Track Of The Day: Bait Bag – ‘Safe Word’

A riotous drop-kick to one of the worst years in global history, US riot grrrls Bait Bag have shared their latest single ‘Safe Word’. Full of sardonic lyrics and punk-infused riffs, the track is a vigorous farewell to 2020 and more specifically, to the last four years of tyrannous American politics.

Formed in the summer of 2018 by North Haven Island-based pals Fiona Robins, Claire Donnelly and Courtney Naliboff, Bait Bag are inspired by the sounds of Sleater-Kinney, Blondie and Le Tigre. They’ve channeled their collective energies into new single ‘Safe Word’, a track that encourages listeners to dance and swirl around in the ashes of this “dumpster fire” of a year.

“This is the song to blast at midnight with a glass of champagne and all your friends on Zoom,” the band explain. With its crashing percussion, energetic guitars and relatable lyrics – “Hey man, stop the world I wanna get off!” – it’ll be hard not to bop along with the grrrls as they enthuse about the exhaustion that came with the continuous flow of bad news this year.

With songs intended to “empower and excite, or at least give other frustrated people something to flail around to,” Bait Bag’s latest single is a strong opening track for the soundtrack of 2021.

Listen to ‘Safe Word’ below.

 

Follow Bait Bag on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Preview: Chuck SJ – ‘Sink Your Teeth In’

Taken from their upcoming debut album Resist.Recharge.Revolt, set for release in 2021, DIY musician & multi-instrumentalist Chuck SJ has shared a preview of their new single ‘Sink Your Teeth In’. Full of atmospheric guitar riffs, sparse beats and glitchy electronics, the track is an industrial-tinged rumination on the forces that construct, influence and sometimes dismantle our ways of thinking.

Written whilst isolating in a cabin in the woods earlier this year, Chuck taught themselves how to use Logic Pro X and an AKAI MPK mini synth in order to create Resist.Recharge.Revolt. ‘Sink Your Teeth In’ is one of several tracks that show how Chuck’s reliance on solitude and their own musical intuition has given them the space to craft an intriguing exploration of “intimacy, dissociation and the way in which this dystopian digital era manipulates the psyche.”

You can listen to a snippet of ‘Sink Your Teeth In’ below, but make sure you’re following Chuck SJ on Spotify so you can hear the full track when it’s released next week…

 

Follow Chuck SJ on Instagram for more updates.

Artwork: Lisa Rose

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: PELA – ‘Here’s Where The Story Ends’

A charming cover of The Sundays’ 1990 single ‘Here’s Where The Story Ends’, Brighton-based duo PELA have shared their version of the alt-rock band’s famous hit. PELA decided to record the cover to share with listeners as a “little souvenir of a terrible year,” a sentiment which resonates deeper as we approach the end of 2020.

Formed of Hannah Coombes and Olly Shelton, PELA are inspired by the sun-soaked sounds of The Japanese House, HAIM and Jessie Ware. The duo have worked their dream-pop magic on The Sundays’ classic track with “a wash of vocoder, ad-lib imprints mixed with deep Moog bass lines and pads add to the modern indie interpretation of this irreverent hyper melodic song.” The result is a beautiful rendition full of Coombes gentle vocals and Shelton’s tentative beats.

Listen to PELA’s version of ‘Here’s Where The Story Ends’ below.

Follow PELA on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more updates.

Photo: Chloe Hashemi

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: NØELLE – ‘LVCIE’

An enchanting musing on the ways we cope with our anxious thoughts, DIY chamber-pop artist NØELLE has shared her latest single ‘LVCIE’. Full of emotive vocals and atmospheric keys, the Welsh musician’s fears and vulnerabilities are personified by the character the track is named after, allowing her to vicariously examine her insecurities from a safe distance.

“My character, LVCIE, was a character I created to deal with the lowest points within my anxiety,” NØELLE explains. Through this helpful medium she channels her need to open up about feelings of dependence and vulnerability. Keen to give a platform to “the voices we choose to ignore,” NØELLE blends tentative lyrics with atmospheric sounds to work through her mixed emotions. Inspired by the likes of Aurora, Florence & The Machine, Billie Eilish, KARYYN and Lorde, NØELLE’s cautious approach to song-writing rings with a charming melancholy.

Listen to ‘LVCIE’ below.

 

Follow NØELLE on Spotify, Facebook & Instagram for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment