Five Favourites: Bria

Whilst you may recognise Bria Salmena from working in Orville Peck’s world-conquering backing band, she is also an immensely innovative artist in her own right. Following the release of Cuntry Covers Vol.1 in 2021, Salmena has now collaborated with multi-instrumentalist Duncan Hay Jennings once again for Vol.2., set for release next month.

As a taster of the upcoming EP’s release, Bria has now shared her rendition of Paula Cole’s ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?‘. Adding her own unique reverb-strewn scuzz and whirring danceable energy to the original, her rich, sumptuous vocals ripple alongside a soul-strewn groove, creating a dreamily immersive soundscape.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Cuntry Covers Vol.2, we caught up with Bria to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. Rather than pick five all-time top albums, she’s selected the songs she’s listening to the most right now – read/listen below and check out Cuntry Covers Vol.1 while you await the release of Vol.2!


It’s impossible for me to pick my favourite songs or albums, I’m just not one of those people. For me, it’s constantly in flux. So I’ve decided instead to share my top five songs of January 2023. And to be clear, these are not songs released in Jan 2023 but rather what’s been on repeat in my house, car, headphones etc. This list is extremely manic, I hope you enjoy it. 

Nourished By Time – ‘Romance In Me’
Nourished By Time is a new discovery – initially introduced through an NTS playlist. There’s a very obvious nostalgic quality to the track, but I really just think the vocal progression is something entirely unique. I love the production – there’s a really satisfying balance of tension between the keys and guitar, especially in the choruses. This song really builds extremely well, I feel as though I kind of get swept away in it. It’s the kind of song I find myself harmonising with vocally, however annoying that may seem. When I’m in the mood to feel heartbroken I’ll probably put this song on.

Kate Bush – ‘Pull Out The Pin’
I’m a long-time Kate Bush fan, and this song came back into my rotation this month. The intensity of this track lyrically and musically is so satisfying for me. I love Bush’s ability to tell a story, it feels like theatre. This song was written after she had seen a documentary about the Vietnam war, wherein they show Vietnamese soldiers putting little silver buddhas in their mouths as they approached the front line. I love hearing this side of Bush’s vocal range – her ability to sing-scream is so beautiful, it’s been somewhat cathartic to listen this month. I also feel as though this is an overlooked B-side of hers, so I’m urging you now to give it a listen. 

Deftones- ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’
So technically, I started having this song on repeat in December, but there are no rules here. On Christmas day, I went to a very famous bikini bar here in Los Angeles called Jumbo’s, and one of the dancers did a very impressive pole dance to this song. I hadn’t heard it in so long and after that, I played it throughout my somewhat lonely holiday season. I think it might be the hottest song ever written – not sexiest, but hottest. The whole record is amazing, I don’t even know if I can say any more about it.

Golpe – ‘Non Piergarti’
Golpe is an Italian punk band whose first full-length record came out in 2021. Lots of Italian friends had told me to check them out and I finally did sometime last fall. ‘Non Piegarti’ might be one of my favourites of theirs – with ‘La Colpa E Solo Tua’ as a close second. I’ve spent most of January moving into a new apartment and sorting out my life here in Los Angeles, and the song title translates to “Don’t Bend Over” which has been a bit of a mantra of mine throughout a stressful month. I’m a big fan of the production of this song, and I love the vocal effect on this song and how well the guitars sit alongside. It’s heavy, but very well-balanced.

Florist – ‘Red Bird Part 2 (Morning)’
This song is extremely beautiful and EXTREMELY sad. You’ve been warned. When I’m searching for a sort of sad calm feeling, I will put this on. It’s a beautifully tragic song about the death of the singer’s mother. I’m drawn to the simplicity of the instrumentation, rooted in acoustic guitar and accompanied by a kind of dreamy ethereal electric guitar. I also am a big fan of the double unison vocals on this track – I myself love doing that, as I feel you can really round out the sound that way.


Massive thanks to Bria for sharing her five ‘favourites’ with us! Listen to new single ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?’ now:

Cuntry Covers Vol.2, the upcoming EP from Bria, is set for release on 24th February via Sub Pop.

Photo Credit: Justin Aranha

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New Track: Death Valley Girls – ‘Sunday’

Having been big fans of LA’s Death Valley Girls for a few years now, I’m super excited to hear that they will be announcing their new album at the end of next month. Our second taster from the upcoming release (following 2021’s ‘It’s All Really Kind Of Amazing’) comes in the form of truly dreamy new single, ‘Sunday‘.

Oozing a glistening, ethereal splendour, ‘Sunday’ offers a sweeping slice of anthemic, soul-strewn psych-rock. Building with a fizzing energy, it harks back to the psychedelic sounds of the ’70s California scene, whilst showcasing the bands’ ability to create something that is utterly unique. Reflecting on the process of addressing your pain and being honest with yourself, it’s a beautifully immersive trip into the cosmic world of Death Valley Girls; stepping away from some of their previous scuzz-filled post-punk offerings, but no less stirring. So, bathe in ‘Sunday’s blissful haze as Bonnie Bloomgarden’s distinctive impassioned vocals ripple throughout this uplifting shimmering soundscape.

Of the track, Bloomgarden expands:

“Recently I realized I have been numbing, medicating, intellectualizing, and avoiding my pain and feelings for most of my life. Over the past few years I learned you have to feel and move through your feelings or they get stuck, and then you become a vessel or container for all the feelings you are trying to avoid! If you acknowledge, feel, and process them, you get to release and move them out of you! This song is to honor that process! Feel your feelings, be so sad you wanna cry forever, and then move on, you gotta keep moving!”

‘Sunday’ is accompanied by a wonderfully trippy, animated, Alice-In-Wonderland-inspired video, directed by Arturo Baston. Watch here:

Islands In The Sky, the upcoming new album from Death Valley Girls, is set for release on 24th February via Suicide Squeeze Records – pre-order here. And catch Death Valley Girls live when they’re over in the UK next month – more info here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Neto Velasco

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Introducing Interview: Badliana

Having received acclaim from the likes of Clash magazine and BBC Radio 1XTRA’s Jamz Supernova for her 2021 debut EP Diary Of A Loner, and having wowed crowds at Glastonbury last year, Bristol based artist Badliana is a definite one to watch on the UK R&B and grime scene. Propelled by immersive trippy beats as glistening, soulful vocals soar, recent single ‘Mayday‘ showcases Badliana’s ability to create fierce soundscapes with a raw emotion.

We caught up with Badliana to find out more…

Hi Badliana! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 
Hey I’m Badliana, I’m a singer, songwriter & rapper based in Bristol. I also love dancing, playing cards and putting hot chocolate in my coffee…

Are you able to tell us a bit about how and why you initially started creating music? 
It’s my way of expressing myself and I’ve always felt like it’s something I’ve needed to do. I was always singing and making up songs when I was younger, and I’ve just continued to do that and develop and grow into my sound.

We love your trippy electronic sounds, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
My musical influences differ & my playlists are a complete mixture of genres to be honest, ranging from artists like Busta Rhymes to Beabadoobee. I’m currently really loving Audrey Nuna – she’s so cool. For more electronic vibes, I would definitely recommend checking out Tlya X An’s recent release with Yard Woman – ‘Steps’, it’s such a banger. 

You recently released your single ‘Mayday’. Are you able to tell us a bit about it?
‘Mayday’ is produced by Mussi, who I frequently work with. We’ve been sitting on it for quite a while and finally felt ready to release it. I love this track because I love the energy in it and it’s really fun to play live and dance around.

Being based in Bristol, do you get to see lots of live music? Would you say it’s recovered since the pandemic?
Yeah there’s always stuff going on – Strange Brew is a really cool venue that I’ve been to a few times recently & I saw a sick DJ at The Jam Jar a few weeks back too, but sadly I don’t know what they were called & I’m gutted I didn’t find out! My friend is running a wicked event at the Love Inn on Friday too, so I’ll likely be heading to that! It’s good to see the city thriving again, that’s for sure.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?  
Lot’s of energy and sass, I love a bit of sass! I just want to enjoy myself and have fun, and I want people watching to do the same. Let loose and let go!

How do you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the last few years in its treatment of female and queer/LGBTQ+  artists? 
I mean, it’s ever changing and there’s so many routes you can go down now to try and get heard, but as long as you’re doing it because you’re enjoying what you do, then you’re winning really. I love to see the inclusivity and I also think Bristol is a great city for that – it’s very welcoming and accepting. I did a show with FUZE back in June last year, where I debuted ‘Mayday’ and danced with my own backing dancers – proper Britney moment for me, it was lit. They’re a non-profit charity organisation who raise money for a lot of current issues within this generation – LGBTQ+ and Transgender issues included. They’re ALL about expressing yourself, whoever you are, and are such an amazing group of people, I’ll be playing with them again in June this year and I seriously can’t wait. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists or bands you’re loving right now that you’d recommend we check out?
You should check out Baby Pink, her new single ‘Unbothered’ is so smooth. Alamay is another amazing artist, she has the voice of an angel. Nat Oaks is absolutely popping off right now too, & I’m a big fan of LEMFRECK as well, the list goes on and on…

What does the rest of the year have in store for you? 
I’ve got a couple of videos on the way and you can catch me gigging, I’ll post all my updates on my socials and I’m working on my next few releases too!

