INTERVIEW: Bleach Lab

Full of bittersweet reflections on romantic burnout, grief and hard won emotional resilience, Bleach Lab‘s second EP, Nothing Feels Real, is an emotive, fluid record that continues to soften the sharpness of their collective pain. Following on from their debut EP, A Calm Sense Of Surrounding, The South London based four piece haven been busy refining their song-writing processes and preparing to headline The Lexington in London on the 20th October.

We caught up with vocalist Jenna Kyle and guitarist Frank Wates to talk about Bleach Lab’s new EP, how it differs from their debut and their anticipations for their upcoming gig…

Hello Jenna and Frank! Can you remember who or what first inspired you to start making your own music?

Jenna: My Mum bought me Singstar when I was about 9 or 10 and I used to come home from school every single day and just whack it out, so she asked me if I wanted to take real singing lessons. Singing has been my main passion through school and up until now. I started playing instruments too, I tried clarinet and I played the harp for a while as well which, was really amazing.

Frank: Conversely, I remember playing on Singstar and it was the thing which made me realise that I could not sing. My personal experience of getting into music has been really backwards and forwards, it took me quite a long time. My Dad is a musician, he performs jazz and it didn’t exactly establish a career in music as a particularly glamorous or easy thing to do. I knew a lot of people who kept telling me not to do it, but I remember I picked up a guitar for the first time when I was 10 and the feeling of wanting to do music would always come back. I’ve gone through a couple of periods where I’ve completely walked away from music entirely and they were definitely the periods that were the worst for me in terms of creativity and just general happiness. It was when I realised that I needed to go head first into it really.

Singstar also made me realise I couldn’t sing.. So how did Bleach Lab come together?

Frank: It’s quite a long story, which goes back until the beginning of 2017. It was a very gradual thing. I met Josh, who is our bassist and he also does the the lyric writing with Jenna, because we got brought together in a music project which we found online. It was a band that we really didn’t like at all, we didn’t agree creatively with the person who was orchestrating it and it all fell apart one afternoon. At the time, I’d only known Josh for about two months, but we were at my house with the drummer who we were working with and we just thought “while we’re here, should we just do a rehearsal anyway?” and it just sort of snowballed from that.

Jenna: Josh and I also studied music together at college and we stayed friends when I went off to uni to do music again. He just messaged me one day asking if I wanted to come down and give the band a go and I said yes and that was five year ago now…

Frank: We’ve gone through the classic situation of having a couple of line-up changes during that time. We had another drummer called Sean previously and he performed on our early singles and our first EP, A Calm Sense Of Surrounding. Then we put in Kieran who is our drummer now and he had a really big effect on how we’ve basically been doing everything since then. So the band has changed quite significantly just within the last year. It’s been quite gradual drawn out process, which has been hampered partly by COVID and other stuff as well.

Do you think COVID and the following lockdowns gave you a chance as a band to take a step back and really think about what you wanted to do next?

Jenna: Yeah, that’s exactly the way that we felt during lockdown. Obviously, there was quite a lot of uncertainty and we didn’t know when we’d be able to get back out on stage and what music venues would even still be around, but it was a lot of downtime to be able to reflect on what we actually wanted to be putting out there. It just gave us a of bit of breathing space, I think.

Frank: It also helped to refine – well, I say “refine,” I think we’re still working it out – but it helped to refine what our song-writing process actually is. The thing I’ve learned over the last year or so, is it’s just so important for any artist or band to have a process when it comes to song-writing because without one, it’s actually a really difficult thing to just get done. I think we’ve always had to deal with logistics within this band because Jenna lives in Brighton and the rest of us live in London, and we don’t live nearby each other in London either. So whenever we rehearse it, it takes quite a few hours to get us all in the same room. I think we are always going to be a band that needs to be able to rely on writing music remotely and I think having something as extreme as a country-wide lockdown forced us to realise that was actually the way that was best suited to us. It’s funny, really, we’re in the process of writing at the moment and I think we’re realising that we don’t get as much done when we’re all in the room together.

I guess it’s good to know you can keep writing even with these obstacles in the way.

You released your debut EP, A Calm Sense Of Surrounding, earlier this year. I know it was informed by very personal situations; the breakdown of a romantic relationship for you Jenna and for your bassist Josh, who was coming to terms with losing his father. Without probing too much, did you find it useful to write this EP as a way of coping with and confronting these very intense emotions?

