WATCH: Hexmaze – ‘Hex Hex Hex’

Making a mark on the London music scene since 2017, five-piece band Hexmaze have just dropped their single, ‘Hex Hex Hex’. With a hypnotic potion of punk lyrics and vocals, haunting chants and fuzzed out guitars, the collision of different sounds creates a genre-splitting track. In their latest single, the band demonstrate their diversity and ability to experiment in a song and create what will ultimately become a favourite amongst fans.

The music video, directed by Swedish visual artist Anna Bo, complements the energy and organised chaos of the song. Anna Bo creates a horror-like fairytale setting, which is intersected with scenes of the band dressed as Atwood-esque spectres band walking in unison. The video is almost ritualistic as its indulgent and rich imagery perfectly captures the intense emotions packed within the song. Both the music video and the single signify the journey from anxiousness to anger, and overall create an empowering message.

Watch the new video for ‘Hex Hex Hex’ here:

Amy McCarthy
@behindthecritic

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Video Premiere: Mannequin Death Squad – ‘Blue’

Following immense offerings such as ‘Van Gogh’ and ‘Honey Punch’, and appearances supporting the likes of Slaves, as well as on our very own radio show, Australian instrument-swapping duo El and Dan – aka Mannequin Death Squad – now return to compel our ears with a brand new raucous single.

Propelled by a raging riotous energy and frenzied, thrashing beats, ‘Blue’ is a perfect alt-Valentine’s anthem. Oozing a gritty, scuzz-filled power and raw, seething vocals, it’s an exhilarating blast of infectious grunge-fuelled rock, showcasing the unique ferocious force of our favourite Aussie duo. Of the track, El explains:

“Blue is a song I wrote at 16 years of age in my ’90s poster drowned out room. It feels to me like an angst break-up song. It’s about who we vilify when we’re feelin’ kinda blue.”

Watch the brand new video for ‘Blue’, and see a Gorilla-tastic love story unfold, here:

‘Blue’ is out now via Integrity Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Introducing Interview: Alice Phoebe Lou

Having recently released her deeply poignant single ‘Skin Crawl’, South African artist Alice Phoebe Lou is about to embark on an extensive North American and European tour. 

We caught up with Alice Phoebe Lou to find out more about her plans, and the inspirations behind her sweeping, crystalline sound…

Hi Alice Phoebe Lou, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about what you do and how you initially got started creating music?
Thanks for having me! I got into music pretty late in life; I’d always been into performing, but it was more about dancing & theatre. When I started travelling around Europe fresh out of high school, I was doing street performance as my ‘job’ and at first it was dancing & throwing balls of fire around. Eventually I started singing cover songs & writing my own. So initially, music making was something I did to get some change & continue my lifestyle in Berlin. The city became my fresh start, where I realised that music would be my direction.

Your poignant new single ‘Skin Crawl’ is said to be inspired by your negative experiences at the hands of men, can you tell us a bit more about the inspiration behind it?
The meaning behind the song comes from a culmination of events & circumstances all too familiar for women, over my entire lifetime really. It starts with the innocence that was taken from me bit by bit as a teenager, as my body was sexualised and all the negative and traumatic experiences at the hands of men. And then coming into womanhood where so much sexually aggressive and violent behaviour is taken for granted and seen as a ‘part of the territory’ of going out or being social. After my drink was spiked in New York and I experienced one of my lowest lows in this regard, I kept going out alone, rejecting the idea that I needed to be afraid or change what I enjoy doing because of the behaviour of a few. But as many women know, there are so few ‘safe’ spaces where one can dance & not be touched, harassed, made to feel uncomfortable. So this song tries to bring attention to that in the hopes that we can strive towards more of these safe spaces.

And your upcoming album Paper Castles is out next month. Are you able to tell us about the writing process that went into creating it, and are there any ongoing themes running throughout?
Very excited to release Paper Castles! It’s been the most beautiful process. The writing of it was done between tours and travels, and the songs have been written all over the world. There’s definitely an overall theme of coming into womanhood, coming into myself and owning my body and my sexuality and getting to the other side of traumas and personal hardships. The recording process was a full on dream, with the best musicians and friends I could possibly ask for, and the most smooth and stress free process imaginable. Didn’t know it was possible! Noah Georgeson was an incredible producer and friend to have guiding us and I’m so happy and humbled by the result.