Massive thanks to Badliana for answering our questions, watch her lyric video for ‘Mayday’ below:

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Five Favourites: Ghost Car

Having released their epic debut album, Truly Trash, towards the end of last year, London band Ghost Car have previously received acclaim from the likes of Skunk Anansie’s Skin and DIY Magazine, as well as sharing stages with legends such as Beth Ditto and Amyl and The Sniffers. Showcasing their quirky, retro energy and trademark whirring soundscapes and honey-sweet vocals, the album is a pure post-punk delight; a whimsical, yet gritty, insight into the world of Ghost Car.

Originally due to be released by Burger Records, the band then pulled out of the planned album release as accounts of sexual assault and exploitation of women by associates of the label came to light. As activists for feminism and members of the LGBTQ+ community, Ghost Car practice what they preach, and aim to spread their mantra of inclusivity and equal rights as loud as possible.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Truly Trash, we caught up with Ghost Car to ask about the music that has inspired them the most. See below for their choice of five favourite albums!

Sweeping Promises – Hunger For A Way Out

Cece: This masterpiece came out during lockdown and I immediately became obsessed with it. I always thought that a good lo-fi sound can cut through you way better than overly produced music and this album is proof of it. I haven’t heard something so genuine, direct, and beautiful in a long time. It has all been recorded live, using the “single-mic” technique which creates a perfectly unique and nostalgic sound. Lira’s vocals are incredible and a big inspiration for me, I always keep her style as a reference when I need to push my singing to something less obvious and it’s a good reminder to not detach myself and sing with the heart, not just using my voice.


Du Blonde – Homecoming

Clara: We’ve been asked to play with Du Blonde and we didn’t know much about her. When we checked out one of her video clips to check the vibes, I got super excited, and what an album this is! I could feel that same crazy excitement as when you were in your teens and you got a new record. She’s fun, she’s so talented, she’s so sincere! And she wrote, recorded, produced and released this album herself – how amazing. Loving the ‘90s vibes, but also the romantic chords of ‘Take Me Away’ sending me back to a love song from the ‘50s.


Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material

Maeve: This is one of the greatest albums ever written in my opinion. I got a lot of my musical understanding from my mum – she was in her 20s during the troubles and told me stories of going to see SLF in Belfast and having punk music as a release for all the political chaos happening around them. The start of ‘Johnny Was’ gives me chills and there’s nothing better than screaming ‘Suspect Device’ with my mum really loud.


Deerhoof – The Magic

Laura: I’ve been a fan of this band for a long time, but only bought this album quite recently at the independent label fair – tempted by the white vinyl and the fact it’s released on Upset! The rhythm… It’s brilliant! I really enjoy how it switches tempo and mood often, and you can see the band’s many influences worn on their sleeves! Recorded in 2015, it’s raw and full of experiments – I love the way it takes your hand and leads you through their world. Plus, Satomi’s voice is iconic.


X – Los Angeles

Maeve: I only found out about this album from Cece recently when she said “you need to listen to this album, you’re gonna love it” and she was right. One of the great things about Ghost Car is that we all have such varying different music tastes – we know each other so well, and are constantly discovering new music together. I love the intensity and grit of this album and it got me really excited to write some new bangers with the girls.

Cece: X was a late discovery for me too and I knew it would quickly escalate to my top 10 after listening to ‘Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not’ – a brilliant song where you can see a great example of perfect harmony between male and female vocals. I was also quite amazed to find out that was produced by ex-Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. X had a huge impact on the ‘80s punk scene and without them we wouldn’t have loads of the great bands that we have today. For example, would Kathy Valentine ever have joined The Go-Go’s if she hadn’t met Charlotte Caffey at the X gig at the Whisky at Go Go in 1980…?

Massive thanks to Ghost Car for sharing their Five Favourites with us! Their debut album Truly Trash is out now via One Little Independent Records. Watch the video for album track ‘Conch Pearl’ below:

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