Jenna: I can’t really speak for Josh, but we do write together, so we do relate a lot to each other and it is a very cathartic way of dealing with the things that we’ve both been through, and which everyone has been through on some level as well. Having a creative outlet and being able to write about things in such a way can really help you understand more about the situation yourself as well. You learn things about yourself that you didn’t necessarily know were there because they’re coming from really deep down emotionally. Sometimes I realise things long after I’ve written about them. What we write about is very personal and it’s quite daunting to be that open about things, but I think the new EP is an extension of similar experiences for me and Josh. It’s an extension of the story-telling.

Do you have a favourite song on your first EP, and on your new EP Nothing Feels Real?

Jenna: I think ‘Never Be’ has got to be my favourite, I just love it. I still look forward to playing it the most when we play live.

Frank: I think an important distinction to make for me is between the song and the recording, because it’s so often the case that the recording comes out nothing like you imagined it would based on the song. I like ‘Old Ways’ a lot from the first EP, primarily because it was kind of an afterthought track that we decided to include quite late. ‘Never Be’ is also one of my favourites, as I think the recording of that track came together really, really well. There’s a song on the second EP called ‘Inside My Mind’ which I want to say all of us had as our favourite song? But I think ‘Real Thing’ is mine.

Jenna: I think lyrically for me, ‘Real Thing’ is one of my favourite songs that I’ve written. Lyric writing doesn’t come very easy for me and I think that’s the one I’m most happiest with.

Frank: I think I think it’s very difficult for us to give a cogent, succinct answer to this question because we consistently disagree on what songs we prefer and don’t prefer, which is good! It’s nice to choose between songs that you all like for different reasons, so you’d probably get different answers from us all on different days…

Jenna, you mentioned that Nothing Feels Real feels like an extension of your debut EP, can you elaborate on that?

Jenna: Sure. Sonically, it’s not very different but I think it’s more cohesive. Lyrically, this EP is possibly a more in depth exploration of both mine and Josh’s experiences that we’ve already touched on. We’ve been able to dig a bit deeper and I think we’re both becoming better writers as well, creating our own processes which I’m getting more comfortable with as we progress.

Frank: Yeah, I think it has more cohesion in terms of how it sounds purely because it was written over a shorter period of time. I think the whole process behind it was very different because we were listening to more specific music in the build-up to recording it. We were bringing in Steven Street to produce it and he has a prolific discography associated with certain sounds in certain areas. I think that informed the overall sound of the EP very strongly, and as a result it has more of a case of identity to it than our first EP does, which is a nice thing to feel, because once you start trying to do four or five songs and have them have some kind of collective identity together, it’s actually really hard to make them any good.

You mentioned producer Steven Street who’s worked with like The Cranberries and The Smiths. What was it like working with him? What do you think he brings to your overall sound on this EP?

Frank: There was a big contrast between recording our first EP and recording this one with the Steven. That’s no discredit to Max who we worked with on our first EP. We knew we only had a set amount of time working with Steven and that we had to get it done. The urgency that came with that actually really helped with the process, it was all really efficient, which is not usually a word that I would use to describe recording an album or a song in a positive way, but it was! I think it helped because we didn’t overthink things, which is something that I’m very much guilty of doing. He made it really easy. He was very easy to bounce ideas off of when it came to production ideas and it just made the whole thing a lot easier.

You’re going to be headlining the Lexington on the 20th of October. What are your anticipations for this gig? How are you feeling about headlining such a great venue?

Jenna: I’ve never been to The Lexington! I’ve heard everyone just telling me how great it is so I’m very excited. We’ve been looking forward to it and working towards it for so long. I think the crowd will be a nice mix of family and friends, but also new people as well, which is always nice to see.

Frank: I remember when our manager told us that we were playing The Lexington and we were delighted. It’s one of many very, very pleasant things that have happened to us this year. It’s one of my favourite venues, I’ve seen some great gigs there. It’s nice because it’s still relatively intimate. I mean, we’ve already been kind of blown away with some of the venues that we’ve been getting to play because again, with the whole intervention of COVID, we kind of leapfrogged to playing all these venues that I thought it would take years for us to play.

I’m sure you’ll all have a great gig. As we’re a new music blog, we always ask what new music or new bands are you listening to at the moment. Is there anyone you want to recommend to us or give a shout out to?

Jenna: I’ve been listening to a lot of Bess Atwell lately.

