Track Of The Day: BLAB – ‘Eton Mess’

A righteous assault on the many failings of the UK government, Southend based multi-instrumentalist BLAB has shared her latest single ‘Eton Mess’. Released via Cool Thing Records, the track is a rumbling “anti-fascist anthem” that proudly sticks two fingers up to the establishment and snarls in the face of the apathetic, privileged men who were born into running it.

“’Eton Mess’ is about the consistent negative impact the Tories have had on the lives of average people,” explains BLAB aka Frances Murray. “It’s about a government so out of touch with people’s everyday lives and a culture of ignorance and apathy amongst the wealthy elite. I am furious at how we can turn a blind eye to a prime minister who is openly racist, homophobic and sexist. How inequality is perpetuated by upholding archaic values in society and continuing to enable a broken system where politicians from the same few private schools in the country are elected. I wanted to find a way to vent my anger and disillusionment with the government and the lives they have jeopardised through austerity and a lack of NHS funding.”

Fuelled by her disdain for current political policies and backed by her anarchic lyrics and riotous guitar riffs, BLAB’s message on ‘Eton Mess’ is clear: speak up and speak loud. She’s currently working on her debut album with Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly) and Rees Broomfield at SS2 Recording in Southend, channelling her riot grrrl attitude into a collection of witty, infectious anthems.

Listen to ‘Eton Mess’ below.

 

Follow BLAB on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter &  Facebook and for more updates.

Photo Credit Shot: James Mannion

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LISTEN: CHANG – ‘Tinderella’

Like blisters from a glass slipper, CHANG’s latest release epitomises the frustration we might feel when walking home from an abysmal date. A modern, grisly take to fairy tale romances, ‘Tinderella’ radiates a headbanging heat that would set a mosh-pit alight. Though catchy, its muddled, almost confused narration and sections of random noise are heavy haphazardness at its finest. Fuelled by drummer Jeff “The Jingle” Ingle’s feverish energy, this song angrily launches us into a regimented beat that is simultaneously crashing and catchy.

Though singer Alexandra “Geez” Amargianitakis’s pacing of the vocals in ‘Tinderella’ is reminiscent of Poly Styrene’s in ‘I am a Poseur’, her grungy tone pushes the band into the 90s Riot Grrrl arena, with her Courtney Love-esque crooning veiled in the vigour. Laced with allusions to Snow White with lyrics like “mirror mirror” and “who is the fairest of them all?”, the song reflects a world in which dating is doomed with debauchery. It’s when the song slows that we really get to see the lustre of some of the lyrics though. Alexandra’s sultry singing is juxtaposed with vividly grotesque imagery like “I’m a deep-fried slug / slithering deep back down to the earth.”

With various pace changes, it’s clear that ‘Tinderella isn’t mindless chaos but has pockets of deliberate, carefully constructed aptitude. Despite having garnered the attention of BBC Radio 6 Music and Radio X, it’s early days for CHANG. But one thing is for sure, there will be several monstrous melodies to come.

Watch the video for ‘Tinderella’ below.

Follow CHANG on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Riotmiloo – ‘4 Women’ (Nina Simone Cover)

A jagged, heavy re-working of an iconic Nina Simone song, London-based industrial riot grrrl Riotmiloo has shared her latest single ‘4 Women’. The opening track to Furnace Record’s new charity album Black is the New Black: The Power & Privilege Industrial Culture Compilation, Riotmiloo has kept Simone’s powerful observational lyrics at the centre, but she’s twisted the jazzy score to further reflect the insidious nature of the racial stereotypes Simone originally sang about.

“Simply put, Nina Simone was a very talented, feminist and political artist. She sang stories filled with pain and racism with eloquence and exquisitely well,” Riotmiloo explains. “Someone highlighted the similarities between the theme of her song ‘Four Women’ and the stories in my album, La Pierre Soudée. From there I fell in love with this particular song. I cry each time I listen to her renditions.”

“When Darryl Montgomery-Hell from Furnace Records called on artists to give one track for his fundraiser for the Radical Monarchs, it had to be this song. I am so glad it found a home in this varied compilation for such a noble cause. I am so honoured to open the album. Proceeds will be donated to the Radical Monarchs, an organisation that empowers young girls of colour.”

Listen to ‘4 Women’ below.

 

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

Listen to, download & donate to Black is the New Black: The Power & Privilege Industrial Culture Compilation on bandcamp

Photo Credit: Blauerosen

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Desperate Journalist – ‘Personality Girlfriend’

Having been charming us for a number of years now with their hypnotic, ’80s-reminiscent indie soundscapes, London’s Desperate Journalist have now announced a new album, set for release next month. Ahead of the album, the band recently shared new single ‘Personality Girlfriend‘.

Reflecting on society’s obsession with “putting women into boxes/on pedestals...”, ‘Personality Girlfriend’ flows with jangly, scuzzed-out hooks and a swirling, shoegaze-tinged allure. Building with a fizzing energy as the distinctive, honey-sweet vocals of Jo Bevan soar with a subtle power, it glistens with a shimmering anthemic grace and reverb-strewn splendour. Whilst harking back to the grittier Britpop of the early ’90s, here Desperate Journalist once again manage to create something that is entirely their own – exquisitely fusing together their influences, whilst adding their own unique, captivating majesty and immersing the listener in the track’s poignant subject matter. Expanding on the song’s meaning, Bevan explains:

“The stupid idea that we are either gorgeous airheads with no inner life, or Plain Janes ‘with a great personality’, is exhaustingly pervasive in the way people talk about relationships, and both ‘categories’ are negging, nasty excuses for not granting respect to the person in question… The song is also a riposte to the tired old cultural trope that in order to be worthwhile or interesting a woman has to be incredibly strong and some kind of paragon of virtue and/or intrigue, when men are rarely held to the same standard… I’m a real person with needs and desires and interests and I fucking dare you to discount me.”

Watch the new video for ‘Personality Girlfriend’ here:

Recorded entirely in Crouch End during lockdown, Maximum Sorrow – the upcoming album from Desperate Journalist – is set for release on 2nd July via Fierce Panda Records. Pre-order here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Nick JS Thompson

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment