Introducing Interview: Eilis Frawley

Already known to us as one half of duo Party Fears, Berlin based artist Eilis Frawley has now got our attention with a stirring new solo release.

Combining poignant spoken word lyricism with throbbing beats and twinkling ethereal electro soundscapes, ‘illusions’ reflects on the pressures of modern day life and the effects it can have on our mental health.

We caught up with Eilis to find out more…

Hi Eilis, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about what you do?
Hey! I’m a drummer, playing in Party Fears and I Drew Blank, and more recently as a solo performer working with spoken word, drums and samples. 

We already know you as one half of art-pop duo Party Fears, but what inspired you to start this solo project, and how did it come about?
I had been thinking about it for a number of years but I can’t sing (or play a more ‘solo’ friendly instrument), and was unsure of what medium I could create something in. Last year I applied for a job in a circus (truth!) and they asked me to send a video of me playing/using electronics (tbh I probably wasn’t qualified for the job), which was the birth of the ‘Intellectual Men’ video I put out last year; much to my surprise it got a lot of attention, and I started to think maybe the world is big enough for exactly that, a solo drummer with spoken word. 

Your stirring new single ‘illusions’ is out now – can you tell us a bit about it?
I’m fascinated by the various masks people wear to function in society. We show ourselves so differently on social media, towards people we love and towards strangers. We’re living in a time of extreme busy-ness and I think it takes a real toll on peoples mental health, so wanted to touch on that. 

Your music is pretty unique and I wouldn’t ever try to pigeon hole it into one genre, but who or what would you consider to be your main inspirations for this new project?
I’ve been fan girl-ing Tune-yards for years, I love the layers she uses and how unapologetic she is in her style. Holy Fuck and Battles are also huge inspirations for pad/synth/soundscapes.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
The music scene in Berlin is large and diverse. We’re extremely lucky to get so many bands coming through on tour. Any night of the week there’s a possibility to see a show. I try to go to a gig every week – sometimes it doesn’t happen, but other weeks I go to three! 

And what can we expect from your solo live show?
You can expect it to be loud, and hopefully reflective. I hope people can relate to my stories of feminism, growing up, living abroad, mental health and the general feeling of being an ‘outsider’. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
So many! I made a tour playlist full of new releases (mostly) by upcoming artists. Have a listen here. For Berlin Bands: People Club, SchnickSchnack, Aporia, Jaguwar, Shybits, Gym Tonic.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
I hands down don’t understand the industry. There seems to be a lot going on and there are plenty of blogs/promoters/playlists, but be dammed if I understand anything about algorithms. At the moment I’m trying to just work with people who are decent and genuinely interested in my music. If the industry is a deep sea, everyone is trying to be in the reef!

Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for you and your solo work?
I have plans to go back into the recording studio at the end of November, and another single to come out by the end of the year. In December/January I will be soaking up the sun in Australia, spending some time with my family and also playing a few shows.

Massive thanks to Eilis for answering our questions! 

‘illusions’ is out now, via Reckless Yes. Buy on Bandcamp. And catch Eilis live on tour:

30th October – Earth, London
31st October – Hatch, Sheffield
1st November – The Old Abbey, Manchester
2nd November – The Gallery, Leicester (w/ Amateur Pop)

Photo Credit: Nina Hynes

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Film Preview: A Dog Called Money

As the sun fades to dusk in Kosovo, five different calls to prayer sing out over the city. Harmonious and discordant, PJ Harvey remarks, “I felt my soul open to the singing.”

PJ Harvey and Seamus Murphy have been collaborating for a decade. A Dog Called Money is their magnum opus; a politically and artistically-driven film shot over the course of three years. The pair visited Kosovo, Afghanistan, and the lesser-spoken-of suburbs of Washington DC, exploring misrepresented cultures overlooked by mainstream media.

In A Dog Called Money, Murphy splices these scenes with the recording of Harvey’s last record, The Hope Six Demolition Project. A further daring test to push her boundaries, Harvey recorded Hope Six in a specially-built studio at Somerset House. She then invited the public to come and watch the process. Laughs and jokes are shared, but not to the detriment of the worldwide issues that inspired the material. 

The film explores all aspects of Harvey’s process: the inspiration – those calls to prayer, baptisms, war, music; the recording – songs that made the album, songs that didn’t; and the notes she took while in the field. All of these make it to the screen. At one point, in Southeast DC, a boy takes Murphy on a tour of his neighbourhood, pointing out every spot where a member of his family was shot. At another, a group of children offer Harvey some tea. 

