latest track ‘Colonizer’ epitomises these talents. Punctuated by Tagaq’s gasps for breath and the lyrical mantra “Oh. You’re. Guilty. Colonizer,” it ripples with righteous anger and defiance.

“Everyone is responsible for the system that is in place right now; those who benefit from the genocide of Indigenous people are still guilty,” Tagaq told The Line of Best Fit in a recent interview. She’s enhanced her message further in the potent accompanying video for ‘Colonizer’. Directed by Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, the footage shows the destruction of the symbols and the perpetrators of the residential school system. You can donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society featured in the visuals here.

Watch the video for ‘Colonizer’ below.

Follow Tanya Tagaq on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Wet Leg – ‘Oh No’

A playful take on the relatable desire to doom-scroll on social media when you find yourself alone with your thoughts, Isle Of Wight duo Wet Leg have shared a new video for their latest single ‘Oh No’. Taken from their upcoming self-titled debut album, which is set for release on 8th April via Domino Records, the video gives fans an opportunity to sing-along to the catchy lyrics as the duo dance around in a uniquely Wet Leg costume.

Formed by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, Wet Leg began making music together in the summer of 2019 and in the space of two short years, the pair have garnered a loyal and excited following. Their refreshingly laid back attitude, dead-pan humourous lyrics and memorable guitar licks provide their listeners with instant gratification and new single ‘Oh No’ is no exception. The accompanying video, like all Wet Leg videos, was self-directed by the band.

“The footage was shot on the Isle of Wight at the bottom of a chairlift that you can take from the top of the cliff,” Teasdale explains. “The rope costume – made by costume designer Kate Tabor – weighed an absolute tonne and it took three of us to carry it down the cliff to shoot. We’d each grab onto a limb, and after 20 minutes of heavy lifting managed to get it down the steep steps leading to the beach. We’re thinking of starting it up as a work-out class for alternative types.”

“It’s been a pretty wild ride for us these past few months, we never really thought much past actually making music and playing gigs,” Teasdale continues. “It’s quite an odd thing to suddenly open yourself to so much criticism and praise alike. The comments that complete strangers will leave on our videos are so funny and range wildly in sentiment. Although we know it is bad for us to read them and we try to avoid it, sometimes it’s irresistible when you’re on your own; the 3am doom scroll really gets you. For this video, we have obsessively selected our favourite bits from the comments sections across our socials, the good, the bad, the ugly and have repurposed them to make something new – it has been quite cathartic actually.”

Watch the video for ‘Oh No’ below.

Wet Leg UK 2022 In Store Tour Dates
Thursday 7th April – Banquet @ PRYZM
Friday 8th April – Rough Trade East
Saturday 9th April – Resident, Brighton
Sunday 10th April – Rough Trade, Bristol
Monday 11th April – Rough Trade, Nottingham
Tuesday 12th April – HMV, Birmingham

Follow Wet Leg on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Hollie Fernando

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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