Track Of The Day: Hussy – ‘I Tried’

A swirling guitar tune about self-assertion and facing adversity head on, Sophie Nicole Ellison aka Hussy has shared her latest single ‘I Tried’. Describing her style as “DIY with high ambitions,” the South London-based songwriter & producer performed drums, guitars, synth and bass entirely by herself on this track, which is lifted from her debut EP due later this year.

“I feel like people will instantly think this is a love song but it’s actually not,” Ellison explains about the single. “This song is more me standing up for myself and who I am and maintaining that through adversity. I wrote this pretty instantaneously in the moment, so it definitely has a dramatic ‘take it or leave it’ sentiment whilst landing on an acceptance over it.”

With her talent as a multi-instrumentalist and knowledge as a producer and professional sound engineer, Ellison has an incredibly self-sufficient approach to creating music under her Hussy moniker, which she adopted from a T-shirt slogan. On ‘I Tried’, her guitar sounds are polished, her vocal delivery is charming and the effortless way that she blends these two elements reflects the skill, confidence and resilience it must have took to self-record & produce her upcoming EP.

Listen to ‘I Tried’ below.

 

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

Photo credit: Pooneh Ghana

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Death Valley Girls – ‘Little Things’

Death Valley Girls’ new video for ‘Little Things’, a track from their recent album Under the Spell of Joy, provides a determinedly optimistic slant on life’s difficulties. The track was inspired by a friend of the LA band’s response to living with chronic pain and the lyrics emphasise allowing ourselves to take respite and pleasure where we can – a theme with particular resonance at the moment. The accompanying video recalls the work of Michel Gondry: charming, DIY, and pleasingly absurd – a dreamscape of homemade clouds and singing moons. Director Kelsey Hart has clearly succeeded in the stated aim of “reflect[ing] the unbridled hope and joy” of the track.

Musically, the track recalls some of the band’s West Coast contemporaries. The lead guitar line, a shimmering surf melody, is reminiscent of Seattle’s La Luz while the rhythm section drives the song along like a sunnier Chastity Belt. And sunny is certainly the word for a song like this; everything from the lyrics to the chord progression – even the lightly up-tempo rhythm – seem specifically designed to put a smile on the listener’s face and a spring in their step. The chorus, where the rest of the band join lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden on vocals, is nothing short of delightful.

On this basis, the band’s cosmically inspired album, Under The Spell Of Joy, released last year on Suicide Squeeze Records, is certainly worth delving further into. 

Gregory Metcalfe
@GregorysParty

Photo Credit: David Fearn

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LISTEN: Phia Sky – ‘fosn’

A fluctuating piece of ballad-tronica inspired by the un-nerving nature of a lucid dream, Manchester-based electronic artist Phia Sky has shared her latest single ‘fosn’. Inspired by video game soundtracks, human nature, toy instruments and field recordings, Phia’s self-produced new single is a fun slice of nightmare-pop exploring the strangeness of our subconscious thoughts via elasticated synths and erratic beats.

“‘fosn’ is a nightmare about waiting rooms and mysterious doorways,” Phia explains about the single. “It’s about trying to drop subtle hints of social discomfort (i.e knocking on the door, looking for the right key) but to everyone on the outside that clattering just sounds like normal speech. I tried to make the production match this, contrasting simple, hooky vocals with tangled synths and large beats.”

By fusing together an upbeat tempo with their ditzy synth textures, Phia has crafted an eccentric electro-pop soundscape that shimmers with unpredictability, reflecting the unusual nature of the dreams that informed it.

Listen to ‘fosn’ below.

 

Follow PHIA SKY on bandcamp, Spotify & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
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Track Of The Day: Pretty Happy – ‘Sea Sea Sea’

A cacophony of raw vocals, thumping beats and swirling guitar riffs, Cork art-punk trio Pretty Happy have shared their latest single ‘Sea Sea Sea’. Through raucous, contrasting rhythms and their blend of chaotic, melodic voices, the band take a dive into the murky waters of gender stereotyping, dismantling misconceptions about queer identity against a cathartic backdrop of post-punk noise.

Formed of Abbey Blake (guitar), Arann Blake (vocals, bass) and Andy Killian (drums), Pretty Happy have been busy cutting their teeth on the DIY Irish music and arts scene over the last few years. Abbey is a founder of Angry Mom Collective, a movement set up to challenge the gender imbalance in Irish arts, whilst Arann and Andy are keenly involved in the local drama and film scenes. Together, the trio combine their talents to create their distinctive sounds and ‘Sea Sea Sea’ is another eccentric taste of what’s to come from the band’s upcoming EP due for release later this year.

Delivering lines like “Your daughter wants to ride a motorcycle / You can’t handle it / She’s your only son,” in their direct, Cork intonation, the band attempt to subvert gender norms and erode the ignorance surrounding queer stereotypes, with the accompanying video reflecting this struggle. Directed by Abbey – who was nominated for Pinewood Studio’s ‘Lift Off First Time Film Makers Festival’ award for her work – the visuals show the protagonist digging into the sand before running full pelt into the sea to wash away the limiting and damaging tropes the band sing of.

Watch the video for ‘Sea Sea Sea’ below.

Follow Pretty Happy on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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