LISTEN: Circe – ‘Mess With Your Head’

A glistening dark-pop tune that ruminates on the rush of emotions that come when you surrender yourself to love, London-based artist Circe has shared her latest single ‘Mess With Your Head’. Co-produced by Emre Turkmen (formerly Years & Years), the track is a dazzling blend of sultry vocals, Kate Bush inspired beats and jagged electronics, flowing in the same cinematic vein as Circe’s previous creations.

“It’s about the extremes that love pushes us to, the exquisite pain of knowing someone else controls how your heart will fair that day,” Circe explains about the context of her new song. “We are all so often the worst to the people we love the best. There’s a lyric inspired by Shakespeare -‘You gave me your heart / and I gave you a pound of flesh’ – for me the line expresses not only the possessive feelings love can cultivate, but the idea of handing over ‘flesh’ gives physical weight to the emotion of love. The visceral stages from the lightness of a body you know so well, to the heaviness of a battered heart.”

Reflecting on the false promises we make to ourselves when we’re caught in a romantic web – “I’m out of my depth and I swear / it’s the last time” – ‘Mess With Your Head’ is permeated with a deeply relatable, intensely human sense of lust and longing. The down-tempo accompanying B-side tack ‘I’m Still Not Sorry For What I Said’ extrapolates on these confessional, powerful feelings. It embraces the raw truth of a moment of desire, shrugging off the shackles of shame and urging listeners to fully explore their own romantic impulses.

Listen to ‘Mess With Your Head’ and ‘I’m Still Not Sorry For What I Said’ below.

 

Follow Circe on Spotify, bandcamp, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@kate_crudge

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Track Of The Day: Momma – ‘Medicine’

A melodic reflection on the power of romantic infatuation, New York City four-piece Momma have shared their latest single ‘Medicine’. Released via Polyvinyl Record Co. & Lucky Number (Dream Wife, Sunflower Bean and Hinds), the track is an aural headrush centered around the passionate emotions that come with an all-consuming crush, full of hazy vocals and infectious guitar riffs.

Formed of Etta Friedman (guitars/vocals), Allegra Weingarten (guitars/vocals), Aron Kobayashi Ritch (bass) and Zach Capitti Fenton (drums), Momma create sounds inspired by the 90s pop and alternative scenes. Blending soft dual vocals with grunge-tinged guitars, the band seamlessly craft heady, swirling anthems focused on their observations on life and love, with new single ‘Medicine’ being a delightful combination of both.

Produced and mixed by bassist Aron Kobayashi Ritch, the single was written during a time when most of the band members were free from heartbreak. “We wanted to write about that feeling of just being addicted to someone and how someone else’s company can really feel like a drug,” the band explain, capturing this rapturous feeling via yearning lyrics and strung out riffs. The carefree accompanying visuals for the track, shot on VHS-C and directed by Hailey Heaton, reflect this heady optimism too.

Listen to ‘Medicine’ below.

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

Photo Credit: Cooper Winterson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Brimheim – ‘hey amanda’

An ode to friendship in all its bittersweet glory, Danish alt-pop artist Brimheim has shared her latest single ‘hey amanda’. Taken from her upcoming album, can’t hate myself into a different shape, which is set for release on 28th January via W.A.S Entertainment, the track is a celebration of platonic love, brimming with nostalgic lyrics, warm guitar sounds and tender vocals.

“Obviously there are plenty of great romantic love songs, but for some reason there aren’t a lot of love songs about friendships, even though they’re often just as crucial and formative as any crush or relationship,” Brimheim aka Helena Heinesen Rebensdorff explains about the context of her new single. “Amanda and I became best friends when we were 10 and it is one of my closest relationships to this day. The impact our friendship has had on my life is hard to overstate – especially because we grew our shared interest in art and music together at a very formative time in our lives. I feel like that’s pretty special – to have grown into the adult versions of ourselves and still be friends.”

Brimheim recalls her teenage memories of talking on the landline for hours and biking over to Amanda’s house with genuine warmth, earnestly admitting “in my heart we’re still kids messing around / just like we used to.” Emerging from the shadowy grandeur of her previous single ‘poison fizzing on a tongue‘, the buoyant ‘hey amanda’ is a gentler, but equally as emotive track that showcases Brimheim’s talent for capturing a moment in its purest form.

Listen to ‘hey amanda’ below.

Follow Brimheim on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Sofi Hellberg Olsso

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Prima Queen – ‘Chew My Cheeks’

Inspired by the swirl of emotions that an unhealthy infatuation with someone unobtainable can bring, London-based duo Prima Queen have shared their latest single ‘Chew My Cheeks’. Released via Nice Swan Recordings and produced by The Big Moon, best friends Louise Macphail and Kristin McFadden explore their ailing fascination and mixed emotions via soft vocals and sultry guitar twangs, giving the track its buoyant, relatable charm.

“‘Chew My Cheeks’ is a song that centres on an unhealthy obsession with someone who is slightly out of reach,” the band explain. “We wrote it in lockdown last year when we were remembering what it was like to idealise people you don’t know and to use them as a form of escapism. We ended up watching The Matrix in isolation together around the same time and were really inspired by the world in which the movie creates.”

Smoothing over these desires and fantasies was made all the easier with GIHE favourites The Big Moon on production duties. “It was incredible being able to work with The Big Moon since they’ve been such a big inspiration to us and we look up to them so much,” the duo comment. “They really understood our vision for the song and we were so impressed with how they were able to bring it to life.”

Listen to ‘Chew My Cheeks’ below.

Follow Prima Queen on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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