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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Track Of The Day: Dead Naked Hippies – ‘Curiosity (Dawn)’

Pushing themselves to create something new without compromising on quality or creativity, Leeds trio Dead Naked Hippies have shared their latest single ‘Curiosity (Dawn)’. Self-produced during lockdown earlier this year, the band have introduced buzzing synths alongside frontwoman Lucy Jowett’s crystalline vocals to create a heavy, infectious anthem that questions what it means to be human.

“‘Curiosity (Dawn)’’ is a question of existence and purpose, how life shapes us & we shape it, and reflecting on it as if it were coming to an end,” explains Jowett about the track. “Society is so focused on moving at pace, achieving, doing, proving that sometimes it feels so ingrained into us, that this is the way we should be. Lyrically, I wanted to explore myself beyond expectation.” Isolated from their practice room and their band mate Jacob, Jowett and her fellow band/flat mate Joe took to the deserted back streets of Leeds to explore this theme further, creating a superbly shot accompanying monochrome video that was completed in one take.

“We were set on the idea of capturing a moment, much like a live show – imperfect, but full of excitement,” Jowett explains. “The video you see was the first & only full take we captured on the day we set aside to film it, it felt really special to approach in this way and was definitely a reaction to the lack of live performance in our lives this year.” Making the best of a bad situation, Dead Naked Hippies’ venture into self-production and new musical territory during 2020 is something we certainly approve of.

Watch the video for ‘Curiosity (Dawn)’ below.

Follow Dead Naked Hippies on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Gary, Indiana – ‘Nike Of Samothrace’

Following previous singles ‘Berlin’ and ‘Pashto’, Manchester-based Gary, Indiana have now signed to Fire Talk Records and shared a brand new single.

Propelled by thrashing beats and scuzzy, distorted hooks alongside the visceral spoken-word vocals of Valentine Caulfield, ‘Nike Of Samothrace’ builds with eerily disconcerting undertones to a playfully innovative post-punk soundscape. A wondrous, whirring cacophony, it’s the perfect ode to the chaotic emotions swirling around our heads this year: an intense, cathartic sonic experience. Of the track, the band explain:

“We wanted ‘Nike of Samothrace’ to be like a blunt instrument, both lyrically and musically. It’s purely brute force, gouging away with all dials turned up full, including the gutteral bass line, which was inspired by Thomas Bangalter’s score for Irreversible and Hans Zimmer’s score for Blade Runner 2049. We’re very much driven by rhythm and movement and also wanted to experiment with a Liquid Liquid style percussive breakdown, we love when genres and dynamics are smashed together in an untidy way… we love to butcher things.” 

Directed by Will Shields, watch the immersive new video for ‘Nike Of Samothrace’ here:

‘Nike Of Samothrace’ is out now via Fire Talk Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Will Shields

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