On 1st November, A Dog Called Money will be premiering at the Barbican Centre. As part of the Doc’n Roll Film Festival, the audience will be treated to a screening of the film and a Q&A with director, Seamus Murphy.

In a world where the UK doesn’t know what the fuck it’s doing, A Dog Called Money and its accompanying album, The Hope Six Demolition Project are timely insights into what really matters: art, music, and the fragile bonds of humanity.

A Dog Called Money premieres at The Barbican on Friday 1st November as part of Doc ‘N’ Roll Film Festival, with a Q&A featuring Seamus Murphy. More info here.

Em Burfitt
@fenderqueer

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Five Favourites: Deux Furieuses

Having previously wowed us with their truly immense live show at The Finsbury a couple of years back, duo Ros Cairney and Vas Antoniadou – aka Deux Furieuses  – have been going from strength to strength with their powerful offerings.

Now, with the release of their poignant new album My War Is Your War, they continue to blow our minds with their explosive post-punk and stirring raw emotion.

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 Ros from the band, who has shared her “Five Favourites” – five tracks that particularly resonate with her and Vas. Check out her choices below, and scroll down to watch the new video for ‘Let Them Burn’ at the end of this post.

PJ Harvey – ‘All and Everyone’
This makes me feel ill. I first listened to the album lying in a hospital bed which was a mistake. The track alternates heart-stoppingly between urgent and woozy sections as she plays with time, life and death. When the drums come in with a dull thud they sound stilted, then soon stop to leave the build up of chiming autoharp chords which introduce the voice with the words “Death was everywhere, In the air, And in the sounds, Coming off the mounds, Of Bolton’s Ridge..”. The vocals echo with a sense of place and history. Verse 2 is propelled along by churning chords until the rhythm slows and the song just lets go into the most sublime free fall with “As we advance in the sun, As we advancing every man, As we advancing in the sun”.  After the last line “Sing death to all and everyone” the track descends into a repetitive outro with long trombone notes conveying an out of tune malaise. I didn’t think PJ Harvey could improve on Dry until I heard Let England Shake. I had always loved PJ Harvey the actual band, that first trio with her distorted guitar riffs locking into that fantastic rhythm section, rather than her songwriting or her ‘solo’ albums. Vas and I saw them many times and are honoured to have worked with drummer Rob Ellis on both our albums. But on Let England Shake, Polly Harvey surpassed all her previous work.

Bert Jansch – ‘January Man’
I first heard Bert Jansch on an old battered copy of 1965 album Don’t Bother Me, borrowed from my aunt Aine Carey who actually taught me to play guitar. I loved his voice and the track ‘Ring a Ding Bird’ with its mesmerising major to minor and back to major key mood shifts. But this is my favourite Bert Jansch song for the combination of his voice and guitar playing on this fantastic song written by Dave Goulder. “And the January man comes round again in woollen coat and boots of leather, To take another turn and walk along the icy road he knows so well, The January man is here for starting each and every year, Along the road for ever”.

Joni Mitchell – ‘Amelia’
I took a year off university in Glasgow to work as a houseparent in a ‘free school’ near Dumfries and would take off into the countryside on a bike. It was summer and I loved to sit under a tree in a field and listen to Hejira, Joni Mitchell’s electric guitar road album endlessly on headphones. I loved the words and guitar on ‘Amelia’, skies streaked with vapour trails that look like “the hexagram of the heavens, the strings of my guitar… The drone of flying engines is a song so wild and blue, It scrambles time and seasons if it gets through to you… I dreamed of 747s over geometric farms”. The song progresses without a chorus, powered by her finger picked electric chords with sonic textures and a line at the end of each verse addressed to Amelia Earhart, another solo traveller with a dream to fly. I was considering moving to London to pursue music but then stayed on in Glasgow for a few years until I realised it was now or never. When I finally moved I met Vas. 

The Beatles – ‘A Day In The Life’
It was tough to choose between ‘A Day in the Life’ and ‘Gimme Some Truth’ by John Lennon solo, which is the only cover we have ever played live and is so relevant to now. But ‘A Day in the Life’ won through. Wafting in with atmospheric guitar and piano which reminds me of PJ Harvey, the dead pan vocals intone the almost callous words. On verse 2, thunderous rolling drum fills propel the track along without playing a beat. “He blew his mind out in a car… A crowd of people stood and stared… Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords”. This experimental track has a violent cruelty about it which is lightened by Paul McCartney’s middle section which ends with “And I went into a dream…” before returning to John Lennon’s evocative wailing “Aaaahs”. ‘A Day In the Life’ evokes for me an indifferent England sleepwalking into catastrophe which resonates even today.

Kate Bush – ‘Sat in Your Lap’
This is the track Vas and I put on to remind ourselves that we have a very long way to go and should possibly just give up. In fact all of these tracks do this. But you have to keep going if you are driven to communicate with music like we are. With its thunderous drums and absolutely insane vocals, this is a masterpiece. The words have a great rhythm to them. “Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap, Some say that knowledge is something that you never have.” It comes to a thunderous and operatic end which I can hear us trying to emulate in some of our songs. Is this rock? Who cares. We don’t make music to fit your genres! These artists inspire and challenge us and brought us together with their music.

Massive thanks to Ros for sharing her Five Favourites with us! 

My War Is Your War, the new album from Deux Furieuses, is out now. Watch the searing video for latest single ‘Let Them Burn’, here:

Catch Deux Furieuses live at the following dates:

2nd November – Blossoms, Stockport
5th November – Banshee, Edinburgh

 

Photo Credit: Dan Donovan

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PLAYLIST: October 2019

Our ears have been flooded with new music over the last few weeks, and our October playlist is an eclectic reflection of the artists who have been giving us goosebumps. Take some time to scroll through our track choices below, and make sure you hit play on the Spotify playlist link at the bottom of the page…

 

ILL – ‘Kick Him Out The Disco’
We’re all in agreement at GIHE that ILL’s new track is a GRADE. A. BANGER! These grrrls blend the best bits of punk, noise, and electronics to create cathartic anthems about standing up for yourself and not letting the bastards grind you down. ‘Kick Him Out The Disco’ is a “glittered middle finger” to anyone who’s tried to manipulate you, or to anyone who made you question your self worth. (Kate Crudgington)

Peggy Sue – ‘Motorcade’
Taken from their upcoming album Vices (set for release February 2020), Peggy Sue’s new single ‘Motorcade’ flows with the pair’s distinctive rich vocals as it interweaves lilting ’60s inspired melodies and a ’90s garage scuzz. Inspired by feelings of being honest with yourself when ending a relationship, luscious harmonies float along a bright, uplifting soundscape, building with a shimmering energy to create a magnificently more-ish offering. (Mari Lane)

Grizzly Coast – ‘High Functioning’
A GIHE Team favourite, ‘High Functioning’ by Grizzly Coast is a track that has got firmly into my head. It’s all about holding your life together in every place, but your own head. Of the track, Grizzly Coast explains: “I was going through a difficult time with my OCD choosing to power forward and work towards my goals”, she found the purpose and drive to stay confident through it all. And we are very thankful for that, ‘High Functioning’ is a total tune, keep up the great work Grizzly Coast, we’re behind you 100%! (Tash Walker)

Poolblood – ‘Dreamer’
Recently signed to Shamir’s label (Accidental Popstar Records), newcomer Poolblood describes their sound as one that evokes feelings of “crying, dancing, teen movies and nostalgia”. If that’s not enough to make you listen to ‘Dreamer’, I don’t know what is. (KC)

Superglu – ‘Forever Endeavour’
After a two year hiatus, long time faves Superglu are back with this new single. Oozing the band’s trademark buoyant energy, ‘Forever Endeavour’ is filled with a gentle sentimentality that we may not have heard in previous releases, creating an instantly uplifting and immensely infectious indie-pop anthem. (ML)

Rosa Bordallo – ‘Citadel’
‘Citadel’ by Chamoru-American indie artist Rosa Bordallo is all about Capitalist vultures in the concrete jungle, showcasing her riot grrrl influences. It’s a “balls-to-the-wall angry eff-you to the 1 percenters who suck us dry, written out of frustration with the myth of New York (“if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”) that attracts bright and ambitious folk who may not realize what they’re getting into until it’s too late”. ‘Citadel’ is the second single from her recent solo debut album Reef Walker. (TW)

Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something – ‘Keytar (I Was Busy)’
Inspired by a frayed childhood and fractured memories, ‘Keytar (I Was Busy)’ oozes the distinctive soaring majesty of Jemma’s vocals and swirling, twinkling hooks, creating a colourful slice of psychedelia, filled with raw emotion and an energised electro twist.’Keytar (I Was Busy)’ is taken from JFATC’s new album Oh Really, What’s That Then?, out now via Trapped Animal Records and Cargo Records. (ML)

Kim Gordon – ‘Murdered Out’
Music icon Kim Gordon released her first solo album this month, No Home Record, and it’s a raw, gritty, artistic affair. Her inimitable voice and talent for experimentation shine through on this record, and ‘Murdered Out’ is my favourite track. I was lucky enough to pick up a signed copy from her in person at Rough Trade East (I tried very hard not to nerd out, but I 100% did) (KC)

Shari Vari – New York City
I cannot get enough of the Hamburg based alt-electro/punk/producersShari Vari. Their debut album, Now, out via Malka Tuti is packed full to the brim of brutalist delights. From ‘Dance Alone’, which takes me back to those dark, freezing, sweaty warehouse raves to this track ‘New York City’ with warped vocals, heavy reverbs and cinematic crescendos. What can I say, I’m hooked. (TW)

The Leaf Library – ‘Hissing Waves’
‘Hissing Waves’ is the latest single from The Leaf Library, taken from their new album which is set for release on 25th October via Where It’s At Is Where You Are. This, their first single from the album is in their words “the most pop the band have ever sounded”, skipping inside-esque electronics, and looping verses; I’m enjoying the feeling of elasticity in its sound. (TW)

Hinako Omori – ‘Auraelia’
Influenced by the pain and blurred vision she experienced from multiple migraines, London-based Japanese artist Hinako Omorio has transformed her ailments in to intriguing electronic tunes. ‘Auraelia’ is the title track from her debut EP, which is set for release on 22nd November via Injazero Records. (KC)

POLIÇA – ‘Driving’
POLIÇA are set to release their new album When We Stay Alive in January 2020, and ‘Driving’ is the first track to be lifted from it. Vocalist/synth player Channy Leaneagh explains the context of the new single far more eloquently than I can: “Laying in bed, as I healed from a 10 foot fall of carelessness with my life, I would dream of running in green grass and tears would pour from my eyes – Running in the tall tear grass; imagine wanting life and the want remains – That is a feeling to hold onto; that life is worth living even when all the towers are crumbling and this goes beyond my own little accident but the world around me. Following the crone into the sinking ship and having the chance to return without a shadow. Drive on, Drive on. A second chance you won’t forget”. (KC)

Baby Taylah – ‘Reclaim’
My choices for the October Playlist would not be complete without a heavy helping of pop electronica, which you know I love oh so much. This time it comes from Scottish Baby Taylah, with her debut single ‘Reclaim’. It’s big, it’s bold and it’s a banger! There’s only one way this track should be played, and that’s LOUD. (TW)

Audrey – ‘Paper’
New Jersey based singer-songwriter Audrey has dropped ‘Paper’ her latest single, which is nothing short of a soulful, trap-tinged record, hitting hard with 808s and heavy bass. The accompanying video is equally as cool, with nods to her Korean heritage. (TW)

Bang Bang Romeo (feat Example)- ‘Love Yourself’
An empowering ode to self love, this new single from northern powerhouse Bang Bang Romeo showcases the immense soulful power of front woman Stars’ vocals perfectly. Having completely blown my mind at Cro Cro Land earlier this year, I was thrilled to catch them live again at Omeara. (ML)

Foundlings – ‘I Love You All’
A cover of the original, taken from the 2014 Lenny Abrahamson film Frank, Foundlings’ new single ‘I Love You All’ flows with jangly hooks and luscious vocals, creating an uplifting slice of fuzz-filled indie pop, showcasing all there is to love about them. (ML)

Moor Mother – ‘The Myth Hold Weight’
Philadelphia-based artist, poet, and musician Camae Ayewa – aka Moor Mother – has shared this track from her upcoming album Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes, which is set for release via Don Giovanni Records on 8th November. Described as a “dystopian freestyle poem touching on past, present, and future trauma”, the calmness in her voice as she speaks her heavy truths is remarkable. (KC)

Kate Tempest – ‘People’s Faces’
The new album from Kate Tempest, as with all her albums, is a heart-wrenchingly poignant and mind blowingly powerful collection about the state of the world today. ‘People’s Faces’ is just completely spot on and showcases Tempest’s unique poetic skill at creating relevant and hugely emotive social narratives. As she laments “My country’s coming apart/ The whole thing’s becoming such a bumbling farce…”, she offers a glimmer of hope: “There is so much peace to be found in people’s faces”. Heartbreaking perfection. (ML)

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