Frank: Yeah me too, I saw her on the overground the other day. I think she had been doing an in-store show because her album’s just come out. I was with my girlfriend and we walked past her and got on the train and I was like “That was Bess Atwell!” and my girlfriend said “why didn’t you stop and speak to her?” and I thought “Yeah, why didn’t I stop? I’m legit really into her music. It could very easily have talked to her about how much I like her track ‘Co-Op’. One album that I’ve been listening to a lot at the moment, and I was really gutted because they played in London and I couldn’t go because we were hard rehearsing for our shows – which is definitely the right thing to be doing – is the Art School Girlfriend album. I’m really, really into it.

Jenna: I also have my comfort zone with my music and what I listen to. I have my list of songs on Spotify that I just play over and over again. Sharon Van Etten, Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, Julia Jacklin. There’s a lot of nice female vocal stuff on there…

Thanks to Jenna & Frank for the chat!

Follow Bleach Lab on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Kate Crudgington1 Comment

FIRST LISTEN: CRISP&CLASSY – ‘XTRA CRISPY’

Feminist LGBTQIA+ electro-pop duo CRISP&CLASSY (aka producer Kat Knix and singer-songwriter Plushy) pride themselves on bringing sexual liberation and self-acceptance to the UK pop scene. Now, having captured our attention earlier this year with vibrant singles, ‘Basic’ and ‘Boom Bay’, and with acclaim from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson, they’re excited to be releasing their debut album, XTRA CRISPY.

Fusing together an eclectic palette of genres to create something wonderfully uplifting, the collection interweaves funk-fuelled Raggeton beats and synth-driven soundscapes, as sensuous vocals offer an empowering lyricism. So, put on XTRA CRISPY, turn it up, and lose yourself in its blissful, sassy splendour and sparkling, soulful drive.

To celebrate the album’s release, Kat and Plushy have written a few words about what to expect from XTRA CRISPY…

Wanting to release an album with a selection of our best songs has always been a hot burning wish of ours, ever since CRISP&CLASSY came out of our womb. It’s been a big dream to create a body of work that was conceptual and had a sexually liberating message. Alongside our single ‘Boom Bay’, our new album carries seven more tracks that will tickle your senses and make you feel thirsty for more! 

The XTRA CRISPY album is here to celebrate duality and the battle between being sassy or emotional, being punk or pop, being sexy or needy. This album is a gender and genre bending experience. 

With a delicious mix between New York House synths, Reggaeton beats and sassy bass lines, C&C is serving you Fried Futuristic Electric guitars and Luxury Alien Spit in a glass by the beach! XTRA CRISPY takes the sexiness of Kali Uchis and Blood Orange, and pours it over the nerve of Mykki Blanco, Peaches and Prince.

This album is a combination of coping with the pandemic through creativity and tunes that we have been baking in the oven for over four years. Above staying true to the CRISP&CLASSY sound, we wanted to talk about the things that we were going through on a personal level. 

Having a lot of time on his hands, Plushy would be on dating apps like Grindr a lot during lockdown… Therefore, tracks like ‘My Nudes!’ talk about different obscure dating apps related experiences and are here to make you dance, but also encourage you to claim and own your virtual property and your sexuality, alongside tracks like ‘Thursty’. Kat Knix, on the other hand, missed being ‘skin to skin’ with someone and the hope of it leading to something more… So, ‘Spoon’ was born simply out of sexual frustration, along with Kat’s lack of romance and cuddles.

We also love writing about taking charge of your own sexuality; celebrating your sex drive by bringing equality and body positivity to bed with your lover. ‘SML4U’ expresses the frustration of a younger Kat feeling the pressure to shave before sex, in fear of being rejected for being ‘too hairy’ and not ‘feminine enough’.

We also love collaborating with fellow creatives and are lucky to have some special guests on the album. The incredible Jadeya is doing us the honour by embellishing ‘Thursty’ with her demanding and honest lyrics. Her bars are incredible and they add that juicy flavour we’ve always wanted to have on our songs. MEMA. is another talented guest on the album, who is also an incredible guitarist. We owe her a lot for joining us in developing the XTRA CRISPY sound. You can hear MEMA.’s electric guitar riffs on tracks like ‘Infatuated’ and ‘Spoon’. MEMA. helped us achieve that nostalgic and slightly cinematic ’90s sound we’ve always wanted to incorporate in our music.

We hope that XTRA CRISPY will uplift the listener to stand their ground and unapologetically be themselves EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! Escape with us to the CRISP&CLASSY World; a safe haven, where you can be yourself and let your hair down. It’s always summer in the C&C World and here we always have a reason to celebrate ourselves and party hard. Once you’re in, you’ll never want to leave.

