Track Of The Day: Miss Grit – ‘Dark Side Of The Party’

A genre-defying tune about feeling out of place in a room full of people, multi-instrumentalist Miss Grit has shared her latest single ‘Dark Side Of The Party’. Taken from her upcoming EP Impostor, which is set for release on 5th February, the Korean-American musician has crafted a sound that ricochets between atmospheric, angular and anthemic, hitting the musical sweet spot multiple times in just three and a half minutes.

“I’ve gone my whole life feeling really uncomfortable defining myself,” Miss Grit (aka Margaret Sohn) explains. “I realized that a lot of the time, I’m more comfortable with other people defining me and making up their mind about who I’m supposed to be.” Sohn wanted to shake up these feelings and address the racial impostor syndrome she felt as a half-Korean girl “trying to fit into the white space” of the Michigan suburbs where she grew up. To do this, she took on full production duties for Impostor, and the aptly named EP sees her masterfully deconstruct these feelings of self-doubt.

This is beautifully personified by the record’s first single ‘Dark Side Of The Party’. “I can’t tell hearts apart from spare parts” Sohn admits over striking guitar riffs and shifting melodies, her lyrics confidently exploring the feelings of discomfort she sings of. Her unexpected tempo changes give an edge to her emotional journey, making the single an authentic and exciting anthem for anyone who has struggled on their journey to self acceptance.

Listen to ‘Dark Side Of The Party’ below.

 

Follow Miss Grit on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Natasha Willson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Girls Rock School NI – ‘Wild & Free (Play It Loud)’

‘Wild & Free (Play It Loud!)’ makes me want to squeal with pure joy. A collaborative effort, written and recorded by campers and the team of the Girls Rock School Northern Ireland Online Rock Camp, the song is a raucous, rocking slice of riot grrrl that shares the frustrations of life in lockdown.

True to the spirit of Girls Rock School, which aims to empower female-identifying and non-binary youth, ‘Wild & Free’ is a proper stormer. You can’t help but feel uplifted by the big, bouncy guitars and toe-tapping melody, but it’s the lyrics that are most irresistible: “We come together on Zoom,” they sing, “It turns into one big music room!”

Recorded on mobile phones without any fancy equipment, this song is a true labour of love. And, as well as inspiring others through the music, Girls Rock School NI are putting all proceeds from ‘Wild & Free’ towards future GRSNI camps, workshops and classes so they can inspire even more young people. Amazing!

 

Listen to and download ‘Wild & Free (Play It Loud!)’ via Bandcamp now. 

Vic Conway
@thepicsofvic

Artwork by: Shimous

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LISTEN: Petrol Girls – ‘I Believe Them’ (Solidarity Not Silence)

A raucous anthem with a defiant and empowering message, Petrol Girls have shared their latest single ‘I Believe Them’. The uncompromising track has been released to raise funds for Solidarity Not Silence, who are a group of women fighting a claim of defamation made against them by a well-known musician. You can download ‘I Believe Them’ exclusively from bandcamp today to support their cause.

GIHE stands in solidarity with the women affected by the Solidarity Not Silence case. Read the powerful statement Ren from Petrol Girls has made about the track below, and scroll down to the end of this post to watch the accompanying video. #IBelieveThem

“We’re releasing this track to raise as much money as we possibly can for Solidarity Not Silence and to widen the network of people supporting the cause. Solidarity Not Silence is the legal defence fund for a group of women, including myself, who are being sued for defamation by a man in the music industry because of comments that we each made separately regarding his behaviour towards women. We’ve been fighting this case since December 2016 and desperately need help raising money for our legal costs. The only reason we’ve been able to successfully fight this case as long as we have is because we were able to come together and fundraise for our legal defence. Help us keep our legal representation all the way to court and win this!

“As one of the Solidarity Not Silence defendants, I’m limited in what I can say about the case whilst it’s ongoing. However, there’s nothing to stop me contributing to a wider conversation about sexual violence and the law – which is what this track, ‘I Believe Them’ is about.

“’How are we meant to protect ourselves?’ I find myself internally screaming this question, which is the chorus lyric, on a pretty regular basis. On the one hand, the criminal justice system consistently fails and often further traumatises survivors of sexual violence who decide to report to the police. This system clearly does not protect the majority of survivors and I personally do not believe it holds any answers in dealing with gender based violence. Then on the other hand, when survivors and their allies try to protect one another by speaking out about abusive behaviour, they become vulnerable to libel/ defamation law. And in both criminal and libel cases, the burden of truth is placed on the survivor. Literally what does the law expect us to do?

“There is, in practice, no legal aid available for the defence of a defamation case, which creates a dynamic whereby it is relatively easy for someone with money to silence those without. Money should not be a barrier to accessing justice and we refuse to allow our case to set a precedent for silencing marginalised voices in the music community and beyond. Please donate to/share our crowdfunder.”

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: KIN – ‘Wander & Lost’

In a luscious and ethereal soundscape that creates an entire universe of its own, ambient indie-poppers KIN bring us their third single of 2020, ‘Wander & Lost’. 

Consisting of Grace, Ritu and Adam, London’s KIN share a sound that stretches so far with only three players. Soaring, celestial tones span across acres of space while haunting vocals follow the song’s melancholic instrumental path. Heavy bass explores the depths of ‘Wander & Lost’ and takes listeners deep into its waters, pleasantly complementing the guitar parts that modulate above. 

With dainty riffs that scurry between lyrical phrases rather than through them, KIN still allow themselves the room for lyrics to remain an artistic focus. The emotion brought forth in ‘Wander & Lost’ bridges the gap between dream pop and indie-emo, as KIN draw yearning inspiration from Andre Aciman’s moving novel Call Me By Your Name.

There is an unquestionable desperation within the story of ‘Wander & Lost’, and yet nothing but honour is held for the subject discussed. Maturity is evident in both KIN’s storytelling and songwriting, and it is obvious that this is a creation of meticulous artistic choice. 

‘Wander & Lost’ is a step into familiar shoes, a destination to ache for what we miss and a place to deeply love what must be to come.

Watch the beautifully shot new video for ‘Wander & Lost’ now:

‘Wander & Lost’ is out now. Listen on Spotify.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn 

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