Track Of The Day: Gemma Cullingford – ‘New Day’

Having received praise from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Steve LaMacq and Amy Lame, as well as Radio X’s John Kennedy for previous singles ‘Tongue Tied’ and ‘Wide Boys’, Gemma Cullingford (of GIHE faves Sink Ya Teeth) has now shared a brand new offering ahead of her upcoming album release in September.

Reflecting on night terrors that we can all experience even as adults, and the optimism that the morning can bring, ‘New Day‘ delivers a blissfully shimmering soundscape evoking a nostalgic energy, with shades of the danceable hits of the ’80s. Flowing with glitchy, synth-driven hooks as the subtle stirring power of Cullingford’s vocals oozes alongside a whirring, twinkling drive, a truly euphoric summer anthem is created.

Watch the beautiful new lyric video for ‘New Day’ here:

A special remix of ‘New Day’ by Rodney Cromwell is due out on 8th August. And Tongue Tied, the upcoming second album from Gemma Cullingford, is set for release this Autumn. To celebrate its release she’ll be playing a joint headline show for us with Alice Hubble and support from Yay Maria at The Shacklewell Arms on 10th September. Get your tickets on DICE now!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Murman – ‘Falling Down’

Since forming back in 2018 via a Gumtree Ad, London-Brighton band Murman are now a refined four piece who’ve shared stages with the likes of Lucia and the Best Boys and Porridge Radio at esteemed venues such as The Scala and Camden Assembly. Now, following the success of recent singles ‘Baptism’ and ‘Achilles’, they have shared an infectious new offering.

Propelled by swirling, scuzzy hooks and an anthemic, emotion-filled drive, ‘Falling Down‘ oozes a gritty energy in the vein of rock greats such as Bruce Springsteen and The Killers, with an added unique colourful pizazz and impassioned swooning vocals. If you’re in need of an instantly catchy, joyously jangly slice of Americana-tinged garage-rock, then look no further… ‘Falling Down’ offers a perfectly danceable antidote to all of life’s worries. Of the track, the band explain:

“It’s one of those songs that just sticks with you and you keep hearing in your head. We feel incredibly privileged to have collaborated with extraordinarily talented people like Josh Hayward (The Horrors) who worked with us in the studio, Garmo Mandica who mixed and produced the song, and Swedish vocalist Wiktoria who is featured on backing vocals on the track... I’m a big fan of Blondie – I remember hearing ‘Dreaming’ for the first time and it was like a kick to the gut. I wanted ‘Falling Down’ to have that same impact.”

Watch the new video for ‘Falling Down’ now:

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Introducing Interview: Annie Elise

Having recently released her evocative debut EP, Breathe In, Breathe Out, Boston based artist and producer Annie Elise strives to elevate women in music production through the celestial soundscapes she creates. Born with Synesthesia, she is a “conductor for colour” – creating music that produces the colours she likes to see. The result are blissful, electro-driven, R’n’B infused pop anthems showcasing both her rich, sweeping vocals and innovative production capabilities.

We caught up with Annie to find out more about the EP, how she got into creating music and what inspires her… Have a read, and make sure you check check out Breathe In, Breathe Out, which was released in partnership with non-profit organisation Someone To Tell It To, which is dedicated to the power of compassionate listening in today’s society.

Hi Annie Elise, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hey there, thanks so much for having me! My name is Annie Elise, and I’m a producer/artist/A&R currently living in Boston. I really love the colour purple, and I have a kitten named Juno, short for Roland Juno-106 Polyphonic Synthesizer. 

How did you start creating music?
It was a bit of a perfect storm. I was born with a neurological condition called Synesthesia that causes me to physically see sound and hear colour, so naturally I gravitated towards music. I was also born into a musical family – my dad is an amazing music educator. When I was nine, his middle school program was gifted an iMac lab to learn Garage Band, and I became the guinea pig for the new curriculum. I was instantly hooked and would sneak downstairs at night to go play around with some sounds, and that was my first experience with production. Around that time, I started studying classical violin, and later was accepted into Berklee College of Music to study violin performance. But I guess my hands had other plans – about halfway through my first semester, my fingers stopped working as they should and I was eventually diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, which meant a career in violin performance was out of the question. Heartbroken, I had to decide what to do next, and I decided to pivot towards production, and never looked back. Thankfully, it allows me to still be creative without needing all ten fingers working perfectly! And now I’m here, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Your latest EP Breathe In, Breathe Out is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the EP?
To sum it up the best I can, it’s the honest, genuine story of my worst year. It’s filled with grief, loss, doubt, stress, surgeries, hospital visits, and sexism – but also perseverance, finding inner strength, identity and recognition. I think optimism in the face of uncertainty is a big theme for me – starting around the time I lost the use of my finger – and I like to think of this as a personal journey of the healing process. I recorded all the strings on the EP myself, and it was a long and frustrating process to deal with the Dystonia, but it was so special for me to be the one playing my violin. The EP kind of starts in this incredibly dark and overwhelming place with ‘Breathe In’, and then over the course of the record slowly gets lighter and more optimistic until the end, when you end with ‘Breathe Out’, which is all about welcoming peace and letting things be.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Shura and Robyn, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I’m super inspired by other gender minorities in production who are absolutely killing it – Bad Snacks, Rachel K Collier, and SoWylie to name a few – as well as songwriters who are able to just be 1000% honest and genuine. Matthew Thiessen of Relient K has been a huge influence for me, as well as Devon Again and Lila Drew.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I end up seeing a lot of live music thanks to my A&R work! Going to support and scout artists is all part of the job, and I’ve really enjoyed watching all sorts of acts just be their best selves on stage. It’s really inspiring.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Last month, we finished up our first ever Northeast Tour! It was soooo much fun. When I’m performing solo, you can expect a solo beat set. I hook up a vocal mic, my SP404sx, my viola and we have a ball. When I’m performing with my band, the set sounds way more neo-soul than electronic, and it’s way less for me to worry about since there’s no looping, no sampling, no playing while singing… Just me and the band. There’s things I love about both setups, but sometimes it’s just logistically easier to do it one way over another. I love having the flexibility and also the unpredictability of having every show be something different.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I mentioned Bad Snacks earlier – def check her out! She’s one of the reasons I decided to make the leap into production, and I can’t wait to watch her music continue to do amazing things.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Speaking as an A&R, I would definitely say that it can be harder to cut through the noise since making and releasing music is far more accessible these days. Surrounding yourself with the right team and being true to yourself as an artist is the absolute best thing you can do.

