NEW TRACK: Seraphina Simone – ‘Liverpool’

A bittersweet reflection on the beauty and brutality of romantic love, Seraphina Simone has shared her latest single ‘Liverpool’. Written solely by the London-based artist and co-produced by Jay Chakravorty, the track is a tender rumination on a past relationship, underscored by cinematic synths, meditative beats and Seraphina’s elegiac lyrics.

After a year spent on tour as part of Self Esteem’s live band, and following on from the release of her debut EP, Milk Teeth (2022), Seraphina Simone is now preparing to share more of her shimmering alt-pop sounds. On ‘Liverpool’, she carefully traces over moments of pure euphoria – “I saw you at the bus stop / you were looking at the floor / eyes as wide as oysters / thought I couldn’t love you more” – and contrasts them with snapshots of unfiltered pain – “Ghosts have their own agendas / and memories don’t want to die / so you’ll haunt my sentences / as long as we are both alive.” The result is a delicately delivered, but sharply observed contemplation on the duality of romance, which Seraphina has coined as “the best song she’s ever written.”

“‘Liverpool’ is a memento mori to love and a eulogy for the power of relationships,” the songwriter explains about the track. “Love is savage and beautiful and a time capsule and a time traveller, and love can fade and the people we love can fade away. But the marks we make in each other last forever like striations in landscapes changing with time, and it can be both wonderful and exhausting.”

Listen to ‘Liverpool’ below.

Follow Seraphina Simone via her Official Website, Spotify, Twitter (X), Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: REWS – ‘Meridians’

A raucous ode to persevering in the face of adversity and making yourself stronger in the process, Northern Irish songwriter Shauna Tohill aka REWS has created a gritty lament to hard-earned resilience on her latest album, Meridians. An empowering blend of heavy riffs, defiant vocals and pop-rock melodies, Tohill effortlessly delivers her assertive, cathartic energy across each of the album’s eleven tracks.

The follow up to 2020’s full length record Warriors, the independently released Meridians rings out with REWS’ trademark passion, mettle and charisma. A reflection on her experiences as a woman in the music industry, the pitfalls along the way and the strong mindset that’s born from carving out your own path, Tohill’s songs chime with a complimentary mix of relatable strife and carefree infectious attitude.

Kicking the album off with the driving beats and grinding riffs of ‘The World That You Left Behind’ and ‘Pretty Face’, Tohill asserts herself with two riotous statements of self autonomy. This is something which permeates Meridians. The album’s title alludes to both “a circle of constant longitude passing through a given place on the earth’s surface” and a practice in acupuncture referring to the “set of pathways in the body along which vital energy is said to flow”. Tohill has evidently been mindful of this, as Meridians flows with her vibrant, tenacious spirit.

This is best observed on cathartic anthems ‘Breathe Into Me’, ‘Not Your Soldier’ and ‘Lock Your Horns’, on which she overcomes feelings of exhaustion, burnout and indecision and transforms them into brooding pop-rock melodies. The songwriter’s vocals are the lifeblood of the album, her voice as commanding in its quieter moments as it is at full volume, highlighted at several points on the record. Tracks like ‘Misery’ and ‘Tears Of A Lion’ fluctuate between vulnerable lyrics in verses and powerful riff-heavy choruses, which makes for invigorating listening. The aptly named ‘On My Back (Giant’s Roar)’ sees Tohill flex her vocal range superbly, and will no doubt be a highlight when heard in a live setting.

Fuelled by the desire to liberate herself and encourage listeners to reject the expectations of others in order to live an authentic life, Meridians marks a new era of independence for REWS. Tohill has always provided her fans with with hefty riffs and chant-worthy choruses on her previous records, and the anthems on Meridians flow in that same vital vein.

Buy your copy of REWS’ new album Meridians here

Follow REWS on Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

REWS UK Tour Dates 2023
Wed 25th Oct: The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Thurs 26th Oct: Bear Cave, Bournemouth
Fri 27th Oct: West End Centre, Aldershot
Sat 28th Oct: The Exchange, Bristol
Sun 29th Oct: Bodega, Nottingham
Mon 30th Oct: The Grace, London
Tues 31st Oct: Deaf Institute, Manchester

Wed 1st Nov: Zerox, Newcastle
Thurs 2nd Nov: Classic Grand, Glasgow
Fri 3rd Nov: Key Club, Leeds
Sat 4th Nov: The Live Rooms, Chester
Sun 5th Nov: The Asylum 2, Birmingham

Photo Credit: Shona Cutt

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Dermabrasion – ‘Halberdier’

An ominous cacophony of industrial-tinged post punk, Toronto-based duo Dermabrasion have shared their latest single ‘Halberdier’. Taken from their upcoming debut album, Pain Behaviour, which is set for release on 26th January 2024 via Hand Drawn Dracula, the track is a heavy, brooding gothic anthem that rumbles with discontent.

Formed of Adam Bernhardt and Kat McGouran, Dermabrasion bonded over a shared fascination with punk music, the occult and the corporeal form. They released their debut EP, Luminate, back in 2021, but now the pair are gearing up to share their first full length record. Inspired by Roman Catholicism, LaVeyan Satanism, genre fiction and how these elements affect their outlook on their sense of power, shame and duty; Dermabrasion’s Pain Behaviour is a formidable concoction of post-punk, industrial and metal influences, culminating in a sound they’ve coined as “death rock and roll.”

Produced by Josh Korody (Fucked Up, Nailbiter, Breeze, Beliefs, Vallens), Pain Behaviour looks set to be a compelling listen, with first single ‘Halberdier’ offering a potent introduction to the record. Borrowing its title from a guard who wielded an ancient form of weaponry (the halberd), through their heavy hooks and gloomy vocals, Dermabrasion command the authoritative energy of a Halberdier, immersing their listeners in a shadowy, abrasive ether of noise.

The track is accompanied by a video, formed of a series of clips captured by members of the crowd at a Dermabrasion show in Toronto’s east end during the summer. It captures the gritty, grimy energy of the underground scene the band have cut their teeth playing live on over the years.

Listen to ‘Halberdier’ below.

Pre-order Dermabrasion’s debut album Pain Behaviour here

Follow Dermabrasion on bandcamp, Spotify & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Hilary Woods – ‘Burial Rites’

After sharing her poignant rumination ‘Where The Bough Has Broken’ – an atmospheric ode to communal growth and memory – Irish artist Hilary Woods has returned with another hypnotic instrumental titled ‘Burial Rites’. Lifted from her upcoming album, Acts Of Light, which is set for release on 3rd November via Sacred Bones, the track is a magnetic, gloomy cogitation inspired by the Gaelic Celtic ritual of Keening; a traditional form of vocal lament when mourning for the dead.

Following on from her second full length record Birthmarks (2020) and her hypnotic EP Feral Hymns (2021), Woods has expanded and experimented with her sound even further on her new album. Written, recorded, mixed and produced by Woods over the two years she spent between the west coast of Ireland and Dublin, Acts Of Light includes a myriad of idiosyncratic sounds.

The record features choristers of the Palestrina choir, together with the voices of the Galway City Chamber Choir, which Woods captured in the Pro Cathedral Dublin. Strings by Oslo-based musician Jo Berger Myhre appear throughout, and all the tracks are interspersed with field recordings that Woods captured during her time spent travelling through the north west of Spain. These influences have culminated into the nine “hypnotic dirges” that make up Acts Of Light, with single ‘Burial Rites’ offering another glimpse at this potent body of work.

The track is accompanied by a visual which Woods created herself. She offers more insight into the making of it: “The video is comprised of 16mm and 8mm hand processed film, together with archive footage and still photographs that convey private and collective rituals as acts of light.” Paired with her stirring and considered instrumentation, these images convey a powerful sense of loss, absence, love and connection, all themes which permeate Acts Of Light.

Watch the video for ‘Burial Rites’ below.

Pre-order Hilary Woods’ upcoming album Acts Of Light here

Follow Hilary Woods on bandcamp, Spotify & Instagram

Hilary Woods Ireland & UK Tour Dates 2023
25/10/2023 IRL Dublin The Gallery space at The Complex
26/10/2023 IRL Dublin The Gallery space at The Complex
30/10/2023 UK Liverpool Kazimier Stockroom
31/10/2023 UK Brighton Rose Hill Arts
01/11/2023 UK London Cafe OTO
02/11/2023 UK Bristol Cube Cinema
03/11/2023 UK Newcastle Cobalt Studios
04/11/2023 UK Manchester The White Hotel
05/11/2023 UK Leeds Headrow House

Hilary Woods European Tour Dates 2023
05/12/2023 FR Lyon Le Sonic
06/12/2023 CH Geneva Cave12 *
07/12/2023 IT Ravenna Bronson *
08/12/2023 IT Busto Arsizio Circolo Gagarin *
09/12/2023 IT Cornuda Tipoteca Italiana *
10/12/2023 IT Bologna Circolo Dev *
12/12/2023 DE Munich Rote Sonne *
13/12/2023 DE Berlin Arkaoda *
14/12/2023 DE JenaTRAFO *
15/12/2023 DE Dresden Schauburg *
16/12/2023 PL Warsaw Jassmine *
17/12/2023 LI Vilnius St. Catherine Church *
18/12/2023 LV Riga Vagonu Hall *
19/12/2023 EE Tallinn Kino Sõprus *
* – as special guest to Jozef Van Wissem

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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