Track Of The Day: Forever Honey – ‘Singing To Let England Shake’

A bittersweet guitar tune about the uncertainty of not knowing where you stand with someone you’re close to, Brooklyn indie band Forever Honey have shared their latest single ‘Singing To Let England Shake’. Taken from their upcoming EP, Could I Come Here Alone, which is set for release on 30th August, the track is a gentle, hazy lament to the frustrated hours spent wondering what went wrong, and the more hopeful moments that follow these sometimes uncomfortable realisations.

Formed of longtime friends Liv Price, Aida Mekonnen, Steve Vannelli and Jack McLoughlin, Forever Honey have been working on their catchy brand of “sob-rock” over the past few years, in between “filming Trailer Park Boys-esque skits and fostering dogs.” Over the next few months, the band will be sharing tracks from their self-recorded, produced, and engineered new EP, with single ‘Singing To Let England Shake’ being the first offering form the record.

“‘Singing To Let England Shake'” is about feeling profoundly misunderstood by someone important to you, the isolation that comes from this realization, and the desire to feel a lightness again after something so painful,” guitarist Aida Mekonnen explains. “There’s something uniquely frustrating about being misinterpreted, and I think it creates an instant distance between you and the person you used to connect with.” Informed by the band’s own experiences, this single and the tracks that form Could I Come Here Alone will strike a cord with anyone who needs reassurance after a period of loneliness of disconnection.

Listen to ‘Singing To Let England Shake’ below.

Follow Forever Honey on YouTube, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Rita Iovine

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Music Production For Women – Free Networking Event and Masterclasses in London on 16th July

If you are a woman, non-binary or gender non-conforming musician who is keen to learn more about how to produce your own music and meet other people who can share their skills with you, then you should register for a free ticket for Music Production For Women’s upcoming event on 16th July at the University of Westminster in London.

The event, titled “Master Your Music – Live”, will feature sessions with MPG award-winning producer Charlie Deakin-Davies, Ableton Certified trainer and Youtuber LNA, MPW’s award-winning founder and CEO Xylo Aria and more. The day will run from 10am to 4:30pm and will feature 7 in-person workshops on a variety of topics that many independent artists today need to know such as the basics of music production, sound-design and mixing, as well as music marketing, PR and songwriting workflow.

“I’m hoping we can inspire any attendees who may have wanted to produce but felt intimidated by it, to take their first steps in the field”, explains Music Production For Women’s founder Xylo. “I know having an event like this available when I first started would have made production feel a lot more accessible to me!”

Backed by Sonnox, Distrokid, Ableton, Session and Songtrust, the event will be free for anyone who register for a ticket in advance – which you can do by clicking the link below.

Register for your FREE ticket here: http://musicproductionforwomen.com/master-your-music

 

Follow Music Production For Women on:
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and their Official Website

 

More information about Music Production For Women (MPW)
Music Production For Women is an organisation that began three and a half years ago, and has since been included on the Top 50 Innovators of East London list in 2020 and earned founder Xylo Aria a place on the She Said So Alt Power List. It has run workshops and courses to over 6,000 musicians from over 120 countries and continues to grow steadily.

The organisation was created with the aim of empowering women in music technology and prides itself on not only providing practical and actionable educational content, but also on harbouring a safe and encouraging space to learn in.

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Track Of The Day: Okay, Bye – ‘Wasted’

An anthem that atones for the misspent time and energy directed towards saving a toxic relationship, Exeter-based “pastel punk” band Okay, Bye have shared their latest single ‘Wasted’. Informed by the band’s own experiences of living through such a draining connection, the track is full of relatable lyrics, thudding beats and raucous riffs.

Formed of Grace Harper (vocals & guitar), Abi Crisp (lead guitar, bass & backing vocals) and Tom Gilbert (drums), Okay, Bye released their second EP, Personal Hell, back in July 2020. Since then, the band have been busy playing live shows and working on new music, which comes in the form of latest single ‘Wasted’. The band re-frame their definition of love with the simple lyric “is that romantic / or is that just tragic?” – with Harper’s clear, yearning vocals reminiscent of Gwen Stefani’s during her No Doubt era.

“‘Wasted’ is the wake-up call we all wished we’d had in past relationships,” explains Harper. “It’s a cry of support for anyone stuck in a relationship with someone who drags them down; and an anthem of freedom for anyone who’s broken out of that. We want listeners to feel empowered and deserving when they hear this feisty punk banger – we all need to stop wasting time on those who don’t deserve us.”

Okay, Bye manage to push through these feelings of fear and apathy via garage-punk guitars and commanding beats, urging listeners to face up to the time they’ve lost and use the knowledge as motivation to move on and embrace a happier life.

Listen to ‘Wasted’ below.

 

Follow Okay, Bye on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Petrol Girls – ‘Baby’

Released today (24th June) via Hassle Records, feminist punks Petrol Girls truly embrace irreverence on their new album, Baby. While time often mellows the sound and vision of many bands, here it has only re-fuelled the band’s politics with an ever-growing potency. The vital themes of pure political rage, speaking out against sexual violence and immigration that underscored Petrol Girls’ 2016 debut, Talk of Violence, are powerfully replicated on Baby.

Whilst the band maintain their feminist punk roots – especially on rallying pro-choice lead single ‘Baby, I Had An Abortion’ – Petrol Girls transcend their musical origins throughout their new record. The album opens with 28 seconds of noise produced from a mash of sounds on the album, acting as a vibrant nod towards shoegaze. Guitarist Joe York was influenced by everything from electronic music and hip-hop, to New Wave bands like Talking Heads during the writing process for the album and the playful intro to ‘One Or The Other’ encapsulates this, with ‘Preachers’ further setting the raw experimental tone for the record.

Vocalist Ren Aldridge continues to deliver her breath-takingly vehement lyrics throughout Baby. Her clear intonation and powerful projection become consistently more impressive with each track, and when the subject matter does get more severe, her cathartic cries and screams provide a much needed emotional release. Activist and DIY punk Janey Starling also delivers superb guest vocals on ‘Fight For Our Lives’ and ‘Violent by Design’, both of which act as visceral moments of furious relief for listeners who have been marching on the streets for equality in the wake of public violence against women in recent years.

While the issues handled on Baby vary in weight, they all ultimately follow themes of femicide, police brutality and toxic “nice guys” (‘Sick & Tired’). The record is a genuine effort to dismantle these pervasive tropes and elements of society, fueled by righteous rage and impressive resilience. Petrol Girls should be proud of their new collection of fast-paced, vital anti-establishment anthems.

Order Petrol Girls’ new album Baby here

Follow Petrol Girls on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Hanna Fasching

Sarah Bennett
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Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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