Track Of The Day: Carmel Smickergill – ‘Questioning’

Having performed with the likes of New Order, and with acclaim from BBC 6Music’s Maryanne Hobbs, Manchester based musician Carmel Smickersgill has been mentored by the acclaimed Anna Meredith and prides herself on creating unique ‘outsider pop’.

Taken from her upcoming debut EP, Smickersgill today has shared an utterly spellbinding new track. A quirky reflection on identity, ‘Questioning‘ immerses the listener with its captivating whirring grace and celestial energy, creating an exquisitely ethereal soundscape reminiscent of GIHE fave Jenny Hval. A perfect introduction to the intriguing, multi-faceted offerings that are yet to come from this innovative new artist. Of the track, Smickersgill explains:

“I think how you react to something, how you pronounce your vowels etc when you’re caught off-guard, really says a lot about who you are and where you’ve come from… ‘Questioning’ is a celebration of identity, but one to be taken lightly. Revel in the bold changes and big shapes.“

We Get What We And We Don’t Get Upset, the debut EP from Carmel Smickersgill, is set for release on 15th April via Prah Recordings. And I cannot wait to hear more of her intriguing soundscapes!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Elspeth Moore

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Track Of The Day: Gemma Cullingford – ‘Walking In The Air’

Following acclaim for her debut solo album Let Me Speak from the likes of John Kennedy, Jamz Supernova and Amy Lame earlier this year, Gemma Cullingford (who you may know as one half of epic electro-punk duo Sink Ya Teeth) has now shared her own festive offering.

A unique rendition of The Snowman’s ‘Walking In The Air’, it’s propelled by immersive glitchy beats and a haunting, captivating energy. As soaring vocals flow alongside the pulsating, effervescent soundscape, Cullingford has transformed this emotive classic into a swirling, strangely dark – yet instantly uplifting – slice of fizzing alt disco.

With The Snowman apparently being the only Christmas film that Gemma can bear to watch, she explains of the track:

“I remember as a child watching The Snowman and owning the picture book, both of which were just magical and strangely soothing… I’d been toying with the idea of covering it for the last few years. This is the song that represents the film and I decided to ‘Gemma it up’ a bit...”


Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: TV Room – ‘Balcony’

You may know her as the drummer of deep tan or Buggs, but London-based multi-talented artist Lucy Rushton – aka TV Room – has now shared her shimmering debut solo single.

Showcasing Rushton’s rich cascading vocals, ‘Balcony‘ ripples with a smooth, soulful splendour and lilting energy, with shades of early Marika Hackman. Propelled by pattering beats and twinkling hooks, alongside an immersive, confessional lyrical storytelling, a sparkling winter ballad is created, oozing a captivating, effervescent allure. With its cinematic musicality and heartfelt raw emotion, it offers a perfectly comforting accompaniment to a cosy festive evening.

A self professed “soft-boy queer anthem”, ‘Balcony’ offers an honest reflection on the feelings that accompany a break-up. Of the track, Rushton explains:

“It’s important to think about whether it’s self-fulfilling to just say everything you’re feeling to someone who you’ve broken up with, or whether sometimes it’s best to understand that they might not need that just because you do, and let them move on. It doesn’t stop you from wanting to get it out somehow though, so I’d recommend writing a sad song about it instead.”

Watch the new video for ‘Balcony’ here:

‘Balcony’ is out now via Sad Club Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Syd Parsons

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Introducing Interview: CRAWLERS

Based in Liverpool, raging rockers CRAWLERS have spent the last couple of years building a loyal and committed fan base, and have now shared their long awaited debut EP – a diverse collection of emotion-strewn anthems. From the raging, politically-charged energy of ‘Statues’ to the sparkling melancholic splendour of ‘Come Over (again’), each track oozes the band’s trademark impassioned drive and swirling raw charisma.

We caught up with CRAWLERS to find out more about them and their mission as a band…

Hi CRAWLERS, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band?
Hiya Get In Her Ears! Crawlers are a four-piece band based in North-West England (half of us from Warrington and the other Liverpool), we formed in late 2018 and like playing around with the sound of rock in any way we can, but most of all we’re four best mates who love creating music. 

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
Amy (guitarist) and Liv (bass) played together in a few bands in their high school and ended up splitting up when both went to different sixth forms. Holly (vocals) and Liv then went to LIPA Sixth Form in Liverpool, and were into very similar music and decided after dabbling in a few projects to create a band with Amy. We met Harry just after we released our third ever single as he wrote a review of the song for a magazine, and once we said we needed a new drummer he was the perfect fit!

Your new EP CRAWLERS is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the EP?
The EP has mainy themes, however it definitely has an overarching theme of struggles. The first single ‘Statues’ is about the corruption of the American police system, and its institutionalised racism. The second ‘Breathe’ is about my (Holly) existential crisis about the development of social media and technology. The penultimate ‘MONROE’ explores the beauty standards specifically for women in media, and the unfair treatment of Britney Spears. And finally ‘Come Over (again)’, the final track, is about our own personal woes, grief of relationships and family, and most of all, the people who cause such feelings.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Nova Twins and Yungblood, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
We’re very lucky to be compared to both artists as they’re both individually extremely talented! We as a band definitely are inspired by the likes of Nirvana, The Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age, Pixies and Smashing Pumpkins… However, individually we all love very different types of music which allows us to delve into many different types of genres. Holly loves artists such as Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers and Black Country New Road, whilst Liv is a huge metal fan, inspired by bands such as Metalica and Tool. Harry loves Gorillaz and Rage Against the Machine, and Amy is the biggest Fleetwood Mac and ABBA fan possibly ever!  

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
Liverpool is a wonderful scene currently, exploding with some of the UK’s biggest talents of many alternative genres. Everybody knows everybody and word spreads fast of a new band on the scene and it’s absolutely crazy to start becoming mutual friends with artists and bands we have loved and respected since we first started out in the scene. 

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
As we have grown as artists, we have definitely also grown as performers. For some reason I (Holly) used to pretend to be bada*s on stage, when in reality I’m a bit of a joker. We focus on creating a safe space for all kinds of supporters, as I have sensory issues. I try to ensure when our heavier songs are played that everyone is aware of their space, as well as those around them and their actions, so that everyone can have a good time! I know there’s been a lot of times at heavier gigs when I have personally felt extremely overwhelmed because of the environment, and we wanna let people enjoy heavy music no matter how they like to enjoy it. Not gonna lie, sometimes I do treat a gig like a bit of a comedy show – I have a funny rapport with the audience and a giggle with the band. I feel like that makes it a lot more personal, and when our emotional songs are performed, it feels like we go through every single emotion at our gigs. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
Our current favourites from our scene are definitely Torture and the Desert Spiders, Stone, Gadzooks and Zuzu! All you should definitely check out! Generally I would recommend Witch Fever, Vial, Lowertown, Tash and Charles and the Big Boys too.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It’s a hard one. Social media has definitely made it easier for artists to get noticed, however it has also meant major labels have even more power to control, and has meant the over saturation of artists has made it difficult to stand out. A good time to play around in the live scene, now it is all back and about, and a good time to build a platform! 

Finally, what does 2022 have in store for CRAWLERS?
A lot. We’re going to be going on our first ever tour, and hopefully showing you guys even more of our now very diverse catalogue, hehe. We’re just so lucky for so early in our career to have such amazing supporters and fanbase – and we can’t wait to grow our craft and share it with the world!

Massive thanks to CRAWLERS for answering our questions! Watch the video for latest single ‘Come Over (again)’ here:

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