Track Of The Day: Fräulein – ‘Pretty People’

Originally hailing from Northern Ireland and the Netherlands respectively, London-based duo Joni Samuels and Karsten van der Tol – aka Fräulein – have been winning us over since we first became pretty obsessed with last year’s single ‘Drag Behind’, and then continued to be totally hooked on its follow up, ‘Mary’. So, we were excited to hear that they have now shared an equally impressive new offering.

Reflecting on the shallow world of fashion, ‘Pretty People’ is inspired by a party that Joni attended at which it was highlighted that if you didn’t fit the right look, clothes or clock in the right number of followers online, you’d be dismissed. Propelled by sparse beats and stripped back hooks, the track builds with a captivating dark energy as Joni’s sweeping vocals create a majestic, grunge-infused atmosphere.

Oozing that trademark whirring, lo-fi twang that we’ve come to know and love from previous singles, ‘Pretty People’ showcases the duo developing and honing their sound with a more polished finish. With an anthemic scuzz, Joni’s vocals flow with a visceral passion, exuding a bewitching, gritty splendour.

Of the track, the duo sum-up: “The song is about refusing to be small, even if the people around you are telling you to be.”

And so my obsession with Fräulein’s sound continues. I cannot recommend these two strongly enough; I really think they have something wonderfully nostalgic, yet ultimately unique, to offer. And, as soon as it is safe to do so, I cannot wait for them to blow us away live at one of our gig nights!

Shot by Emma Swann and edited by Luke Macpherson, and filmed entirely on Mini DV tape, watch the new video for ‘Pretty People’ now:

Mastered by Noel Summerville (The White Stripes, My Bloody Valentine), ‘Pretty People‘ is out now via Practise Music. If you’re lucky enough to have tickets, you can catch Fräulein live at The Windmill, supporting Butch Kassidy, on 26th May.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Solidarity Not Silence – ‘This Is Sisterhood’

“Using my platform for the greater good. I stand in solidarity, this is sisterhood.“

This poignant refrain sums up all that the powerful new release from Solidarity Not Silence stands for. With members of The Tuts, Petrol Girls, Personal Best and Colour Me Wednesday collaborating, as well as a snippet of the legendary Kathleen Hanna speaking about the cause, ‘This Is Sisterhood’ sees members of the DIY feminist music community come together to raise funds for the legal costs of a group of women who are fighting a defamation claim made against them.

The Solidarity Not Silence movement was started to raise money for the legal cost for this group of women, after each of them spoke up about their accuser’s alleged abuse. A number of his former partners, as well as feminist musicians who spoke out in support, including Nadia Javed of The Tuts and Ren Aldridge of Petrol Girls, are facing a libel claim. Their case is immensely relevant in the aftermath of #MeToo and could affect legal precedent on how similar cases are treated by the law. 

And ‘This Is Sisterhood’ marks the perfect way to bring the case to people’s attention; as Nadia Javed explains: “… we’re musicians not lawyers. We can’t fight this case without the help of our lawyers, but what we can do, is use our skills and resources as musicians to tell our story, and build the momentum that we need to expand our fundraising campaign and keep covering our legal costs.”

A truly impassioned and empowering creation, ‘This Is Sisterhood’ is a totally necessary call to arms; a plea to unite in solidarity against the patriarchal norms seeking to hold us down. Starting with the glistening, honey-sweet vocals of Javed telling the story of Solidarity Not Silence, it builds with swirling riffs (courtesy of Katie from Personal Best) and a stirring energy to a rousing anthem.

As the poignant, spoken word from Ren (Petrol Girls) states some of the disturbing facts surrounding gender-based violence against the heartrending backdrop of a sweeping chorus of harmonic voices (all powerful voices from across the DIY punk community), we’re left to reflect on the track’s resonant sentiment – “When will the reputation of men stop being valued over our safety?”.

Propelled by an immense, stirring splendour, ‘This Is Sisterhood’ sends shivers down the spine with its emotion-filled sweeping power and urgent sentiment. An utterly necessary, and deeply cathartic, listen; a beautifully compelling way to bring attention to such a pressing issue, showcasing the true power of women and non-binary people coming together to unite and fight back against the powers that seek to control us.

Watch the emotive new video, created by Martyna Wisniewska and featuring footage of the community recording the track, for ‘This Is Sisterhood’ here:

Engineered by Simon Small and produced by Patrick James Pearson, ‘This Is Sisterhood’ is out now via Alcopop! Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Martyna Wisniewska

More information about Solidarity Not Silence and the defamation case:
The group of women has been fighting this case for over four years, and is desperately trying to fundraise enough money to maintain their legal representation. Since launching their crowdfunder – and again since identities were made public – they have received an extraordinary amount of support. It seems that their case resonates with many people who have had similar experiences of being silenced by someone with more power, fame or financial backing. 
However, they have now reached a crucial point in the case, where costs are escalating rapidly. Therefore, in an attempt to reach out beyond their usual networks they wrote and recorded this powerful single, which tells the compelling story of their legal battle, in 2019 and are now releasing it into the world. Their strategy in releasing the track is twofold: firstly they hope to raise money directly through digital downloads and merch sales, but ultimately the goal is to tell their story and get as much attention, and therefore donations, to their crowdfunder as possible. 