Massive thanks to Kat and Plushy for talking to us about XTRA CRISPY! Listen to the full album, for the first time, here:

To celebrate the release of XTRA CRISPY, CRISP&CLASSY will be playing a special launch gig at The Waiting Room next Tuesday 19th October. Tickets available here.

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LIVE: Cherym / Brand New Friend @ Paper Dress Vintage, 06.10.2021

Only my second time at a gig since the ‘Big C’ and my first north of the river, venturing to Hackney from the depths of South London proved to be most definitely worth it, once safely ensconced in the ever-kitsch, Twin Peaksy vibes of Paper Dress Vintage. 

After sampling some local pale ale downstairs, my ears were treated to the uplifting, punk-pop energy of the night’s co-headliners Brand New Friend. Announcing “we’re gonna do a rock show!” they soon kick off with an infectious jubilant charisma into the lilting, impassioned emotion of ‘She Always Comes Up Smiling’. Expressing thanks for all who’ve made it out, as well as Simba on sound and their van saviour Steve-o, the band’s endearing modesty and gratitude just makes them all the more loveable as they assure us that if we don’t like what we hear, they’ll “keep it off the second album…” 

In a beautiful kind of symmetry the band’s last gig “before ‘rona” was also with Cherym, so – as we’re left hoping there’s not another world catastrophe after tonight – they dedicate the next song to their pals as their glistening vocal harmonies and swirling hooks ooze a joyous, scuzzy energy; a comforting hug in sonic form. 

Honoured to be treated to the new, first song that Lauren’s written (it’s s good ‘un) and a taster of the new album in the form of ‘Lucky’, amongst the fizzing melodies of older favourites such as ‘I Was An Astronaut’ and ‘Girl’, and heartfelt odes to grandparents past (“… this is the part of the set where we’re at Glastonbury and it starts raining and the crowd fuckin’ erupt!”), the entirety of Brand New Friend’s set exudes a wonderfully life-affirming charm. Interweaving a raw, nostalgic emotion with a refreshing euphoric zest, it’s simply impossible not to sing and bop along to their incessantly catchy offerings and become utterly immersed in their shimmering, buoyant energy. 

And the euphoria doesn’t end there. As Derry trio Cherym take to the stage in their matching sports jerseys, they blast into the swirling driving force of ‘She’s Enough Going On’. Immediately capturing our attention with their unique blend of anthemic, honey-sweet punk-pop mixed with a gritty riotous power, I’m filled with a teenage excitement (a rare feeling for someone who’s not been a teenager for many years) to be seeing this refreshing new band – one all too deserving of the acclaim they’ve received so far from the likes of NME and Radio X’s John Kennedy. 

Continuing with the fuzzing, catchy hooks of 2019 single ‘Abigail’, and the jangling tongue-in-cheek wit and driving beats of 2018’s ‘Pretty Boys’ (dedicated to Brand New Friend’s da), each offering blasts out from the trio with a vibrant spirit and colourful, charismatic musicality; sticking in your ears instantly. Encouraging some crowd participation for personal fave, ‘Listening To My Head’, Cherym showcase their ability to create instant singalong anthems. With an uplifting, empowering energy, frenzied hooks accompany Hannah Richardson’s luscious angst-driven vocals; a sunny slice of witty lyrical storytelling (it’s inspired by the Netflix series Dirty John) combining a fierce sense of rage with a bubbling, sugar-coated nostalgia. 

Alongside the exuberant energy of songs like this and the fiery spirit of ‘Weird Ones’, drummer Alannagh Doherty takes a moment of calm to introduce the exquisite harmonies of ‘Gone Girl’, sharing with us that the track addresses domestic abuse; assuring us that we’re in a safe space here. A stirring and all-too-resonant message right now, and one that I’m grateful that bands such as Cherym are addressing openly and with such passion. 

Resuming a sizzling energy with the scuzzy, noughties-indie-reminiscent hooks of instant earworm ‘Kisses On My Cards’ and the buoyant beats of heartfelt celebration of queer love ‘We’re Just Friends’, Hannah, Alannagh and Nyree then draw the set to a close with the buzzing, elevating joy of ‘Take It Back’. A master class in pure, perfect punk-pop. 

And what a superb way for the trio to celebrate their new debut EP Hey Tori (one of my albums of the year for sure). Seeing both these Northern Irish bands has left me with a smile on my face and a spring in my step; desperate to hop across the pond to see more. 

