WATCH: Valeska Rautenberg – ‘I Am Weak And So Are You’

Berlin artist Valeska Rautenberg has released her latest EP Aerial Minds, the first of a series of four EPs dedicated to one of the four elements. To accompany the record, Valeska has shared a delicate set of visuals for track ‘I Am Weak And So Are You’, and through flashes of red and blue she ruminates on vulnerability.

Valeska has worked as a musician, producer, teacher, composer & voice-over actress, but began releasing her own music again in 2017. Speaking about her new EP project, Valeska explains: “The EPs are like parts of an equation, like puzzle pieces to me. Every song is a facet. An element. But whole on their own. Let’s start with air: all four songs, though they vary in genre, explore the EP’s main theme; the element air. Capturing the intangible, ethereal and unthinkable in their own very unique ways. It gets political, deals with loss, falls in love with human weaknesses and much more”

‘I Am Weak And So Are You’ is the third single Valeska has released from her Aerial Minds EP, alongside ‘Midnight Children’ and ‘All Is Forgotten’. Her ambition and vision are sure to take her to where she wants to be. Watch the video for the latest single below and follow Valeska on Facebook for more updates.

Downlaod Valeska Rautenberg’s Aerial Minds EP here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

WATCH: HAVVK – ‘Glass’

Back and with a newly amended moniker, GIHE faves HAVVK (formally HAWK) have marked their rebrand with the re-release of their bewitching single ‘Glass’.

Originally written in 2015, and released in the run up to the Irish Marriage Equality Referendum, ‘Glass’ addresses themes of conflict and resolution. Completely remastered with help from the awesome Rocky O’Reilly, it’s filled with twinkling hooks as the majestic splendour of front woman Julie’s celestial vocals will captivate in an instant. Oozing an eerie subtle power and magnetising grace, it shows HAVVK at their most exquisite – doing what they do best; combining activism with their unique musical prowess.

Of the meaning behind the song, Julie explains:

“For us, the meaning of the song became connected with the collected voice that was rising in Ireland, especially among young people, in standing up for equality. We’re re-releasing the track as it’s always been really special to us, and with the Repeal vote getting pushed through this year, it feels like more and more people are seeing the impact of voicing their support for human rights.” 

Inspired visually by the Pride rainbow and directed by James Byrne, watch the immersive new video for ‘Glass’ here:

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Introducing Interview: Saint Sister

Northern Irish duo Saint Sister have previously charmed our ears with the spellbinding beauty of singles such as ‘Tin Man’ and ‘Causing Trouble’, and have now announced the release of their upcoming debut album Shape Of Silence. 

And the duo are certainly keeping busy; as well just sharing the twinkling, emotion-strewn splendour of single ‘Twin Peaks’ in a brand new video, they’re also about to head off on an epic US and European tour.

We caught up with Morgan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty to find out more…

Hi Saint Sister! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves and what you do?
Gemma: We’re an Irish duo making electronic-folk inspired music with harp, vocals and synthesisers. We’re just about to release our debut album!

How did you initially get together and start creating music?
G: We’ve been making music together for the best part of four years now. We both studied in Dublin and met towards the very end of our college years. Morgan was looking to form a band at the time, and in a fortunate turn of events reached out to me; I was pretty much looking for the same thing. We met for a drink one day and it pretty much spiralled from there.

Your dreamy new single ‘Twin Peaks’ is out now, can you tell us a bit about it? Are there any themes that inspired it?
Morgan: ‘Twin Peaks’ was a very instinctive reaction towards a friend who was going through a difficult time. I was hoping to distract them by suggesting loads of things we could do together, like watching Twin Peaks or listening to Judee Sill. On the surface it’s a happy song, but it’s steeped in denial. And listening back, I know it’s not the best advice for anyone dealing with something but at the time, it felt like the only thing I could say or do.

And the video for the single is a tour diary – looks like you had fun! Was there a particular highlight of your trip?
G: It has been a lot of fun, those clips came from a handful of shows from the beginning of this year in Sweden, Russia, the US, France and Ireland. We sold out our first show in New York in March which was mad, and getting to see Russia was a definite highlight too.

You’ve been compared to the likes of This Is The Kit and Bon Iver, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
M: We really love Bon Iver, James Blake and James Vincent McMorrow. We spent a lot of time together listening to their albums when we first started the band. But we don’t necessarily like all the same stuff which can make answering a question on influences kind of tricky. Personally, I take a lot of inspiration from some of the great songwriters, like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Judee Sill.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see much live music?
G: Irish music is buzzing at the minute, and it’s so diverse. We spend a lot of time at gigs whether it’s friends’ bands or hanging around at festivals and meeting bands on the road. It’s such a nice way to meet musicians and discover new music.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new upcoming bands/artists who you’d recommend we check out?
M: Oh yeah, they’re loads, it’s hard to pick just a few! I’m listening to a lot of Maria Kelly, Rachael Lavelle, Pillow Queens and Tandem Felix at the moment.

And how do you feel the industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
G: It’s getting easier for artists to make and release music almost completely DIY, which is a good thing in so many ways, but it’s become harder to make a splash and make your voice heard. Steaming has made it possible to have any artist available at your fingertips in an instant, and has made it very difficult for an artist to earn a living. The experience of a live gig hasn’t changed. Getting out and playing to as many people as possible feels like the most organic thing you can do, and hopefully the internet can’t do much to replace the physical connection you experience at a live show.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for Saint Sister?
M: We’re really looking forward to heading off on tour in September. We’ll be playing a lot of places we’ve never been to before particularly in America, Canada and Australia, so that in itself is exciting. If anyone at all shows up, we’ll be delighted! We’re also releasing our debut album, Shape of Silence. That’ll be a big moment for us. We’re very proud of the record and we just can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’ve been working on.

Huge thanks to Saint Sister for answering our questions!

Shape Of Silence, the upcoming debut album from Saint Sister is set for release later this year. Find all their tour dates and ticket info here.

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

PLAYLIST: August 2018

The British heatwave rages on with its blue skies and scorching sun, and us Get In Her Ears girls are here to help you through the head-melting heat with a mixture of cool new tunes. Take some time to scroll through our track selections, and hit play on the Spotify link at the bottom of the page…

Dream Nails – ‘Merkury’
Fast becoming known for their sparkling combination of activism and catchy tunes, GIHE faves Dream Nails are back with a new disco-punk banger. Perhaps less political than previous hits, ‘Merkury’ is a tongue-in-cheek take on the adverse effects of the planets misaligning and causing havoc in our everyday lives when Mercury Retrograde strikes. Flowing with sweeping honey-sweet vocals and shimmering melodies alongside groovy basslines, it’s a truly infectious intergalactic delight. Watch the wonderfully spacey, psychedelic video for ‘Merkury’ here. (Mari Lane)

WHITE RING – ‘Nothing’
Warped, watery vocals and thumping percussion combine in densely hypnotic style on WHITE RING‘s latest single, ‘Nothing’. Taken from their recent album Gate Of Grief, the track is accompanied by a video which shows the pair immersed in their own sound. Watch it here. (Kate Crudgington)

AyOwA – ‘Sommer’
I couldn’t not include ‘Sommer’ by AyOwA in August’s playlist. Having seen these guys for the first time last week at our Notting Hill Arts Club event, they totally stole the show for me!  Seeing AyOwa peform Sommer was a highlight for me – more heady and more haunting then I could have wished for. (Tash Walker)

hear – ‘OYSTERS’
I’ve found a new addiction and it comes in the form of new musical project hear with their dark, hypnotic, lyrically enchanting music. ‘OYSTERS’ in particular stood out for me with it’s poetically pertinent messages of sexual perversion, discovery, frustration, desire… ‘did it please you well? to see her hanging there’. It’s hard for me not to draw parallels to early Savages, however hear are of course distinct in their own version of post-ponk. hear is a musical project from Jorinde Croese and Natalie Connlly who aptly say “We’re not quite sure how to classify – labels perhaps feel a little old, and the music doesn’t quite come from obvious reference points, at least not for us.” Without a doubt hear are now firmly on my ‘Ones to Watch’ list, fingers crossed for some live dates soon. (TW)

Something Leather – ‘Disappear On Me’
I saw Brighton’s Something Leather live for the second time at The Lock Tavern last weekend at We Can Do It’s all-day gig, and they didn’t disappoint! The trio’s sound ricochets between loud and quiet, up and down, mad and melancholy – and I can’t get enough of their marvelous noise. (KC)

Æ Mak – ‘Love Flush’
‘Love Flush’ is the latest single Æ Mak (pronounced “Eh Mack”). Having just played Latitude with what sounded like an incredibly energetic show, I think it makes sense that so much of the media are drawing comparisons to early Bjork. Of the track she says “‘Love Flush’ is a twisted love song. It’s about choosing your own ambitions over a true love, pushing that someone away to embrace this higher vision you have of yourself, even though that’s what made you happy. Ego’s a bitch.” I could not be more into how this track starts and then breaks into an alt-pop tune! Enjoy. (TW)

Temples Of Youth – ‘Darker Places’
This duo have been firm favourites of the GIHEs team for a while now, and new single ‘Darker Places’ is another electronic treat. Paul’s trademark atmospheric guitar sounds combine with Jo’s jaded beats and beautiful vocals to create this sultry pop-noir gem. (KC)

Princess Chelsea – ‘I Love My Boyfriend’
What a sweet sentiment from New Zealand’s retro-futuristic pop artist Princess Chelsea. She might be mocking romance, or she might be promoting it – either way – I love her strung-out bass lines and sugary vocals. The single is taken from her upcoming album The Loneliest Girl, released on the 7th September via Lil’ Chief Records (KC)

Value Void – ‘Babeland’
‘Babeland’ by London trio Value Void is taken from their upcoming debut album, set for release on 26th October via Tough Love. They’ve described the record as “a luxuriantly deep, shag pile-warm, analogue proto punk collection”, and ‘Babeland’ is a track about one night in a pub when everything looked grim except for two very attractive men kissing. I love the hazy dreamlike sound to that track which seems the perfect accompaniment to the hazy warmth of this endless London Summer. (TW)

H.Grimace – ‘In The Body’ 
Following last year’s debut album Self-Architect, GIHE faves H.Grimace have returned with a gritty new single. Inspired by poet Vivienne Griffin and reflecting on society’s pressure on the individual, ‘In The Body’ is filled with the band’s raw post-punk sound and scuzzy, seething power, alongside the deep, sweeping vocals of Hannah Gledhill; creating a dreamy, Sonic Youth-reminiscent haze. (ML)

Happy Accidents – ‘Free Time’
Taken from their latest album Everything But The Here And Now, ‘Free Time’ is the perfect example of Happy Accidents’ instantly uplifting pop-punk. Oozing luscious harmonies and an infectious buoyant energy, I fell in love with their shimmering creations when coming across them at Indietracks Festival last weekend, and now I’m truly addicted. (ML)

Le Tigre – ‘TKO’ 
With it being LGBTQ+ activist and artist J.D.Samson’s birthday on Saturday, I couldn’t not include a Le Tigre track in this month’s playlist. She holds a very special place in my heart, and the memory of dancing the night away in total euphoria to tunes that she hand-picked at M.I.A’s Meltdown Festival last year is still one of my life highlights. Really, Le Tigre’s ‘TKO’ should be on every playlist ever – it’s an instant blast of empowering energy on each listen. (ML)

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment