LISTEN: Æ MAK feat. Seba Safe – ‘i dance in the kitchen’

Joyfully schooling listeners in how to make uplifting kitsch-pop tunes under the strangest of circumstances, Æ MAK has shared her latest single ‘i dance in the kitchen’. Featuring the vocals of fellow Irish artist Seba Safe, the track is lifted from Æ MAK’s upcoming EP how to: make a kitsch pop song to show the world, which is set for release on 18th September.

Embracing production duties for the first time on her new release, Æ MAK – aka Aoife McCann – wrote and recorded her new EP during the Covid-19 lockdown period, and ‘i dance in the kitchen’ is the first taste of her delightfully upbeat new sound. Made with “100% childsplay and solo belly laughs”, the track and accompanying video showcase McCann’s carefree and vibrant attitude to letting go of any performance qualms and focusing on making music that makes you feel good.

Based around the idea of being apart from your lover during lockdown, ‘i dance in the kitchen’ will resonate with those who want to transform their uncertainty into an energetic moment of bright and cathartic clarity. Watch the video for the track below and follow Æ MAK on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Photo: Tim Shearwood

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Nuha Ruby Ra – ‘Cruel’

As part of the promotion for her latest track, Nuha Ruby Ra was asked by the PRS Foundation to put together a playlist which featured, amongst others, such diverse names as Billy Fury, Nina Simone, Thee Headcoatees and The Birthday Party. Reading between the lines, if there’s one thing that links these artists (and the many other acts cited as influences by Ra in past interviews) and her latest single, ‘Cruel’, it’s an ability to craft narrative in song form, typically with a dark tinge. ‘Cruel’, the latest cut from forthcoming EP How to Move,  is perhaps even more darkly hypnotic than debut ‘Erase Me’, and sees Ra morph multiple genres into a singular whole.

Opening with a bass sound and vocalisation that most recalls the dark Swedish psych of GOAT, the track’s opening two minutes are compelling, if belying in what is to come. A middle eight bass breakdown, of sorts, breaks off the song’s first half, before Ra opens up her singing style in Siouxsie fashion and sax murmurings creep more prominently into the mix.  By the time the whole thing has simmered and come to a boil, its instrumentation, replete with drum rattles and guitar riffs, has moved closer to free jazz. Ra’s backing band – Ian Wilson (guitar) and Julie Hair (percussion) of the similarly dreamy Isolation Society, Interpol’s bassist Brad Truax, and Vestments saxophonist Nikki D’Agostino – are an ideal ensemble to accompany her voice, which is by turns eerie, insistent and direct, overlaying itself with whispered incantations that pre-empt or echo lyrics and give the song the hallucinogenic feel of fantasy and nightmare. Its lyrics are clearly deeply personal to Ra, confirmed in social media posts which discuss the topics cited, with the imagery of isolation, bondage, self-sabotage and self-consciousness perfectly evoked by her unique vocal style.

Credit has to be given for Ra too for the accompanying video which, due to recent restrictions, was filmed, directed and edited by the singer in her warehouse workspace.  Similar to the video for ‘Erase Me’, with its deliberately simple colour scheme, and holographic style of overlapping, its raw and (literally) stripped back styling reflects its creator’s willingness to lay bare her soul and her body for her art. Even just by her two singles, Ra is the breakout multi-hyphenate of the year: an artist, a performer, a musician, whose work is both self-reflective and self-reflexive, boundary-pushing yet relatable enough to carry along its listener. What follows will, no doubt, be fascinating.

Watch the new video for ‘Cruel’ here:

‘Cruel’ is out now. Listen on Spotify.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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LISTEN: Lotic – ‘Cocky’

Experimental sounds and assertive lyrics combine with dramatic flair on ‘Cocky’, the latest single from Houndstooth signee Lotic. Following on from her previous single ‘Burn A Print’, Lotic continues her message of self-belief and empowerment on this defiant new track.

“‘Cocky’ is a song for the girls,” explains Lotic. “It’s a reminder to always recognize and demand your worth. It grants permission to radically stand in your truth, even when it may shock or offend, and most of all it’s a celebration of growth, prosperity, and confidence.” It’s this traffic-stopping attitude that fuels the demanding, energetic nature of Lotic’s electronic tunes.

Born in Houston USA but now a familiar face on the Berlin underground club and electronic music scene, Lotic (aka J’Kerian Morgan) shared her debut album Power in 2018. The record showcased her vocal and songwriting abilities for the first time, consolidating her skills into a coherent message about transforming fear in to fierce autonomy.

As with all her releases, Lotic declares that her mission is to “live life to the fullest by not giving a fuck about what anybody thinks,” which she effortlessly achieves on ‘Cocky’. Listen to the track below and follow Lotic on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

 

Photo credit: Philip Primus

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Noga Erez – ‘You So Done’

A resilient, emotionally charged offering from a defiant and uncompromising artist, Noga Erez has shared her new single ‘You So Done’ via City Slang. Accompanied by a stunning set of visuals directed by Indy Hait, the Tel Aviv based artist delves deep in to the memories left behind by a toxic relationship, making this her most personal release to date.

“At some point, exactly one year ago, I started flashing back to one of the darkest times in my life,” Erez explains. “I was young, incredibly confused and lonely. There was a moment during this period where I was actually so weak, insecure and in need of love that I was not able to step out of what I know now to be an emotionally abusive relationship.” Erez’s recognition may strike a chord with many listeners who have endured this kind of emotional isolation, and she wants them to know they are not alone and that there is always a way out.

Erez has channelled her fears, frustrations and un-nerving flashbacks into ‘You So Done’, which despite its context, radiates artistic confidence. Far removed from the joviality of previous lockdown inspired single ‘NO News On TV’, Erez’s distinctive sound has evolved further on this new single. “What a joke, what a joke you made me / What’s a Queen to a Joker, tell me” she taunts over spacious beats and warped electronics, her calm delivery belying any resentment she feels about her experiences.

Erez’s patience and willingness to explore her memories in the track and the accompanying video are what make both so impressive. Her third collaboration with Tel Aviv-based director Indy Hait, the visuals for ‘You’re So Done’ felt risky to Erez in the beginning. “Usually, I have an idea or I work with a director on an idea together. I decided to let [Hait] do his thing. He offered up an idea that included a robot and I immediately hated it. I was just not able to imagine how it wouldn’t come off as a science fiction video and felt it wasn’t my style. But after talking and tearing the idea apart, I realised that this is a truly meaningful character.

The robot in this video is actually not the violent character. Its job was to portray the act of violence through transferring the moves from an unseen character and helping them come alive visually. The video uses muscle memory as the ‘engine’ to that violent dance act, and muscle memory is something that fascinates me. Eventually this video is far from being science fiction, it is my most personal video to date.”

Watch the video for ‘You’re So Done’ below and follow Noga Erez on bandcamp, Facebook & Spotify for more updates

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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