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Y-Control Photography

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INTERVIEW: Breakup Haircut

Today is International Day Of The Girl (11th October), a time to champion the achievements of girls on a global scale and to highlight and challenge the gender inequality that girls still face today.

Women Of The World Festival (WOW)’s research into gender disparity in music has found the following: “Recent studies show how underrepresented women are in the industry: a landmark US survey reported that from 2019 to 2020, female artists fell from 22.5% to 20.2%; female songwriters decreased from 14.4% to 12.9%; and female producers declined from 5% to just 2%. The research also took a representative sample of 600 songs between 2012 and 2020, of 23 individual women credited as producers just seven were women of colour, resulting in an overall ratio of one woman of colour to every 180 male producers.”

Determined to help change these statistics, WOW Festival created their WOW Sounds music programme to showcase and celebrate a range of girl bands from across the globe. This year, they’ve recorded performances with Nadia Javed, Breakup Haircut, Sri Lankan acoustic trio The Singing Potatoes, Roma girl band Pretty Loud and a project Naytive Mentorship led by Australian rapper and songwriter Naomi Wenitong. Each performance has been released as an exclusive short set with an introduction about the artist/band’s activism. The UK acts all filmed sets at EartH Hackney which you can watch via WOW’s IGTV and YouTube throughout today.

We caught up with Ishani, Ripley & Delphine – aka Breakup Haircut – who formed at First Timers Fest in 2019 to talk about their performance for WOW Sounds, how they think things have progressed in recent years for girls interested in music, their work with First Timers Fest and the work/life balance that accompanies being in a band that you love…

Hello Breakup Haircut! Talk to me about the pre-recorded set you played for WOW Sounds at EartH in Hackney…

Ishani: It was a really cool, fun experience. I thought our set was really chilled because we rehearse constantly, so it wasn’t too big a thing to play stuff from start to finish like that. Everyone was so nice. The sound engineer at EartH is called Luca and he was a very chill person to hang out with. I was also playing bass in Nadia Javed’s band too, so I was there for a bit longer.

Ripley: We played three of our tracks, ‘Why Can’t I Be Cool Enough To Move To Berlin?’, ‘Mum, I Wanna Be a Greaser’ and ‘I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend’.

Delphine: I’ve been to WOW as a punter and been to talks and shows before, but not as a direct contributor to the festival. It’s pretty nice to be on the other side of the stage!

I’m looking forward to watching your performance! As you all know, International Day Of The Girl is about highlighting the triumphs and the challenges that girls face. In terms of music, do you think things have improved for girls and young gender non-conforming people who are interested in joining bands and playing instruments since you were girls? 

Ishani: I think there are more movements now than to help people to diversify the music scene and that’s a really good thing. When I was younger, the reason I didn’t start a band was more because of my location. I grew up in the northeast and it’s not great for people of colour up there. It wasn’t easy to find people who wanted to play music with me. I think being in a big city is one thing, but also having movements like First Timers Fest and WOW Sounds, they make it a much friendlier and nicer place. You don’t have to brunt quite as much hostility to get to the point of playing a show or playing music. I think there are people who champion and try really hard in that to make stuff happen. Two of us are on the committee for First Timers and we help out with that now. That’s something we think is very important and we want to champion people being able to play music.

Delphine: I didn’t grow up in this country, so I can’t really talk about the UK in general, and I have no idea what France is like at the moment because I’ve been here in the UK for 17 years. So I’m like: “I can’t talk about the UK as a kid, but I can’t talk about France as an adult.” But in France I come from a very rural area where because of distances it’s a challenge to access things.

I think music is a bit different in the sense that France is very serious. You either go to music school and you study music, or you don’t do music. In terms of representation, I come from a very white area. So if you were a person of colour, it probably would have been harder as well. It’s not a very diverse. So in terms of representation and challenging that, it just didn’t happen at the time. But it probably has changed a lot now and I’m glad it has, because we’re actually waking up to the fact that there is space for everybody. You have to allow people to be themselves and you have to allow people to express their art, because everybody’s happier that way. I think championing minorities and allowing more access and making effort to actually give access to more people is going to benefit everybody in the long term.

Ripley: I think it’s definitely better than when I grew up in terms of accessibility. I’m from a family where no one does music except for me. I grew up military and I moved around a lot and pretty much every school I went to, music was for kids who had money. Financially as a family we were comfortable, but music lessons were really expensive and I couldn’t have them. So I think stuff has got better because with initiatives like Girls Rock London and First Timers Fest where people are trying to eliminate the monetary barriers so you can actually have a go with an instrument, which is great.

