Kate Crudgington – Page 57

LISTEN: Harkin – ‘Body Clock’

A tender, intuitive offering that reflects on the idea of re-setting your boundaries during a time of great uncertainty, UK based multi-instrumentalist Harkin has shared her latest single ‘Body Clock’. Taken from her second album Honeymoon Suite, which is set for release on 17th June via her own label Hand Mirror, the track marks a shift in musical direction for the artist, caused mainly by the unexpected limitations of the Covid-19 lockdowns during 2020.

Recorded in the one bedroom flat that she shares with her wife above a pub, Harkin’s new album covers the spectrum of “love, grief, anxiety, resilience, danger, heartbreak and hope.” Creating her sounds in the same room where she existed on a day-to-day basis, where she held her virtual wedding reception and where she attended a funeral over zoom, her record feels like a deeply personal time capsule, but it’s one that listeners can open and share too. ‘Body Clock’ is the first of many singles that will resonate with those who had a similar experience during an unsettling and repetitive time.

Accompanied by a charming animated video created by Pastel Castle, ‘Body Clock’ is full of atmospheric electronics, soft vocals and glitchy beats. “I was a big fan of Pastel Castle’s work and felt like this song would be a perfect fit,” Harkin comments about the video. “I wrote and recorded it during lockdown in a flat with no outdoor space. My brother loaned me a Nintendo Switch and I found solace in games with large maps to explore. Songwriting and gameplay can both have the power to transport and the video Pastel Castle has created takes me on a beautiful and perilous quest.”

Watch the video for ‘Body Clock’ below.

Follow Harkin on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Kate Hewett

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

March 28, 2022

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Track Of The Day: EFÉ -‘KIWI’

A laid back, breezy mix of dreamy vocals and hazy guitar riffs, Dublin based musician Anita Ikharo aka EFÉ has shared her latest single ‘KIWI’. Taken from her upcoming EP, VITAMIN-C, which is set for release in June, the track is a charming slice of indie pop that showcases the young artist’s ear for catchy melodies and sees her fully relaxing into her songwriting capabilities.

Co-produced with her best friend who.killed.romeo and mixed by Ben Baptie (Rex Orange County, Little Simz, Moses Sumney), ‘KIWI’ is EFÉ’s first new release since her 2020 self-made debut EP, What Should We Do This Summer?. Featuring singles ‘Garden’ and ‘Table For Two’, the record propelled EFÉ into the spotlights of the London and Miami music scenes, an experience that overwhelmed, but did not deter her from writing the songs for VITAMIN-C – with ‘KIWI’ being the first taste of what fans can expect from the record.

Accompanied by a music video which was conceptualised, directed and edited by EFÉ and her friends, the visuals reflect the artist’s fears about being unprepared and insecure in a situation she’s not entirely comfortable with. Full of bright colours and playful imagery, the footage beautifully underscores ‘KIWI’s buoyant sound.

“The video has a storyline of a girl who goes camping, she’s brought her laptop, fairy lights and cute magazines, but she can’t light a fire or even hunt for food,” EFÉ explains. “She is super scared cause she sees a bear but then she falls in love with the bear. It was definitely hard to make because it was very necessary that the right location was chosen as well as the right bear costume and right people to work with. I did cry a whole lot, scared nothing would come out right. I had so much fear around the video because of the huge pressure I put on myself to make it good. I also worked on some of the editing and colour grading so there was a lot I had creative control over. I think it was worth it in the end though and shows that hard work and the right people around can really pay off!”

Being around the right people has helped EFÉ blossom into the indie pop artist she is, something which was also aided by reading Rachel Chinouriri’s open letter to the music industry – in which she explained how she has been consistently and wrongly stereotyped as an R&B artist throughout her career – in January this year. Inspired by Rachel Chinouriri words, EFÉ simply wants to make her own music without the incorrect input of those who are clearly not listening to her music.

Listen to ‘Kiwi’ below.

Follow EFÉ on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Tik Tok

Photo Credit: Adam Kelleher

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

March 24, 2022

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Track Of The Day: Beorma – ‘Without You’

A bittersweet reflection on losing someone you love and as a result a part of yourself, Birmingham-based band Beorma have shared their latest single ‘Without You’. Mixing R&B and indie pop sensibilities with a smooth heartfelt vocal, the track is an unexpectedly upbeat listen, brimming with emotion and a melody that warmly rushes the senses.

Formed of Ferns, Tom and Paul, Beorma performed separately in different bands before they began working together during lockdown in 2020. Sending ideas back and forth online, the band’s collaboration led to the creation of their debut EP Virtual Emotionality, which they released in early 2021. Following on from their previous single ‘Her’ – which captured the inner conflicts of desire and the need for distance when it comes to a breakup – on ‘Without You’ Beorma gently muse on the gap that’s often left by grief.

“With a lot of our songs we like to touch on darker subjects and ‘Without You’ is exactly that,” Ferns explains. “It’s the dark side of loss; it’s about not only losing something/someone dear to you, but most importantly losing yourself and crying out for meaning and purpose in order to find your footing in this world again. I think it’s important for people to listen to it and let it speak to them in whatever way it does.”

Beorma will be supporting Dream Wife on the Birmingham date of their UK tour at The Castle & Falcon on 24th March.

Listen to ‘Without You’ below.

Follow Beorma on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
KCBobCut

March 22, 2022

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Track Of The Day: MASCA – ‘Unsure’

A catchy slice of alt-pop that explores the way we focus on our bad habits and relationships for reasons that often feel intangible, Bristol-based duo MASCA have shared their debut single ‘Unsure’. With the support of producer Elliot Vaughan, the band muse about the cyclical nature of uncertainty through their relatable lyrics, catchy guitar riffs, snappy percussion and melodic keys.

Formed by Christina Maynard (Souer) and Jack Hamilton (INDIGOS), who have spent the last six years writing songs together, MASCA combine dual vocals with catchy melodies and guitar riffs to create their fusion of pop and rock sounds. The band sold out their first Bristol headline show in late 2020 with no material released and have since played support slots for the likes of Delta Sleep, Kier, Beach Rio and Goan Dogs. Their debut single ‘Unsure’ is the first taste of what the band have to offer this year.

“Unsure is about those kinds of relationships which don’t feel quite right but you can’t help yourself carrying on with,” the band explain. “Sometimes the thing that pulls two people together is more like a negative addictive force than a constructive one. It’s such a hard thing to be aware of, especially while you’re actually in that situation. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a romantic relationship, and It’s not really meant to apply to really bad toxic or abusive relationships, just the more ordinary relationships that people can find themselves in which they don’t realise are holding them back until they actually move on.”

The single is accompanied by a video, directed by Jay Bartlett, featuring Christina and Jack dressed in mock-up Marlboro cigarettes packets, wandering around everyday scenes trying to escape the uncertainty they sing of. “It was quite a while after we wrote the song that Tina realised that there were quite a few references to burning and flames and that’s where the idea for the video came from,” Jack explains. “That kind of tied together these ideas of addiction and unhealthy relationships really nicely.

2022 looks set to be a productive year for MASCA, who have an EP release in the pipeline and appearance at Burn It Down Festival and Glastonbury Calling booked in too.