Track Of The Day: Scrounge – ‘This Summer’s Been Lethal’

Having continued to impress us over the last few years with both their breathtaking live energy and the unique, genre-bending sound of their recordings, South London duo Lucy and Luke – aka Scrounge – have now announced the release of their upcoming debut album, and we couldn’t be more excited. Having received acclaim from the likes of Radio X’s John Kennedy and BBC 6Music’s Steve LaMacq, they have recently shared the first taster from the album.

Flowing with a twang of rippling hooks alongside Lucy’s gritty, raw vocals, ‘This Summer’s Been Lethal‘ builds with a bewitching tension and potent beats, creating a stark, fizzing soundscape. Oozing the duo’s trademark deep stirring allure and dark, compelling energy, an added uptempo edge propels the track, inciting a small glimmer of hope in these uncertain times. A swirling, immersive wall of sound, here Scrounge have showcased how they are consistently honing their sound; adding innovative layers to create resonant, cathartic anthems for the present day.

Of the track, the band explain:

“‘This Summer’s Been Lethal’ is a retrospective track rooted in uncertainty, desperation and disappointment despite all the excitement of summer… Recorded on the hottest day of the year, we wanted to make something dismal yet danceable. With its pulsing drum patterns and ringing guitars, this track reminds the listener to persevere through the pessimism.”

Scrounge are heading to SXSW this month, and we could not be happier for them!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Five Favourites: Barrie

Set to release her upcoming second album later this month, New York artist Barrie Lindsay – aka Barrie – has been charming our ears with her shimmering sounds for some time now. Ahead of the album’s release, she has now shared ‘Jenny‘ – a poignant reflection on falling in love with her wife. Flowing with twinkling melodies as her delicate crystalline vocals emanate a stirring emotion, it’s a beautifully uplifting offering, celebrating the comfort of finding home in another person.

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 her new album, we caught up with Barrie to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five ‘perfect pop songs’ that she loves and have inspired her sound. Check them out below, and listen to ‘Jenny’ at the end of this article!

The La’s – ‘There She Goes’
I first heard this in the Lindsay Lohan Parent Trap movie, and I come back to it constantly. It’s such a Motown song with the beat, melody, harmonies and loud, live-sounding production – it makes no sense that it came out in 1988. And it perfectly rides the line of happy and melancholy. It seems so simple but the structure and progressions are really hard to pin down. It’s particularly special to me because my dad and I used to play this song on guitar together — it’s really fun on a 12-string.


Robyn – ‘Call Your Girlfriend’
Robyn is a master of minimal maximalism, like SOPHIE. And she’s so committed to the character of Robyn, it’s really inspiring. The Robyn songs that click for me are the ones that have her special mix of drive and melancholy. She gets the perfect balance of hopeful and desperate. I’ve tried many times to write a Robyn song, and I’ll probably keep trying to for a long time. I love running to this song, and it blows my mind that a song is capable of making you physically stronger.


Alvvays – ‘Dreams Tonite’
Beyond the great songwriting (the anticipated chord change in the chorus!), there’s a lyric in this that I think about a lot when I’m songwriting: “On the turnpike, one of Eisenhower’s.” It feels like they are breaking a rule or something – lyrics in popular music don’t reference mundane parts of history like Eisenhower building the turnpikes; it’s a throwaway line that packs so much. The line makes me rethink the inevitability of the way society operates, how everything in our society was designed by some person- it sends me on an entire other existential thread. And particularly at a point where you’re songwriting and can’t or don’t want to delve into yourself for lyrics, why not poke at the things in the world around us that we take for granted as part of everyday life? And ultimately, they all shed light on human behaviour and therefore lead to human connection, like you hope for in a song.

Billy Preston – ‘Nothing From Nothing’
This song feels like pure joy. Great musicianship, great melodies. It’s playful, and after years of listening to it, I still get the same amount of joy from it; it reminds me of dancing in the kitchen as a kid with my family. He was an incredible pianist, and what a great rag-timey piano sound. I joined my school’s gospel choir in college, and got exposed to contemporary gospel music like Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Kurt Carr, and Hezekiah Walker. This song has a lot of the same driving and uplifting qualities as contemporary gospel, which makes sense since Billy Preston came up playing in church. A lot of what I like about this song is the same as what I like about gospel music. So much flair and musicianship from the instrumentalists. They’re so tight.

Britney Spears – ‘How I Roll‘
I first heard this song in 2012 and I was blown away. So many great textures, so chaotic, and also somehow so pure. Underneath the micro beats and totally synthetic, unnatural sounds, it’s just a hand-clapping game song. I like that they threw everything at the song, like a no-bad-ideas session, and then honed every single detail. Everything feels deliberate; it’s experimental but in the name of joy rather than self-indulgence or pretension. How cool that Britney Spears went for this?!


Massive thanks to Barrie for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Barbara, her upcoming new album, is set for release on 25th March via Winspear. Listen to latest single ‘Jenny’ below.

Photo Credit: Alexa Viscius

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Track Of The Day: Ailsa Tully – ‘Salt Glaze’

Following acclaim for last year’s emotive EP Holy Isle from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit and Clash, as well as support slots with esteemed bands such as Another Sky, Welsh artist and GIHE fave Ailsa Tully has now shared a tender new single.

A poignant reflection on the time that Tully and her partner spent in her late Grandmother’s house during the January lockdown last year, and the accompanying feelings of nostalgia, acceptance and love, ‘Salt Glaze‘ flows with shimmering layers of instrumentation laying the foundations for Tully’s heartfelt crystalline vocals. Rippling with lilting keys and sweeping strings, it offers a glistening moment of reflection and gratitude as its gently harmonious musicality oozes a luscious heartfelt splendour and stirring emotion. A truly immersive soundscape emanating a comforting warmth and exquisite captivating grace.

Of the track, Tully explains:

“My Grandma passed away a few years ago and the house remained unchanged, it was like a museum of salt glaze ceramics and abstract art pieces which began to absorb into my creativity. This song is about that space and how my partner and I tried to make it feel like home during that period while also knowing that it wasn’t ours. It’s ultimately a song about acceptance, balance and letting things be…” 

Watch the beautifully endearing, home-recorded new video for ‘Salt Glaze’ here:

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Adam Whitmore

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Get In Her Ears Live @ The Shacklewell Arms w/ Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business, 24.02.2022

Last Thursday, we were back at The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston, and what a dream of a night it was! Overcoming cancellations and changes of line-up, and at a time when we’re all struggling with everything going on in the world, it really was the wonderful musical catharsis we all needed. Huge thanks to the three totally amazing bands who played, and to all the lovely folk who came out to support them and fill the venue… We’re still feeling all the feels, and are extremely grateful to everyone who made it such a beautiful night.

Opening the night, duo Elena and Kyle, aka all cats are beautiful (ACAB, if you will), treat us to their truly dreamy whimsical allure. Delivering their utterly unique ‘sad dance tunes’ (plus a particularly moving cover of Daniel Johnston’s ‘True Love Will Find You In The End’) with a captivating energy, they offer a perfect fusion of immersive heartfelt emotion and uplifting grace.


Next up, Sheffield band Potpourri make their London debut. Walking onto the stage to a self-recorded calming guided meditation, the colourful trio deliver their wonderfully quirky offerings with a vibrant energy and endearing wit. With a sweeping, jazz-infused groove alongside catchy bass hooks and luscious shimmering vocals, the set brings a perfectly blissful interlude to the day’s worries.


Headlining the night, Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business deliver a special, stripped-back set, due to members of the full band that had been planned sadly not being able to make it because of illness. However, despite the last minute changes to both line-up and instrumentation that Jenny had to make, what’s delivered is something truly wonderful. Accompanied by four other vocalists, and occasional violin and bass parts, she sits at the piano delivering each spellbinding anthem with a raw honesty and sparkling charisma. Combining a heartfelt emotion with some much-needed laughs, it’s the perfect musical tonic – a beautifully rousing catharsis.

Massive love and thanks to all three bands who made Thursday such a joyous night! Join us back at The Shacklewell Arms next month, on 25th March, with headliners Fightmilk, Bitch Hunt and Sassyhiya – get your tickets here.

Photos: Jon Mo / @jonmophoto
Words: Mari Lane

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