Premiere: AyOwA – ‘First Frost’

Following infectious offerings such as ‘Alt Det Du Ku’ and 2018’s EP Farvel, and support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music, our favourite Danish duo are back with an evocative new single, ahead of their upcoming debut album.

Told from the perspective of a couple who have spent their whole life together and are now setting out into the winter to disappear as one, ‘First Frost’ flows with AyOwA’s distinctive swirling synths and the beguiling haunting power of Hannah Schneider’s vocals. A shimmering, cinematic soundscape, it’s an utterly captivating reflection on lasting love and the strength of togetherness.

Listen to ‘First Frost’ for the first time here:

 

‘First Frost’ is out tomorrow, 31st January, and Amoeba, the upcoming debut album from AyOwA, is set for release in September this year.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Introducing Interview: SUN

Following their visceral single ‘Higher Fire’, Franco-German brutal-pop outfit SUN have now announced the release of their debut EP.

With an intense, brooding sound that is uniquely theirs, SUN is the embodiment of founder and sole member Karoline Rose’s brutal pop aesthetic, creating utterly captivating, atmospheric soundscapes.

We caught up with Karoline to find out more…

Hi Karoline, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about SUN?
Hi Get In Her Ears! SUN is my music project. Live we play as a two-piece (I’m on guitar/bass and vocals and I have a mysterious drummer with me). Since I was a teenage metalhead in Germany I wanted to blend Pop and Metal with just a hint of Riot Grrrl. I came up with the term Brutal Pop. For years I was chasing after that Brutal Pop sound. I went from Church Choir to Death metal bands, then did Contemporary Theatre and Musicals as a performer. All in order to gain the skills to create the Sound and the Live show I had in mind since my childhood. SUN was born two years ago and SUN’s first EP Brutal Pop just came out in December. I feel so relieved that I finally have my very own musical language together and out in the world! 

How did you initially start creating music?
I would imitate my mom (who is a French chanson singer) as a toddler and go through some classical training on the piano as a child. When I was twelve I discovered Courtney Love and Tairrie B and from then on I knew I had to make heavy music. My American aunt would send me cool CD’s from oversees and I would analyse the song structure and the lyrics and create my own. I had my first band at 12 (they were between 18-25) and it all started then.

Your latest single ‘I Killed My Man’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the track?
‘I Killed My Man’ is a goodbye to a toxic relationship/ toxic relationships in general. Sometimes we mistake admiration for love and lose ourselves in the process. It can make us accept the unacceptable and it is very hard to get out of that kind of situation without casualties. I wanted to say goodbye to that relationship but also to all the toxicity in my life. I also wanted to say goodbye to someone I lost a long time ago.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Chelsea Wolfe all the way to Pink, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I think my top 3 would be Michael Jackson, Hole and Devin Townsend! It’s really representative of the mix I wanted to hear for so long: Groovy Pop, Indie Grunge (life through this era) and powerful yet original Metal.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
In Paris we have some really cool spots and cool bands. Local promoters like Hypergéante or Morsure organise great gigs at Olympic Café,  Espace B  or the amazing Bus Palladium. In my second hometown Karlsruhe (Germany) we have an amazing club called Substage. In both cases the local scene is very small and especially in France promoters and festivals prefer to welcome foreign bands than giving the locals a shot. That’s why I try to support locals as much as I can.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Our live performances are a Brutal Pop show. My background in Contemporary Theatre and Musicals helped us to make our shows more 360 degrees, not only – foot on wedge – rock n roll (even if there’s nothing wrong with that!). I wanted to be able to create a space in which I can let loose, run, jump, come from different angles without cables and surround my drummer like a wild lion playing with his prey. I would say that our live performances are pop shows but we headbang… a lot! 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I recommend my Parisien friends Toybloid (female fronted riot grrrl) as well as one of the craziest french bands ever, Igorrr!

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 is difficult to get past the algorithm. if you don’t want to force your music on an audience that you’ve targeted and paid for you have less chances to be heard. . Things are chaotic right now and no one really knows what to do (labels, press etc) no one can be certain of any strategy, but maybe that is a good thing! Great music might take root in chaos and take off out of nowhere.

Finally, what does 2020 have in store for you?
SUN’s first EP Brutal Pop just came out in December 2019 and the second EP is already finished. It will come out in April 2020. In the meanwhile we will be touring Europe from January until April in a theatre play (‘Nous l’Europe’) in which I am an actress and SUN is the play’s music (for real! We play ‘Higher Fire’ and ‘I killed My Man’ amongst others). We will then go back to touring normally, and get our debut album ready!

Massive thanks to Karoline for answering our questions!