Also, speaking as a queer person as well, there’s a lot more queer people in music which is really, really cool because I had zero role models when I was a kid. So over the last five years or so, there’s just been more and more queer representation. We’ve always got to keep pushing so that things keep moving forward and don’t go backwards, but I think it is on the way to being better.

You’ve listed some great organisations that we’re big fans of here at Get In Her Ears. I think if Girls Rock London and First Timers Fest had been around when I was a girl, I might have started to learn an instrument…

Ishani: We run adult camps too, so you can always come along to those!

Delphine: Come along it’ll be so much fun!

Maybe I will?! I really like the idea of being in a non-judgmental environment where people don’t care if you don’t know what a chord is and you’re allowed to just take your time and enjoy playing an instrument…

Ishani: That’s so true, actually. People can be so elitist about it and make you feel so shut out. Everyone starts somewhere, just because someone happened to start learning music when they were five doesn’t make someone else’s efforts to start a bit later in life any less valid. Music is such a joy. Everyone should be able to have the opportunity and access to it and it really sucks that people still don’t.

After forming at First Timers Fest in 2019, you released your debut EP, What did you expect? I got it off the internet. What are you most proud of about this record?

Ripley: I think at the time, it was just getting something out.

Ishani: Releasing that EP was actually incredibly stressful for all of us because we put an unrealistic time constraint on ourselves. We wouldn’t do it again like that, I’m quite proud of the fact that we did, but we never want to do it like that again. We recorded six songs live and the entire thing was pulled together in a month and then we released it two months later.

Delphine: I’m glad that we survived that, because that was a lot. But have we really learned that lesson of not doing too much at once?

Ripley: Partly? Thanks to lockdown, we’re in the mixing and mastering stage of our new album now. The album has taken over a year to record due to various lockdowns interrupting us, so partly due to world events, we have taken a much longer time on this record…

Delphine: Err…we recorded 10 songs in one week? So…

Ishani: Ripley has definitely taken me aside and said that we have been waiting for this album for literally years at this point. We don’t need to rush the output and we may as well do it right. I really forget that you don’t have to output consistently. So it’s really good to have people reminding me of that.

Ripley: Burnout is real in so many aspects of life. So many people I know are having trouble with it in regular work and for projects outside of work. I’ve burned out several times before. Trying to pace yourself and learn how to look after yourself is harder to do in the digital age where everyone’s expected to output on every front all the time. Getting that balance right is quite tricky.

Delphine: We just have to remind ourselves that we’re doing this for fun. That’s the main thing. This doesn’t pay our bills, it helps when we have gigs and stuff because then the band can sustain itself a bit by not having to worry too much about paying for rehearsal spaces and things, but it’s not something that pays for our day-to-day things.

Ripley: I’ve been in a previous project before where it was very much “the band is the main thing, screw your work” and it was a really unhealthy atmosphere, so unsurprisingly I left. We had an agreement upfront when we started Breakup Haircut that we were all going to try our best, but if any of this is impacting people’s work and their income, then as depressing as it is sometimes, people’s day jobs do have to come first. Although this is way more fun than a day job, you’ve got to be able to pay your rent and feed yourself. So we’re trying to make sure that we take care of ourselves. I’ve said to my mates that my day job makes it so I can pay the rent and then the keeps me sane.

It sounds like you’re all on the same page about the work/life music balance, so that in itself is encouraging to hear.

Finally, do you have any bands or artists who you’ve been listening to at the moment that you’d like to give a shout out to?

Ripley: I’ve been really enjoying Penelope Scott recently. She plays kind of lo-fi electronics with funky sounds and she does a song called ‘Rat’ which is a kind of “screw you” to tech billionaires like Elon Musk. It’s got really good lyrics and some nice sort of science-y burns. I like it. Also shout out to pinkshift, I’ve really got into pink shift recently as well.

Delphine: Since Loud Women Festival in September, I’ve been listening a lot of ARXX and Lilith Ai, because she’s just so beautiful.

Ishani: I’ve been listening to a friend of mine Kapil Seshasayee, he is part of the South Asian scene and it’s interesting to hear someone making music that’s very different from the output of that scene and he makes a lot of like interesting political points as well. So I’m really enjoying that right now.

Thanks to Breakup Haircut for the chat!

Follow Breakup Haircut on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Watch their performance at EartH via WOW’s IGTV and YouTube channels

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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