LISTEN: Noga Erez – ‘End of the Road’

Exploring the thrill of the unknown through commanding beats and defiant lyrics, Noga Erez has shared her latest single ‘End of the Road’. Lifted from her highly anticipated second album KIDS, which is set for release via City Slang on 26th March, the Tel-Aviv based musician shrugs off the tight grip of human mortality on this catchy, sharply produced new offering.

Erez has been busy working alongside creative partner Ori Rousso since the release of her debut album Off The Radar in 2017. 2020 saw the pair release a string of superb singles including ‘NO News On TV’ and ‘You So Done’, but now the duo are set to blaze their unique trail once more on upcoming record KIDS. “These are songs about what we inherit from past generations, how we pass things on,” Erez explains about the album. “KIDS talks about humanity’s potential for both beauty and destruction.” Erez’s treatment of these binary opposites on tracks like ‘End of the Road’ makes for compelling listening.

Accompanied by a slick set of visuals directed by long-time collaborator Indy Hait, the song is a charged, slickly produced alt-pop gem that dares listeners to face their fears head on. “Walking towards the unknown with a smile. That’s what I wanted this video to be all about,” Erez reveals. “Nothing about this life is as predicted, so why am I so afraid of it? I wanted to inspire people to take a look at the magical potential of the unknown nature of life. I believe the relationship with what’s beyond our control needs to be changed. The fear of it can become anticipation. The video doesn’t show an all-optimistic journey. It shows a complex one. The beauty of being completely innocent at one moment, from militant to vulnerable and then in control. That’s true to the journey we all go through, and what this video represents for me.”

Watch the video for ‘End of the Road’ below.

Pre-order Noga Erez’s upcoming album KIDS here.

Follow Noga Erez on bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Dudi Hasson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Aphty Khéa & a.Blubox – ‘Pengvibe 2.0’

A hypnotic remix of her original 2020 single, Aphty Khéa has teamed up with London-based, Italian-German duo a.Blubox on her latest single ‘Pengvibe 2.0’. Released via Slow Dance Records and featured on their annual compilation EP which is due on 26th January, the track is a cinematic re-working of Khéa’s original glitchy, intoxicating beats.

Currently based in Kreuzberg in Berlin, Aphty Khéa is a half Greek, half British artist who combines sonic and visual elements to create her stimulating, exciting electronic music. “‘Pengvibe2.0’ is the socially distant, post-party, pre-comedown twin of ‘Pengvibe’,” explains Khéa about the new remix. “In times where it’s impossible to chill on a stained sofa in the downtempo room whilst listening to strangers tell you stories you won’t remember, you have no choice but to construct an intimate, homely alternative.”

“Moving from the living room to the kitchen and hoping ‘Chatroulette’ will connect you with another dance-deprived person somewhere on the inter-web is the placebo a lot of us are currently settling for. As time passes by in the digital COVID age, and you slowly start to feel like you might just be living in the Matrix, everything creatively collaborative is inevitably achieved through zeros and ones. And through zeros and ones, between Berlin and London, is how this sonic re-imagination was conceived.”

Khéa’s new single is accompanied by a self-directed video, which offers a “much needed eye-break” around the roads of Khéa’s childhood hometown in Greece. Combining her cinematic visuals with her energetic sounds, ‘Pengvibe 2.0’ is an essential slice of escapism during these uncertain times.

Watch the video below.

Follow Aphty Khéa on Instagram, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Julia-Sophie – ‘I Wish’

In an introspective sonic unravelling, electronic artist Julia-Sophie brings us an immersive experience in her lush new track, ‘I Wish’. Released on Slow Dance Records, the single follows Julia’s admired y? EP of last year. As the first track from her upcoming EP </3, it serves as an insightful glance for what’s to come from Julia’s anticipated palette.

A delicate, building tension scurries across the soundscape opening the story of ‘I Wish’. Made of rigid, whirling synth patterns, Julia-Sophie’s spatial awareness is artistically conveyed across the ways in which she places her sounds so precisely. Alongside her lyrics, she is able to tell her narrative by using her instrumental machines that glitch freely with each cathartic breath.

Emotive confessions float earnestly in the pool of bubbling synths, as ‘I Wish’ creates a universe of its own. It is one we all know and stew in. It is equally as challenging as it is empowering – solitude. Of the track, Julia-Sophie explains:

“Over the last year, I’ve had to fight and break hearts, to become the person I was meant to be; to live my own truth. I wanted to reflect this broken hearted journey in ‘I Wish’, by breaking out of classic song structure and experimenting with form…”

Disentangling the narratives of others, to ultimately discover her own, Julia-Sophie illuminates her story with fluid-like tongues reminiscent of Half Waif and FKA Twigs. With her own feet on the ground, and a sound that is so fresh to the ear, Julia-Sophie’s ‘I Wish’ is sure to inspire us to keep going into 2021.

‘I Wish’ is out now, via Slow Dance. It is released as part of Slow Dance ’20; a compilation released by the label – a 16 track collection of tracks from all genres – out on 26th January.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

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WATCH: Tamar Aphek – ‘Russian Winter’

A brooding mix of distorted bass lines, cutting vocals and thumping beats, Israeli rocker Tamar Aphek‘s latest single ‘Russian Winter’ is a sonic force to be reckoned with. Taken from her upcoming album All Bets Are Off, set for release via Kill Rock Stars on 29th January, Aphek has shared a new video to accompany the beautiful, yet desolate track.

“‘Russian Winter’ is my first concept music video,” Aphek explains. “It was developed in a few stages. First, a visual translation of my personal feelings in light of the collapse of the frameworks and creative endeavours in which I was involved with before the coronavirus, hours of brainstorming with the director Amir Buxbaum on how to transform the ideas into a music video, and finally diving with the animator in a symbolic ocean of images. We are facing huge changes in our old familiar world – I wanted to include images like the cycle of the four seasons – hoping that by sticking to the common place it will help us move forward into the unknown world.”

Hailed as “Israel’s guitar goddess” by Timeout in Tel-Aviv, Aphek’s contemporary rock sounds mark her out as an exciting talent in the world of guitar music. The experienced instrumentalist produced her new record by herself, working alongside the mastering talents of Daniel Schlett (War on Drugs, DIIV) and Greg Calbi (John Lennon, Bob Dylan, David Bowie) to finalise her sound. ‘Russian Winter’ is the third single to be released from the album, showcasing Aphek’s ability to dismantle the world around her through commanding vocals and a cacophony of guitar noise.

Watch the video for ‘Russian Winter’ below.

Follow Tamar Aphek on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Guy Nahum Lëvy

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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