Reviews – Get In Her Ears

EP: Dream Phone – ‘Dream Phone EP’

Fuelled by snacks, Pepsi Max, and 100 gecs on repeat, Oxford glitch-pop duo Dream Phone – aka Hannah Watts and Jenny Bell (last seen ‘caught in the act of looking weird’ as half of Junk Whale) – get ridiculous for their DIY debut extended play with ten minutes of synth-driven hyper-pop melodies and pitch-shifted lyrical pandemonium!

Opening with the infectious one, two, three, four, ‘strut’, Dream Phone sparkle with an off-kilter electronic groove (“If you can’t find me in the dark / I’ll be here by the searchlight”) before exposing us to the extreme temperature of their own personal ‘hell’; a hot mess of obnoxiously upbeat noise and auto-tuned self-destructive attitude: “I can do what I want now / It’s none of your concern / Gonna cut my hair short / Because I’m not really listening to / What you say what you say what you say!”

Piercing your heart with a wooden stake, the ‘bad girls’ sink their fangs into riot grrrl for this next track, taking inspiration from Kathleen Hanna’s Le Tigre and Julie Ruin, and transforming their already unique pop sound into something otherworldly. Dream Phone’s ode to Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a celebration of friendship and “finding your partner in crime”; a euphoric glitch-pop beatdown for the BBC 6Music generation. “Going to the club / Dance up on some hunks and / Maybe kill some monsters / Or crash a cop car!”

Deliberately artificial in its production and sound, ‘no’ is an “anti-people-pleasing” pop anthem for those of us who struggle to say fuck “no” (“You ask, I sigh but I agree / You can always count on me / I will lie on the ground for you / You can wipe your feet on me”); opening with an electronic blast beat before glitching out into synth cyberspace! Closing their self-titled EP with ‘i don’t want to talk to you (at the show)’, the dreamy duo set boundaries and get anti-social: “Clinging to my beer / Everything’s too loud in here / I can’t concentrate / On what you’re shouting in my ear.”

Dream Phone ooze hyperactive energy, enthuse an ethos of DIY disorder, and, throughout their wonderfully eclectic debut EP, occupy the brain with vivid musical imagery.

The debut EP from Dream Phone is out now via independent record label Divine Schism. Buy on bandcamp now.

Ken Wynne
@ken_wynne

June 2, 2023June 2, 2023

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NEW TRACK: Touch Excellent – ‘Record’

A tenacious anthem that takes aim at the failures of the healthcare system when it comes to treating women, non-binary and transgender folks, Touch Excellent have shared their debut single ‘Record’. Fuelled by the Dublin-based band’s collective anger, the track is a brief but powerful blast of attention-grabbing pop punk noise.

Playfully self-describing themselves as “Ireland’s most transgender band (surely)”, Touch Excellent create raw, frenzied, politically-driven cacophonies that are designed to dismantle the systems that oppress us. Together, Lenny (vocals/bass), Ló (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Amber (drums) transform their feelings of hopelessness and injustice into loud, cathartic, catchy anthems that address the issues facing young people today.

Their debut single ‘Record’ is inspired by the band members own experiences with the medical system, the recent Cervical Check scandal in Ireland, and the ongoing fight for reproductive rights around the world. The song is laced with medical imagery and descriptions of procedures that will be familiar to many women, and the band hope the track will offer a moment for rage, respite and relief in spite of these stressful moments.

Describing themselves as “a band for people who care about the issues and love a good live gig,” 2023 looks set to be an exciting year for Touch Excellent. The four piece played a show at Anseo on Camden Street in Ireland last night (May 25th) to celebrate the release of their debut single ‘Record’, and they will be releasing more material later in the year.

Listen to ‘Record’ below.

Follow Touch Excellent on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

May 29, 2023May 29, 2023

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WATCH: Walk In Coma – ‘Suffer’

A riff-heavy, full on assault on the ear drums, Essex-based metal band Walk In Coma have shared their latest single ‘Suffer’. Full of corrosive vocals, thundering guitar sounds and blistering beats, the track is a cathartic rumination on emotional endurance, and the second single to be lifted from the band’s upcoming EP, HUMAN CONDITION.

Formed of Alex Adlington, Mark Elliott, Tom Case and Nicole Lastauskas, Walk In Coma are influenced by the heavy sounds of SkipKnot, Lamb Of God and Architects. To date, the band have supported bands like Funeral For A Friend and Breed 77 on their UK tour dates, and they released their debut EP, NARRENTURM, back in 2015. Now, the Essex metallers are gearing up to share their forthcoming new EP, which was recorded during the uncertainty of the latter part of the Covid-19 pandemic back in 2021.

Mined from the depths of Walk In Coma’s “hallucinatory nightmares”, new cut ‘Suffer’ is accompanied by a chaotic video, shot by Gallow Wood Media. The frenzied and bizarre visuals are inspired by David Lynch’s dark cinematic imagery and feature the band, who are adorned in pig masks and splattered with blood as they rip through their relentless new single.

Alongside their EP release, Walk In Coma have a string of gigs and festival appearances lined up over the summer, including a slot at grassroots festival Breaking Bands alongside Healthy Junkies and DROWND. You can find full details of their live shows by visiting their website here.

Watch the video for ‘Suffer’ below.

Follow Walk In Coma on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Richard Gatecliffe (@1dxrich)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

May 25, 2023May 25, 2023

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WATCH: REWS – ‘Not Your Soldier’

Following on from previous single ‘Misery‘, Bristol-based pop rock outfit REWS have shared their latest track ‘Not Your Soldier’. Full of the band’s trademark gritty riffs, passionate vocals and pop rock energy, the new song is a cathartic anthem designed to empower listeners and encourage them to reject the expectations of others in order to live an authentic life.

Created and fronted by Northern Irish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Shauna Tohill, REWS have been busy recording new material after a string of live shows last year, including a support slot with Therapy?. Now, with the release of their new single, REWS are gearing up for a busy year, fueled by the determined spirit that underscores their new track.

“’Not Your Soldier’ is a song about taking control of your own life, rejecting the pressure to conform to others people’s expectations, and making choices that benefit our planet and every living being on it,” Tohill explains about the song. “In a world with so much uncertainty, its important to embrace our true selves and stand up for what we believe in, so I hope people feel empowered by this track!” Tohill has transformed her feelings of frustration and uncertainty into another vibrant pop rock anthem.

The single is also accompanied by a video, shot by Shona Cutt and edited by Tohill. The visuals feature the songwriter causing chaos in the kitchen, whipping up some seriously unappetizing treats whilst belting out the chorus to the new song.