NEW TRACK: body / negative ft. Midwife – ‘everett’

Following on from their recent release ‘persimmon‘ – an exquisite blend of ethereal guitar sounds and tender mellifluous vocals – multi-instrumentalist Andy Schiaffino aka body / negative has shared their latest single ‘everett’. The eponymous track from their upcoming album, which is set for release on 8th December via Track Number Records, ‘everett’ is a delicately distorted, glistening piece of ambient shoegaze, featuring “kindred collaborator” Madeline Johnston aka Midwife.

Mastered by Slowdive’s Simon Scott, body / negative’s third record Everett is a poetic rumination on love and loss, and how they deeply affect our interactions with the world. Dedicated to Schiaffino’s late mother and father, the album features contributions from Randall Taylor aka Amulets and Midwife, whose studio Schiaffino was initially supposed to occupy as a residency. Schiaffino’s plans changed imminently when their father was suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness, and as a result, most of the album was written and recorded while they looked after him in a hospice. This single ‘everett’ is one of the first tracks Schiaffino and Midwife worked on together, and it glimmers with bittersweet melancholy.

Underscored by a deep vulnerability and empathy, Everett is a remarkable effort from an artist in acute pain. By recording through a hand-held tape recorder and filtering their vocals through a landline-style microphone, they give the record a familiar, yet far-off feeling of transience and disconnected communication. Tracing over their grief with meticulous care and tranquility, body / negative lulls listeners into a state of bittersweet calm across each of Everett‘s eight tracks.

The new single is accompanied by a glitchy video which shows body / negative performing alongside Midwife, interspersed with images of the outside world. Watch the visuals for ‘everett’ below.

Follow body / negative on bandcampSpotify & Instagram

Photo Credit: Audrey Kemp

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

WATCH: deep tan – ‘xenomorph queen’

Having been a big fan of London’s deep tan for a few years now, I’m excited to see that – following last year’s diamond horsetail EP – they’re back with a brand new single, and new line-up, ahead of their live shows supporting QOTSA on tour next month.

Reflecting on themes of matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, ‘xenomorph queen’ oozes all the discordant immersive allure that we’ve come to know and love from the trio. Instantly captivating the senses with its mystical ethereal majesty, it showcases deep tan’s ability to create their own truly unique brand of other-worldly angular post-punk.

Of the track, the band expand:

“‘xenomorph queen’ witnesses the real star of the alien franchise in a new context: in the throes of a lesbian romance. a sensual – but still punk – track about matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, this close encounter offers a new, intergalactic perspective on #hotmilfsinyourarea #xenomilf”

‘xenomorph queen’ is accompanied by an animated new video; in equal parts playful and enthralling. Watch it now:

xenomorph queen‘ is out now via Practise Music.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

PREMIERE: Problem Patterns – ‘Pity Bra’

GIHE favourites Problem Patterns will be sharing their debut album, Blouse Club, in less than 24 hours! To help celebrate the release, the Belfast-based Riot Grrrls have taken the pragmatic and very punk approach of sharing seven unreleased album tracks, each with individual DIY music videos, in advance of the album’s official release via Alcopop! Records tomorrow.

GIHE are honoured to be exclusively hosting the video for the delightfully named ‘Pity Bra‘, which features on the new record. Not defined by traditional band structures, Problem Patterns routinely switch up instruments and mic duties for their riotous songs, which always makes for a refreshing take on the subject they’re singing about. On ‘Pity Bra’, Alanah Smith takes the lead and tells the story of a very important night back in 2020, that strengthened the friendships and the creative foundations of Problem Patterns.

“This song is a true story and it explains itself,” explains Alanah about the track. “We went to Dublin to play a show for A Litany Of Failures, and the next day we all had a band trip to go see Sleater-Kinney. It was such a wonderful weekend, we ran into so many friends at that show. It was just a few weeks after that when we went into lockdown. That was the last trip we all had outside of Belfast for a really long time.

It is such a joyful memory for all of us. It was just this really lovely time where we went out for dinner with friends, played a show, saw one of our favourite bands – not a care in the world or any idea of what was about to come. I still remember the moment I was standing in that crowd and saw Ciara sneaking by me with the biggest grin on her face. Moments later Corin Tucker was holding our band shirt on stage. We absolutely do not advocate for throwing things at musicians, but in this case it gave us something funny to sing about later.

The song is sort of like an interlude on the album, the end of side A. It’s definitely the most gentle track and it’s very nostalgic for us. I thought the only possible video for it would be a montage of our time together so far. It’s a lot of spliced clips of things from our personal phones, as well as some behind the scenes moments filming live sessions, touring, music videos. There’s a few familiar faces in there. It’s all very sweet and sentimental.”

Fresh from supporting Dream Wife on their Irish tour dates and recently tipped as Ones To Watch by The Guardian, Problem Patterns also performed live on BBC 6Music and supported electro-punk icons Le Tigre on their Manchester and Glasgow tour dates earlier this year, as well as playing a standout set at Brighton’s Great Escape festival in May.

It’s been a joy to witness the Alana, Ciara, Bev and Beth’s hard work pay off over recent years, and we can’t wait to host the band live in London for the second time at their SOLD OUT headline show at the Sebright Arms in Hackney on Friday 17th November, supported by Fightmilk and Dogviolet (join the wait-list on DICE).

We wholeheartedly congratulate Problem Patterns on the release of their knockout debut album. Pre-order your copy of Blouse Club here. The band have shared the remaining 6 videos on other respected music publications, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for those too!

Watch the DIY video for ‘Pity Bra’ below.

Follow Problem Patterns on bandcampSpotifyTwitterInstagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Carrie Davenport

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

NEW TRACK: Chelsea Wolfe – ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’

A potent blend of shadowy industrial sounds and her trademark captivating vocals, Chelsea Wolfe has shared her latest single ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’. Taken from her newly announced seventh album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, which is set for release via Loma Vista on 9th February 2024, the track is a heavy rumination on trusting your inner voice and following your own intuition.

Exploring the cyclical nature of healing, Wolfe’s new album is described as “a rebirth”, breaking the physical and emotional chains that prohibit this cathartic process. “It’s a record about the past self reaching out to the present self reaching out to the future self to summon change, growth, and guidance,” she explains in more detail. “It’s a story of freeing yourself from situations and patterns that are holding you back in order to become self-empowered. It’s an invitation to step into your authenticity.”

Written alongside her longtime collaborators multi-instrumentalist Ben Chisholm, drummer Jess Gowrie and guitarist Bryan Tulao, Wolfe has crafted a dynamic, genre-blending manifesto of self-autonomy across ten tracks, with latest single ‘Whispers in the Echo Chamber’ spotlighting this in all its glory. Finding strength and power in the calmness of a whisper, as ominous synths and metallic riffs swirl around her, Wolfe is “bathing in the blood” of who she used to be – emerging cleansed and cutting as ever.

The track is accompanied by a stunning monochrome video, directed by Geoge Gallardo Kattah and filmed in Colombia. Wolfe explains the concept behind the visuals: “This video feels like a love story between myself and my sleep paralysis entity, who, for the sake of this video, represents a calm inner voice cutting through mental chatter and anxiety to help guide me towards a more authentic path. From the inward to the outward, this entity shows me the expansiveness of new possibilities, if only I’ll take the first difficult steps.”

Chelsea Wolfe has also announced a London headline show at Heaven on Sunday 21st April 2024. Tickets are on sale now.

Watch the video for ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’ below.

Pre-order Chelsea Wolfe’s new album here

Follow Chelsea Wolfe on bandcamp, Spotify, InstagramFacebook & Tik Tok

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut