LISTEN: Gillie – ‘Leaving Alone’

An atmospheric rumination on the importance of authentic relationships, Welsh-born London-based songwriter Gillie has shared her latest single ‘Leaving Alone’. Interweaving pop sensibilities with her lush vocals and gritty guitar sounds, the track is a musing on the unexpected feelings of competition that threaten to erode the foundations of existing friendships.

“I found myself withdrawn and numb to friendships and this childish merry go round of emotions,” Gillie explains about the context of her new single. “It made me recheck a lot of my relationships, I think you need that sometimes. I wrote it with the guitar line at the forefront and was channelling a carefree reaction, planning this wildlife of independence – and whilst usually, I get sad and reflective when writing – with this I was just saying goodbye and was fine with that.”

The catharsis this personal breakthrough brought to Gillie is reflected in her soft vocal delivery and resolute and defiant lyrics on ‘Leaving Alone’. Described as a “sonic liberation,” it’s an optimistic new offering from an artist who is moving forward and no longer phased by the difficulties of her past.

Listen to ‘Leaving Alone’ below.

 

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

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Miss Grit – ‘Dark Side Of The Party’

A genre-defying tune about feeling out of place in a room full of people, multi-instrumentalist Miss Grit has shared her latest single ‘Dark Side Of The Party’. Taken from her upcoming EP Impostor, which is set for release on 5th February, the Korean-American musician has crafted a sound that ricochets between atmospheric, angular and anthemic, hitting the musical sweet spot multiple times in just three and a half minutes.

“I’ve gone my whole life feeling really uncomfortable defining myself,” Miss Grit (aka Margaret Sohn) explains. “I realized that a lot of the time, I’m more comfortable with other people defining me and making up their mind about who I’m supposed to be.” Sohn wanted to shake up these feelings and address the racial impostor syndrome she felt as a half-Korean girl “trying to fit into the white space” of the Michigan suburbs where she grew up. To do this, she took on full production duties for Impostor, and the aptly named EP sees her masterfully deconstruct these feelings of self-doubt.

This is beautifully personified by the record’s first single ‘Dark Side Of The Party’. “I can’t tell hearts apart from spare parts” Sohn admits over striking guitar riffs and shifting melodies, her lyrics confidently exploring the feelings of discomfort she sings of. Her unexpected tempo changes give an edge to her emotional journey, making the single an authentic and exciting anthem for anyone who has struggled on their journey to self acceptance.

Listen to ‘Dark Side Of The Party’ below.

 

Follow Miss Grit on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Natasha Willson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Petrol Girls – ‘I Believe Them’ (Solidarity Not Silence)

A raucous anthem with a defiant and empowering message, Petrol Girls have shared their latest single ‘I Believe Them’. The uncompromising track has been released to raise funds for Solidarity Not Silence, who are a group of women fighting a claim of defamation made against them by a well-known musician. You can download ‘I Believe Them’ exclusively from bandcamp today to support their cause.

GIHE stands in solidarity with the women affected by the Solidarity Not Silence case. Read the powerful statement Ren from Petrol Girls has made about the track below, and scroll down to the end of this post to watch the accompanying video. #IBelieveThem

“We’re releasing this track to raise as much money as we possibly can for Solidarity Not Silence and to widen the network of people supporting the cause. Solidarity Not Silence is the legal defence fund for a group of women, including myself, who are being sued for defamation by a man in the music industry because of comments that we each made separately regarding his behaviour towards women. We’ve been fighting this case since December 2016 and desperately need help raising money for our legal costs. The only reason we’ve been able to successfully fight this case as long as we have is because we were able to come together and fundraise for our legal defence. Help us keep our legal representation all the way to court and win this!

“As one of the Solidarity Not Silence defendants, I’m limited in what I can say about the case whilst it’s ongoing. However, there’s nothing to stop me contributing to a wider conversation about sexual violence and the law – which is what this track, ‘I Believe Them’ is about.

“’How are we meant to protect ourselves?’ I find myself internally screaming this question, which is the chorus lyric, on a pretty regular basis. On the one hand, the criminal justice system consistently fails and often further traumatises survivors of sexual violence who decide to report to the police. This system clearly does not protect the majority of survivors and I personally do not believe it holds any answers in dealing with gender based violence. Then on the other hand, when survivors and their allies try to protect one another by speaking out about abusive behaviour, they become vulnerable to libel/ defamation law. And in both criminal and libel cases, the burden of truth is placed on the survivor. Literally what does the law expect us to do?

“There is, in practice, no legal aid available for the defence of a defamation case, which creates a dynamic whereby it is relatively easy for someone with money to silence those without. Money should not be a barrier to accessing justice and we refuse to allow our case to set a precedent for silencing marginalised voices in the music community and beyond. Please donate to/share our crowdfunder.”

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Dead Naked Hippies – ‘Curiosity (Dawn)’

Pushing themselves to create something new without compromising on quality or creativity, Leeds trio Dead Naked Hippies have shared their latest single ‘Curiosity (Dawn)’. Self-produced during lockdown earlier this year, the band have introduced buzzing synths alongside frontwoman Lucy Jowett’s crystalline vocals to create a heavy, infectious anthem that questions what it means to be human.

“‘Curiosity (Dawn)’’ is a question of existence and purpose, how life shapes us & we shape it, and reflecting on it as if it were coming to an end,” explains Jowett about the track. “Society is so focused on moving at pace, achieving, doing, proving that sometimes it feels so ingrained into us, that this is the way we should be. Lyrically, I wanted to explore myself beyond expectation.” Isolated from their practice room and their band mate Jacob, Jowett and her fellow band/flat mate Joe took to the deserted back streets of Leeds to explore this theme further, creating a superbly shot accompanying monochrome video that was completed in one take.

“We were set on the idea of capturing a moment, much like a live show – imperfect, but full of excitement,” Jowett explains. “The video you see was the first & only full take we captured on the day we set aside to film it, it felt really special to approach in this way and was definitely a reaction to the lack of live performance in our lives this year.” Making the best of a bad situation, Dead Naked Hippies’ venture into self-production and new musical territory during 2020 is something we certainly approve of.

Watch the video for ‘Curiosity (Dawn)’ below.

Follow Dead Naked Hippies on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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