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Premiere: Cozy Slippers – ‘When Will When Come?’

Having started when Barbara Barrilleaux and Sarah Engel met at ‘Ladies Rock Camp’, a weekend event that brings women together to learn to play instruments and form bands, Seattle based Cozy Slippers have since recruited guitarist Steven Skelton, and charmed us live at The Finsbury when they came all the way across the pond to play for us back in 2019. Now, following singles such as ‘Hard To Say Goodbye’ and ‘A Million Pieces’, they’ve shared a luscious new offering.

The first release to come from a year’s worth of home recordings from the band, ‘When Will When Come?’ is a plea to live life to its fullest, embracing all of its messy possibilities. Propelled by a scuzzy, sunny energy and effervescent musicality, it flows with jangly melodies alongside Sarah’s sweeping, smooth vocals that ooze a gentle heartwarming emotion. With shades of The Cranberries, or even GIHE faves Chorusgirl, ‘When Will When Come?’ builds with twinkling hooks and sparkling harmonies to a truly uplifting slice of shimmering indie-pop. I mean, how could a song about pink flamingos do anything but make you smile…?!

 

Mixed by Dylan Wall (Great Grandpa, High Sunn), ‘When Will When Come?’ is out tomorrow 30th April.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Five Favourites: Ci Majr

Having just released her debut EP Side Effects, upcoming Atlanta artist Ci Majr creates uplifting, emotion-filled pop anthems. A specially curated five track project, the EP sparkles with a heartfelt sense of hope alongside a scintillating energy and twinkling hooks.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Ci Majr to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five albums that have shaped her as a musician. Check out her choices below and scroll down to watch the recent video for ‘Guillotine’ at the end of the feature.

Daft Punk – Discovery
Discovery was such an important album in my evolution as a music lover and also as a future singer/songwriter/producer. This was one of six CDs in my dad’s car that I’d get to choose from on my morning rides to middle school. There was something incredibly infectious about this album from the beginning. At the root of it, it just felt so new and fresh. I hadn’t heard anything so purely “electronic”. Usually, I’d be able to pick out a multitude of instruments but with Daft Punk it was like a symphony of synths and my young brain was just infatuated. Plus, even reflecting now, the songwriting is so simple in a way but also so catchy, and now as a songwriter myself I can really appreciate how much harder it is to make a simple song that gets your point across. ‘Something About Us’ is a perfect example of that. A lot of repetition, very simple vocabulary, and it’s just so moving and catchy. It is something I aspire towards.


Yanni – Yanni Live At The Acropolis
Yanni is a Greek-American instrumental composer. I actually know this “album” as a live concert DVD (yay DVDs are old school now lol) that my parents had. I grew up playing classical music, so (as a kid) I only saw instrumental/orchestral music as being quite boring and old-fashioned. Yanni, on the other hand, was conducting an orchestra, while playing the bongos, piano and more, and the music was just so lively and contemporary. It was like listening to the soundtrack of a movie but the music is so good you don’t even need or want to see the movie. You can just imagine your own storylines. It was so filled with emotion and passion, and his charisma is just so palpable. I remember going through a phase where I was creating/producing incredibly intricate instrumental arrangements because of my obsession with this performance. Additionally, I loved this album/performance so much that when I was a gymnast as a child I made one of the songs ‘Nostalgia’ my floor routine music.


Christine and the Queens – La Vita Nuova
If you know anything about me, you should know that I’m a bit obsessed with Christine and the Queens. She’s like the queer pop queen I’ve needed for so long. This latest EP La Vita Nuova absolutely blew my mind and what makes it even better is the visual that goes along with it. I watch the visual for it at least monthly and it’s just as good each time. Christine is an artist across the board: musically, visually, her abilities as a dancer. She’s an icon aesthetically and in practice. She’s such an inspiration to me that when she used different configurations of colourful rhinestones on her face in the visual album, it was the inspiration for my use of colourful rhinestones in my music video for Guillotine.


Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience
So even before this album, I was a huge fan of Justin Timberlake, but what makes this album special for me is that it really feels like such an incredibly cohesive and intentional body of work. First off, each of the songs are between 4.5-8 minutes, which is unheard of for a pop album. So many of the songs start with the “radio edit” and then have an outro of sorts, and I was just so easily hooked to each of these songs despite the length. It was similar to hearing Discovery where I felt like the “style” that was captured in this album just felt so new and fresh that I was addicted to this album. I think what I loved most about this album is that it felt to me that Justin and everyone else involved weren’t trying to sound like anyone, it was just like whatever he created, whatever came out, he just went with it and that’s how I’d like to conduct myself as a creative. Not using others as guidelines but just trusting the art that emerges authentically.


Kanye – Life Of Pablo
What I love most about this album is that I wasn’t super into Kanye before this album (like I knew his popular stuff but probably never listened to an album from front to back). Kanye is a rapper but this album is so much more than a rap/hip hop album. It’s similar to The 20/20 Experience where you can just tell that there were just no creative guide-rails and the authenticity becomes the star of the show. It’s just a work of art.

Massive thanks to Ci Majr for sharing her Five Favourites!

Side Effects, the debut EP from Ci Majr, is out now. Watch the recent video for ‘Guillotine’ here:

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