Brutal Pop, the debut EP from SUN is out now. Watch the new video for ‘I Killed My Man’ here:

 

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Premiere: Ennieloud – ‘The Best I Can’

Having previously charmed us with the swirling energy of previous single ‘In My Room’, London band Ennieloud are back with a bewitching new single.

A poignant reflection on the twin poles of femininity, ‘The Best I Can’ oozes a soulful, upflifting groove alongside immersive throbbing basslines and the deep, impassioned power of front woman Cassandra’s spellbinding vocals. A musically rich soundscape, offering an empowering and sincere expression of inner strength in the face of adversity. Of the track, the band explain:

“It’s about the remarkable inner power and resilience of women, taking the form of a dialogue between the strong and the weak in all of us. Even if we feel so fragile sometimes, we have a great inner strength that can guide us to our dreams. Dream and be strong!”

Listen to ‘The Best I Can’, for the first time, here:

‘The Best I Can’ is out 24th January

Mari Lane
@marimindles

 

See EnnieLoud live

Feb 27th, The Finsbury, London N4

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Five Favourites: Peggy Sue

Set to release their upcoming fourth album next month, London duo Katy Young and Rosa Slade – aka Peggy Sue – create beautifully captivating offerings filled with luscious harmonies and a shimmering energy. A celebration of self love, the reverb-strewn, uplifting sound of latest single ‘In Dreams’ showcases all their is to love about them, a band who have now found themselves again after a four year hiatus.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them or influences their writing. We caught up with Katy and Rosa, who have shared their “Five Favourites” – five tracks that particularly resonate with them. Check out their choices below, and scroll down to listen to watch the new video for latest single ‘In Dreams’ at the end of this post.

Porridge Radio – ‘Lilac’
Katy:
I fell in love with this song last summer, when we played a show for She Shreds with Porridge Radio at Great Escape. The refrain “I don’t want to get bitter, I want us to get better, I want us to be kinder to ourselves and to each other”, really spoke to me then and is a pretty good rule for life to be honest. I may or may not have recorded a sneaky bootleg on my phone at the time, but luckily it’s now out for real and sounds much better. They have a new album coming this year that I’m excited for.  

La Luz – ‘Sure As Spring’
Katy:
We did a support tour with La Luz in 2018 – there wasn’t really any reason for us to do it because the record wasn’t finished, but it was exactly what we needed to kind of force us into being a band again properly. I think their music has been a big influence on this new album – their sound is obviously incredible but it’s also clear and cohesive and consistent in a way that I think we strived for. Taking influence from lots of places is really important, but there’s something really powerful in turning all of that into one continuing sound that is all your own, which is something we’ve really tried to do on Vices more than we ever did before. But probably even more than any of that, being on the road with those girls was really inspiring, and their encouragement and support was a massive confidence boost exactly when we needed it.

Big Thief – ‘Paul’
Katy:
It feels like it’s so much rarer that I become totally obsessed with a band now – something that felt like it happened about once a week when I was younger. But Big Thief have been a bit of an exception to that in the last few years. At least five friends sent me this song, knowing I would love it. It’s so beautiful and tender and catchy as hell. I have probably had the first line in my head for three years straight. 

Beth Gibbons – ‘Tom The Model’
Rosa:
It’s kind of a cheat to choose this song; the chorus borrows so much Nina Simone’s ‘Do What You Gotta Do’, another of my all-time favourites, it’s a bit like sneaking two songs into one choice. When it bursts into that chorus, it’s the ultimate release after the slow creeping verses. The horns and strings are lush and kind of ominous. Beth Gibbons’ voice soars – walking that line between delicacy and pure force. I’ve always liked that she embraces darkness so unapologetically, and can make sweetness or desire as threatening or powerful as they are gentle. Listening to her music always feels like a solo experience. It’s impossible for me not to enter into the world her songs create wholly.

Landshapes – ‘Red Kite’
Rosa:
I love this song – it has made me cry perhaps every time I have watched Landshapes perform it. There’s a deep feeling of pride watching close friends play a song you think is truly objectively beautiful. The song just builds slowly and surely like this swelling wave. Jemma’s guitar solos have the ability to shift Landshapes’ songs into a totally different place, and when Luisa sings “in the face of everyone I swear this time I’m done”, it’s like this wave crashing down in a sort of haunting catharsis. Dan, Landshapes’ drummer, also played drums on Vices, and it’s a joy watching and listening to the different things he’s brought to both bands.

Massive thanks to Katy and Rosa for sharing their Five Favourites with us!

Vices, the upcoming fourth album from Peggy Sue, is out 21st February via French Exit. Watch the new video for ‘In Dreams’ here:

 

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