Finally, what does the rest of 2022 have in store for Annie Elise?
Lots of new music – both for my artist project, and music that I’ve produced for other people. I’m really excited for it all to be out into the world.

Massive thanks to Annie for answering our questions!

Breathe In, Breathe Out, the debut EP from Annie Elise, is out now.

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Five Favourites: Sir Jude

Having had previous singles featured in popular TV shows such as ‘Catfish’ and ‘The A List’, Australian artist Sir Jude has now announced the release of her upcoming debut album, Revelations, and shared a sweeping new single with the world. Propelled by a stirring, glitchy energy ‘Madonna‘ reflects on the dichotomy of the Madonna concept – the virgin and the whore. As her rich vocals soar over a gritty electro-infused soundscape, an instantly catchy cinematic alt-pop anthem is created.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of ‘Madonna’ and the upcoming debut album, we caught up with Sir Jude to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. See below for her choices of her five favourite songs.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Wet Sand’ 
Growing up, I was such a big Chili Peppers fan. Still am of course. It was the soundtrack to many defining moments, particularly my first love. My journey to discovering them as a band was led by pure intrigue – none of my friends listened to them and I was mesmerised by the sound of psychedelic rock. The lyric in this track – “you don’t form in the wet sand” – I thought was so delicate and beautiful. Despite it feeling like a song about lightness, there is this sense of tragedy and vulnerability. I think Anthony Kiedis mastered that; most of their songs have this wonderful element of dichotomy. Later I watched an interview of Flea talking about how the song for him is a special love song, about the darkness of love, and I deeply resonate with that.  

Imogen Heap – ‘Hide and Seek’
This song was a staple for my teen years! I had first heard this on my favourite show at the time – which I’m admitting was The OC. I think for most people, it was unlike anything else they’d heard before. For me, I wanted to know more. I think Imogen Heap is one of the most talented composers and is an absolute force for women in music. I’m so grateful to her for being so authentic and bold in everything she does. This song inspired a whole era of songs I set to write at 13 or 14 (most of which were terrible). But one song it inspired, titled ‘Sailor Ships’, was the very song that brought me to Abbey Road Studios in London, with my friend and collaborator Bryce Jacobs, and that moment was so special.  

Arctic Monkeys – ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ 
This song gets most of its lyrics from the John Cooper Clark poem of the same name. I first heard this and gasped. I’m not the most romantic person, but for the first time I felt like these words were ones I could understand. It’s honestly a little creepy when you read it aloud, but I think at the heart of the song it’s about loving someone so deep that you want to know and be with every single part of them, and that’s pretty beautiful. I feel like such a sap admitting that, but it’s just lovely.  

Kavinsky ft. Lovefoxxx – ‘Nightcall’
I had heard this song before seeing it in Drive. The movie and the scorpion jacket only added to the iconic etch it made in my mind. The way the album, Out Run, opens is so epic; it paints this glorious mental movie soundtrack that is otherworldly and genius and just so cool. It’s the best nighttime driving song there is. Again, there is this sense of love and tragedy that I resonated with because the concept of the album itself felt so tangible.  

The Naked and Famous – ‘The Sun’
I lean very heavily towards songs that make me feel as though I can cut a quick movie montage of my life in my head. Every time this song plays, I feel so empowered and capable – like something is about to happen. It’s dramatic and aggressive and the lyrics bring about a feeling of frustration, like this person is about to explode; like they’re finally at a turning point. The line “and what the hell have I done” inspired my own song – ‘What the Hell Have You Done’. I just remember feeling so heard in that line. It does something to me every time I hear it. And the whole album is a classic; I think there are a lot of people that can listen to a song from that album and have it take them back somewhere years ago.  

Massive thanks to Sir Jude for sharing her Five Favourites with us!

‘Madonna’ is out now, and Revelations, the upcoming debut album from Sir Jude, is set for release soon!

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