LISTEN: Bleach Lab – ‘Real Thing’

Fusing hope and hesitation with heart-wrenching ease, Bleach Lab’s latest single ‘Real Thing’ is a dream-pop delight. Following on from their debut EP A Calm Sense of Surrounding, the South-London based indie group’s latest track shows Bleach Lab at what they do best: endearing, emotional indie with a hint of electronica.

Like candy that can kill, there’s a sweet sadness to ‘Real Thing.’ “It’s about wanting to find a more meaningful and lasting connection with someone,” explains vocalist Jenna Kyle. “I had been processing a lot of issues over the last couple of years to do with previous relationships and personal development, and I had finally reached a place where I felt I was in the right state of mind to be open to looking for something new.”

Saturated with the shoegazy sounds like Slowdive and Mazzy Star, it’s no surprise that the single was produced by alt-rock genius Stephen Street, who has produced tracks from The Smiths, Blur and The Cranberries in the past. The song’s acoustic guitars, soft electronic drumbeats and reverb depict the rectifying promise of budding romances. Kyle envelops her lyrics with longing as delicately as silk sits on skin: “I really wanna see you again / I wanna be more than friends,” which seems more like a prayer than a refrain.

Tender, touching and tactful, the new track emulates the melancholy melodies of Heaven or Las Vegas. If you find the slightly soul-crushing sounds of the Cocteau Twins comforting, Bleach Lab is the band for you.

Listen to ‘Real Thing’ below.

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

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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LISTEN: Novaa – ‘Audre’

Unsettling yet somehow sensual, Novaa‘s single ‘Audre’ is a poignant tale of oppression, fatigue and the silencing of black voices. Lifted from her recent album She’s A Rose, the Berlin-based indie singer-songwriter pays homage to American feminist poet and civil rights activist Audre Lorde on her latest track.

Layering placid vocals with lush electronic beats, the rigid strumming of a muted guitar and the serenity of softly played wind instruments, ‘Audre’ is pure poetry. There is something Black Swan-esque about the music video. With a stripped back, grayscale aesthetic and simple, yet jittery dancing movements, Novaa expresses the heavy emotions of the song visually as well as sonically. Like stars, the rhymes stud the underlying darkness of the track with light.

When she sings “It is heavy / to carry these shackles,” Novaa shines a spotlight on the mental and physical exhaustion that comes with fighting an oppressor. The past few years have been somewhat traumatising for many minorities – the Black community in particular – and with the constant bombardment of horrific hate crimes and police brutality on our timelines, it is understandable if people feel beat.

Vaulting off from Audre Lorde’s political message that caring for oneself in troubling times is a radical act of self-preservation, Novaa’s new track powerfully illuminates the painful foundations of activism and reminds us that our fight for equality is far from over.

Follow Novaa on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Rebecca Kraemer

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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EP: Deap Vally – ‘American Cockroach’

Self-described as “songs for the underdog”, Deap Vally’s latest EP American Cockroach is a musical metamorphosis for the LA rock duo. With songs that shed their garage rock shell, Deap Vally have grown wings that weave through bluesy ballads, satire and sincerity on this four-track phenomenon, which is sonically kissed by the soft lips of collaboration, featuring the likes of bassist Jennie Vee (Eagles of Death Metal) and Ayse Hassan (ESYA/Savages).

Imagine a trashy bar with a single spotlight shining down on a beautiful, bluesy singer in a thigh-split dress. You’re downing a beer and watching her half-sprawled across a grand piano, serenading a crowd with songs saturated with sadness. That’s what listening to the opening track ‘Give Me A Sign’ feels like. With slow staccato beats, vocals that emulate the same sultriness of Lana Del Rey and Mazzy Star, ‘Give Me A Sign’ is a truly tender ballad. As vocalist Lindsey Troy says of the track, “[This] is a deeply personal song. It will always mark a very specific time in my life.”

‘I Like Crime’ is (as one YouTube commenter perfectly puts) a “cunnilingus bop,” with Jennie Vee shredding on the bass, Troy’s rasping vocals and Julie Edwards’ unwavering drumbeat giving the serial killer storyline of the lyrics some serious swagger. The titular ‘American Cockroach’ is a return to Deap Vally’s garage rock roots. It’s a sexy invitation for class war that would make even Karl Marx wet. Finishing strongly with ‘Better Off With Nothing’, Deep Vally’s collaboration with the talented Ayse Hassan is haunting yet radiant; the post-punk track is a perfect end to this brilliant EP.

Photo Credit: Ericka Clevenger

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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EP: Tokky Horror – ‘I Found The Answers and Now I Want More’

If you love The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’, Tokky Horror’s latest EP I Found the Answers and Now I Want More is the exhilarating debut you need to hear. Hailing from Liverpool, London and Manchester, the virtual hardcore collective made up of Zee Davine, Ava Akira and Mollie Rush layer growling guitars with EDM. The result? A cyber goth masterpiece that hits you as hard as MDMA.

Kicking wormholes through genres, the queercore group mix rave and rock to produce a record that emulates the same intense and futuristic energy of The Matrix. This is the kind of special EP you need to listen to through both earphones to fully appreciate.

Dragging us into a new dimension is the brazen, pulse-racing opening track ‘Girlracer’, which launches listeners into punk-infused drum and bass. Lyrically tearing apart the pop culture bond between masculinity and fast cars, the song revs its engine angrily at the expulsion of women from hyper-masculine spaces, which Davine notes often includes “dance culture itself.”

The beats on ‘Simulate Me’ pulse at levels that could match a Love Honey vibrator. Laced with laser synth sounds and erotic imperatives like “touch me / love me”, the song frankly takes on the topic of virtual love and dating, particularly fitting for the pandemic restriction era we are living in. Next up is ‘Godliness’, which stands out against the others and offers a slightly mellower take on electronic rock. As Davine says, “I think we show our more expansive side on ‘Godliness’…it’s us letting our guard down a bit for something more genuine.”

With croaking, shrieking vocals and distorted heavy guitar sounds, ‘Eden on Acid’ is probably the most punk-sounding song of the EP (and my favourite track too.) It’s only one and half minutes long, yet has an edge and intensity to it that reminds me of the intro of My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Only Shallow’. Finishing with ‘Sleeper’, Tokky Horror strips the opening riff from The Beastie Boys ‘Sabotage’ and creates an exhilarating build-up to a hypnotic refrain. A strong end to an EP that shows off the trio’s instrumental momentum and individuality.

Listen to Tokky Horror’s new EP, released via Alcopop! Records, here.

Follow Tokky Horror on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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