We’re big fans of your dreamy, captivating sound, but who or what would you cite as your main influences?
Mostly my friends really. I’ve got an incredible community of musicians & creatives spanning the globe, but especially in Berlin and my home town Cape Town. We do a lot together, throwing parties and dreaming big about the future of what we could achieve together, trying hard to create an environment of support rather than competition. They really inspire me and cheer me on, and I feel extremely fortunate.

You’re about to embark on a big North America and European tour in support of the album, but are there any shows you’ve played in the past that stand out as a particular highlight?
Definitely playing in Ramallah & Bayt Sahur in Palestine. To be able to bring international music to a place that is so cut off from the world, to people that so appreciate that you’ve come there and that you’ve brought them music & catharsis; it was a very special experience. I’ll be going back there soon.

You’re originally from South Africa, how did you find the music scene over there?
It’s bubbling right now. It’s hard to survive as an artist in South Africa, because there’s not enough money, not enough support. But there are incredible people doing amazing things – throwing wonderful festivals, doing everything they can to get the scene off the ground and I’m in awe and inspired to watch it happen.

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 definitely think it’s difficult for new artists, as there are so many new musicians trying to get their work out there, and often such a limiting and rigid industry that favours commercial potential over value. But I think if one is innovative; works fucking hard and tries to mould their own little corner of the music industry, learning as much as they can, finding the way to release that works for them, anything is possible.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out?
Amy Ayanda, Thor Rixon, Hyroine, Young Yosef, Hush Moss, RAS, Loving, Good Morning, LA Salami.

Finally, what else does 2019 have in store for Alice Phoebe Lou?
Organising a festival for 2020. Been my big dream for a while.

Huge thanks to Alice for answering our questions! 

Paper Castles, the upcoming album from Alice Phoebe Lou, is out 8th March. Catch her live in the UK in April:

15th April – Thekla, Bristol
16th April – Deaf Institute, Manchester
17th April – Earth, London
18th April – Bodega, Nottingham

Photo Credit: Elliott McKee

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Playlist: Galentine’s Day 2019

Grrrls, it’s the best day of the year: GALENTINE’S DAY! Coined by Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) back in 2010, Galentine’s has since been recognised by girls across the globe, and used as a light-hearted platform to celebrate the girls and women who enrich our lives.

We wanted to celebrate it with you in the best way possible: by chucking some of our favourite female-identifying artists on a big old playlist. We’re all about self-love & sisterly (not just cis-terly) love today, so have a read about our choices, then hit play!

Aretha Franklin & Annie Lennox – ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves’
Whenever I hear this I immediately want to get up and dance. Two talented women coming together to sing about equality and independence never fails to make me feel good. It was released in 1985, but the lyrics are just as poignant today.
(Kate Crudgington)

The Julie Ruin – ‘Girls Like Us’
I couldn’t make a playlist and not include something from queen Kathleen. And this track from The Julie Ruin seems to sum up our feelings this Galentine’s perfectly. A unifying anthem for all us misfit grrrls, it never fails to pick me up and leave me feeling ready to face the world. (Mari Lane)

Argonaut – ‘You Are’
With motivational lyrics such as “You rock, you can change the world, you inspire boys and girls, you can do anything!”, Argonaut’s ‘You Are’ is the perfect motivational pop-punk anthem to unite and empower you and your friends this Galentine’s. (ML)

Honeyblood – ‘Babes Never Die’
Every time I hear Honeyblood’s Stina sing “Witch if I float / damned if I don’t” on this track it fills me with such a rush of defiance. It’s an anthem for resilience and I regularly return to it on days where I need extra motivation. (KC)

Sleater Kinney – ‘Modern Girl’
I’m currently reading Carrie Brownstein’s memoir ‘Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl’ (the title of which is taken from this track) and it is honestly one of the most enjoyable and refreshing reads – she just seems totally down to earth, unpretentious and incredibly witty. And one thing that particularly stands out throughout is (despite encountering various obstacles) the constant unwavering friendship and unity between Brownstein and bandmate Corin Tucker. (ML)

Wolf Alice – ‘Beautifully Unconventional’
I dismissed this song the first time I heard it on Visions Of A Life because it’s not as heavy or shoegazey as other Wolf Alice songs. When I heard it live and frontwoman Ellie dedicated the song to a female friend, it changed the way I listened to it. When I hear the track now, I think of how great that gig was and how great it is to celebrate all of the “beautifully unconventional” girls. (KC)

Panic Pocket – ‘Mr Big’
Inspired by too many formative Sex And The City marathons, ‘Mr Big’ is an uplifting ditty about desperately wanting your close friend to stop defining herself by her relationship status and focus instead on friendship. Strewn with memorable SATC quotes, highlighting the importance of friendship – “Don’t laugh at me but maybe we could be each other’s soulmates” – it’s a luscious slice of indie-pop from the duo. (ML)

Dream Nails – ‘Chirpse Degree Burns’
The mock-anxiety Dream Nails sing with as they lament about being ghosted on this track is so funny and so relatable! This is the perfect Galentine’s (and Valentine’s) Day anthem. (KC)


The Baby Seals – ‘Guuurl’
With their uplifting charisma and triumphant wit, The Baby Seals consistently champion autonomy and body positivity with their wonderfully tongue-in-cheek offerings. Celebrating all things female and breaking gender boundaries in all the right ways, with ‘Guuurl’ The Baby Seals assure us that we can indeed pee where want to. And we cannot wait to seem them live again for us at The Finsbury celebrating International Women’s Day on 8th March! (ML)

Miss Eaves – ‘Bush For The Push’
A vibrant celebration of self love, GIHE fave Miss Eaves’ ‘Bush For The Push’ is filled with all her trademark disco-punk energy, reminiscent of queen Peaches. An empowering and wonderfully entertaining call to be free to have the bush you want – “It’s your body, so have a little fun…” – it encourages us to celebrate and take pride in our body, whatever shape or size it may be. (ML) 

Nova Twins – ‘Hit Girl’
Georgia & Amy share a unique talent for making riotous new music, and they’re a brilliant example of what you can achieve when you’re working alongside your best friend. They’ve yet to release a song I don’t instantly fall in love with, and I can’t wait to catch them live again later this year at Cro Cro Land.(KC)

Lizzo – ‘Good As Hell’
I just can’t get enough of Lizzo’s joyous, body-positive spirit and immensely infectious offerings. And with motivational lyrics such as “Come now, come dry your eyes; you know you a star, you can touch the sky”, ‘Good As The Hell’ is the ultimate feel-good anthem to sing at the top of your lungs to your besties when they need cheering up. (ML)

Cyndi Lauper – ‘Time After Time’
With Galentine’s Day originally being coined by the ever inspirational Leslie Knope from Parks And Recreation, I just had to include this classic. ‘Time After Time’ soundtracks a rare moment of unity between contrasting characters April and Ann in the series, as we see the two coming together (with an appearance from Donna!), singing this song, showing the power of music in bringing us together. (ML)

Alanis Morissette – ‘Thank you’
This iconic 1998 tune from Alanis is the best thing to sing to yourself on a day where things aren’t going your way, or if you need a minute to take stock of what you’re really grateful for. Whether you do that in your head, in front of your bedroom mirror, or naked in the street like Alanis does in the video is entirely up to you. (KC)

Antony and the Johnsons – ‘You Are My Sister’
I can’t put into words just how utterly beautiful and deeply moving I find this song, so I’ll just leave it here: “You are my sister, and I love you, may all of your dreams come true.” Happy Galentine’s, sisters. (ML)

Listen to our special Galentine’s Day Playlist here, and give us a follow on Spotify if you fancy it:

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment