Track Of The Day: ILL – ‘ILL SONG’

A manic cacophony of post-punk & prog noise, Manchester’s ILL have shared new single ‘ILL SONG’ ahead of the release of their debut album, We Are ILL, tomorrow on May 11th via Box Records.

Recorded over 18 months in the crumbling mills of Ancoats, Manchester, the band channelled their furious love of pop punk into a record that challenges not just the ears, but the stigma surrounding mental health issues; the politics of identity and gender, capitalism and misogyny. Their single ‘ILL Song’ is a surreal, humorous blend of this activism, with a healthy dose of fun thrown in too.

We Are ILL will be released on limited edition transparent blue vinyl, gatefold CD and as a digital audio download on May 11th. The release is accompanied by a launch show at Sebright Arms on the same date, with support from LibraLibra and The Ethical Debating Society, hosted by Club The Mammoth (RSVP here).

Watch the video for ‘ILL Song’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

ILL UK Tour Dates 2018

11 May Sebright Arms, London (album launch)
12 May Doubledotbash Festival, Reading
21 May Soup Kitchen, Manchester (supporting Screaming Females)
31 May The Soundhouse, Leicester
1 June Head of Steam, Newcastle
15 June Liverpool (TBA)
16 June The Deaf Institute, Manchester (album launch)

Photo Credit: Megan Powell

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Dott – ‘Like A Girl’

Activism and garage-pop collide in anthemic style on Dott‘s latest track ‘Like A Girl’. The Galway-based band have released the song ahead of Ireland’s vote to Repeal the 8th Amendment on May 25th – a vote which would give Irish women access to full reproductive health services, including abortion.

“It has always bothered me when people say that doing something ‘Like a Girl’ means they did it weakly or substandard,” guitarist & vocalist Anna explains about the track. “To put this out-dated notion to bed, I wrote this song to remind people that doing something ‘Like a Girl’ means it will be powerful and no shit will be taken.”

“It’s especially relevant in Ireland at the moment with the fast approaching Referendum on Reproductive Rights. Irish women and girls have spent years fighting for their reproductive rights, demanding a referendum to change archaic and unsafe Irish Law. And now we are a matter of weeks away from the referendum finally happening, all because of the fierce and tireless work of the women’s groups of Ireland. So, what I’m trying to say is, if you’re going to do something important, you’d better hope that everyone says you did it ‘Like a Girl.'”

The band’s new song features a guest appearance from Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz on guitar and the accompanying video features members from Galway Pro Choice, Galway Parents for Choice, and Galway Roller Derby, as well as footage of recent marches for Women’s Rights in Galway. We’re totally behind everything that ‘Like a Girl’ stands for.

Listen to the track below.

Sign the petition to Repeal the 8th Amendment here.

Follow Dott on Facebook for more updates.

Dott’s sophomore album Heart Swell is set to be released on Graceface Records on 8th June.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: New Haunts – ‘Worlds Left Behind’

A soundtrack for the witching hour, New Haunts‘ debut album Worlds Left Behind is a veiled, intriguing exploration of independence. Fusing elements of coldwave, goth, early industrial and synthpop, she’s crafted a collection of distinctive, ominous sounds.

As the album’s title suggests, New Haunts is caught between the world she inhabits and the world she once knew. She explores this on opening track ‘Ingrained’ through urgent vocal harmonies that rise and fall against a backdrop of slow, scratchy drum sounds. It bleeds into lead single ‘Reactions’, a cold but magnetic offering which laments the simultaneous beauty and horror of having emotional connections. It’s connections like these that make the tortured howls on following track ‘Left Me Cold’ feel so sharp. They contrast well with her tentative and pained vocals during the verses, as foreboding synths underscore another moment of painful clarity.

‘Hymns’ and ‘New Haunts’ take listeners on a gentler electronic turn, with some Kate Bush-style wavering vocals, whilst ‘Waves’ breaks through this ambient interlude with jagged synths and more of New Haunts fluttering, urgent vocals. Its dark, glittering defiance flows into the subdued ‘Same Medicine’, followed by ‘Safe Out Here’ which is full of more brooding synths and wavering vocals.

Whispers of insecurity permeate closing track ‘Ice’ – “and I give it my all / as far as I know / as far as I can” – before abrasive synths push through a “concrete truth.” New Haunts may be at the beginning of her solo journey, but her debut record shows she is well equipped for these intriguing sonic ventures. Fans of Zola Jesus and Kate Bush will approve of her gothic noise on Worlds Left Behind.

Listen to Worlds Left Behind on Spotify & follow New Haunts on Facebook for more updates.

Purchase the album from bandcamp here.

Photo Credit: Katie Murt

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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VIDEO PREMIERE: The Nyx – ‘Keep It Candid’ (Margo’s Living Room, Special Edition)

We’ve made no secret of our love for The Nyx here at GIHEs, so we’re excited to be premiering an exclusive video for their new track ‘Keep It Candid’. Shot in Margo’s Living Room by John Clay at Hermitage Works, the footage shows the band doing what they do best – losing themselves in a cacophony of their own sound.

The Nyx will be playing for Who Run The World at The Victoria on 17th May, alongside Bugeye, Pussyliquor & Militant Girlfriend (RSVP here). Make sure you head down to see the live fury of these ‘Fire Breathing Ladies’ and check out their video for ‘Keep It Candid’ below.

Follow The Nyx on Facebook for more updates.

You can watch more videos by The Nyx on Clark Kent’s Rock and Roll Revue (subscribe not to miss a thing).

Photo Credit: Keira-Anee Photography

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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