Track Of The Day: CMAT – ‘No More Virgos’

A disco-tinged lament to the “little September boys” who make her melancholy, Irish pop sensation CMAT has shared her latest single ‘No More Virgos’. Taken from her debut album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, which is set for release via AWAL Recordings on 25th February 2022, the track is brimming with CMAT’s trademark wit and yearning, country-inspired vocals, brilliantly showcasing her gift for intuitive songwriting.

Born from her desire to “marry her love of 80’s Italo disco with her hatred of Virgos,” CMAT’s playful new tune is a wry nod to her compulsive romantic decisions. “My mental health is banking on my chastity / and you’re bad for me” she jests over buoyant melodies, gently resisting the urge to circle back and repeat the same pattern of behaviour in her previous relationships.

“I’m the kind of girl who dates the same person over and over again. Specifically, every single one of my partners have been Virgos,” CMAT aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson explains. “I wanted to write a song that pokes fun at this aspect of my personality, and try to be a voice for all of my long-suffering friends. I just can’t help myself from making terrible decisions sometimes! Sorry!”

CMAT is set to play two sold out dates at The Troubadour in London on the 9th & 10th November and we can’t wait to hear her sparkling pop sounds, witty lyrics and lush vocals live.

Listen to ‘No More Virgos’ below.

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

Photo Credit: Sarah Doyle

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: She Drew The Gun – ‘Behave Myself’

Personifying the spirit of rebellion, She Drew The Gun‘s uncompromising, genre-defying third LP, Behave Myself, is a rallying cry of fuzzy psych-pop hooks and lyrical protest, unafraid to fight the social and political dystopia we find ourselves heading towards.

Founded by Merseyside-based songwriter Louisa Roach, She Drew The Gun’s musical evolution parallels the decline of our political climate; beginning with 2016’s optimistic indie rock of Memories of Another Future, through to the political dissent of psychedelic sophomore effort, 2018’s Revolution of Mind, and now the immediacy of Behave Myself‘s punk flavoured pop revolution. Opening with the infectious basslines and disorientating synth assault of ‘Origin Song’, Roach introduces her lockdown long play with a certain degree of restraint, before tearing into the persistent inequality promoted by the societal mainstream on track number 2, prompting the question: “Who do you think is ‘Next On The List'”?

The anthemic title track ‘Behave Myself’ is for everyone standing together in feminist solidarity. Exploding into a cataclysm of throbbing basslines, true shred guitar, and spoken word social commentary, Roach shows off her strong pop sensibility but does not shy away from her deep-rooted punk rock attitude – “Get ready for my dangerous soul”, You can’t control her… Louisa Roach will not behave herself! “I am the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion.” 

The dreamy melodies of ‘Diamonds in Our Eyes’ are followed by ‘Cut Me Down’, a grungey, post-punk protest anthem inspired by the Las Tesis feminist protest song of Chile, known as ‘The Rapist Is You’ or ‘A Rapist in Your Path’. Amplified by hard-hitting drum strikes, driving basslines, and a piercing guitar solo, Roach fights “deeper, faster, harder, cheaper, stronger, further, smarter!” And her frustration doesn’t falter during the scathing lyrical observations of ‘Class War (How Much)’, a psych-pop war song on class divide and “the parasitic vampires sucking our blood.”

The shimmering electroclash of synth and spoken word stream of consciousness on ‘Panopticon’ further showcases Louisa Roach’s evolution of sound; distorting any preconceived opinion of She Drew the Gun through eclectic inspiration and experimentation. The raucous fuzzy soundscape of ‘Innerspeak’ leads into dystopian mood shifter ‘All Roads to Nowhere’ – a juxtaposition of metallic melancholy and ethereal psychedelia – before closing with the vocal warmth of ‘The Rose’s Tale’.

Produced and mixed by Ross Orton at McCall Sound Studios, Behave Myself‘s intelligent, socially-charged lyricism, justified anthemic angst, and DIY political pop amplifies the voice of dissent through punk rock rebellion with a feminist vibe. Challenging us to observe, analyse, and critique a failing system, She Drew the Gun’s unsettling, authentic record is the unstoppable soundtrack for the rebel to revolt to; the sound of collective conscience awoken.

Behave Myself is out now via Submarine Cat Records.

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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Track Of The Day: Peaness – ‘What’s The Use?’

Originally planned for release in summer 2020, ‘What’s The Use?‘ is the latest single from Chester trio Peaness, taken from their debut album due out in 2022.

It drops in bright and makes its statement immediately: What’s the use? Throughout, the track is upbeat and fun, with bouncy strings, a fast beat and cheery-sounding vocals. It’s an addictive and absorbing sound that is impossible not to bop along with.

The lyrics, on the other hand, do not share the same sense of limitless joy. Instead, they go into quite a bit of detail about how it feels to be thoroughly depressed. The song acutely describes the feeling of a sigh that carries the weight of the world in it. The refrain “Can I just stay in bed?” repeats and repeats until you can’t escape the utter lack of motivation to get up and engage with the world. Finally, the eponymous “what’s the use?” carries the overwhelming feeling of all the inescapable pressure that won’t leave you be, even when you do manage to drag yourself out of bed.

I absolutely adore the juxtaposition of the two massively contrasting styles between the music and the lyrics, it’s so delightfully nihilistic. It encapsulates a relatable sense of freedom that comes with accepting that, actually yeah, things are pointless sometimes.

The song has been released alongside a video compiled of phone footage of various shenanigans shot on the band’s previous tours. It matches the music in terms of its fast pacing and general sense of joy, and adds another layer of complexity to the content. You see the band on their adventures, in nice restaurants, at landmarks, at funfairs, playing gigs, practicing, stroking their pets. It feels like an immensely powerful comment about what depression can look like, about how you can seem like you’re living your best life while all your lowest feelings are still very much present.

You can feel how the past eighteen months have shaped the song. Even without the context of the pandemic, the full piece feels incredibly meaningful. When you add in the global trauma we all share right now, it becomes all the more powerful, as the clips and music become happy memories experienced from that all-consuming bed in the lyrics.

‘What’s The Use?’ is a brilliantly constructed song and so, so catchy. The 2022 album can’t come soon enough.

‘What’s The Use?’ is out now via the band’s own label, Totally Snick Records. Catch them live at their biggest ever London headline show at Oslo on 18th November. Tickets here.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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Track Of The Day: Aislinn Logan – ‘Contender’

A deceptively sweet electro-pop gem that gently grapples with the idea of changing destructive behaviours, Belfast-born, London-based artist Aislinn Logan has shared her latest single ‘Contender’. Lifted from her new EP which is set for release on 11th November, the track is a shimmering, synth-soaked ode to anyone who’s struggling to make a positive change in their lives.

Co-produced with Johnny Oakley and Brian Kelly, the sounds on ‘Contender’ are influenced by Aislinn’s love of 80s synth-rock icons New Order and her lyrics are informed by her own experience of trying to help someone change their problematic behaviour. “Sway away from pain with your game face on” she urges with her lush vocals, floating over buoyant melodies. Her infectious synths and compassionate lyrics combine to make ‘Contender’ an empowering and enjoyable slice of electro-pop.

“’Contender’ sprang from some fairly dark subject matter but ended up sounding quite sunny,” Aislinn explains. “It was a little while into writing that I realised that was deliberate. I wanted it to offer a moment of relief to the listener. It’s the wanting to pick someone you care about up, relating to them but feeling quite helpless to do anything useful too. It’s daring someone to back themselves – their actual self, and stop running.”

Listen to ‘Contender’ below.

 

Follow Aislinn Logan on bandcamp, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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