WATCH: J. Zunz – ‘Four Women and Darkness’

Dense beats and jagged electronics combine on ‘Four Women and Darkness’, the latest single from Mexico based musician J. Zunz (aka Lorena Quintanilla). Lifted from her second album Hibiscus, the track is a haunting, minimalist interpretation of an unnerving story Quintanilla was told by her grandmother and is accompanied by a visual piece that aims to reflect the jarring nature of the tale.

“[My grandmother] told me that once during wartime in México in the late 1920’s, she and her sisters were hidden by her grandmother in a little, cold secret room,” Quintanilla explains. “She hid them there because the militia wanted to search the house. Soldiers used to look for women or girls to rape them or to kidnap them. My grandmother and her sisters stayed there in the dark room for hours until the soldiers left.”

‘Four Women and Darkness’ is Quintanilla’s addition to her grandmother’s frightening narrative, and the video for the track explores the ambiguous theme of darkness further. “I asked four close friends of mine to express their own darkness,” Quintanilla comments. “They all come from different cities and backgrounds. I instructed them with some movements remarking and reassuring the limits of our bodies, which for years have belonged to everyone but us.”

Watch the video for ‘Four Women and Darkness’ below and follow J. Zunz on bandcamp for more updates.

Photo Credit: Sofía Ruesga

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: CIEL – ‘The Shore’ (Live Session)

To celebrate the physical release of their debut EP Movement on 7″ vinyl, Brighton-based CIEL have shared a live video of their single ‘The Shore’. Released via Manchester label Box Bedroom Rebels, the alt-pop band have included a bonus track on the EP titled ‘Wasn’t Enough For Me’, written and recorded by the band while in isolation.

Formed of Dutch musician Michelle Hindriks and the friends she made when she relocated to Brighton, CIEL enlisted the help of Producer Jack Wolter (Penelope Isles) to help them create the atmospheric sounds on their debut EP. Lead single ‘The Shore’ is a dreamy rumination about seizing the moment and not letting life pass you by, with Hindriks’ pensive vocals floating above beguiling guitars, snappy beats and blissed out synths, reflecting the waves of thought she sings about.

The Movement EP comes in a double sided sleeve, one of six different designs, with a gate-fold insert, one of ten numbered Polaroid photos, a CIEL postcard, sticker set, personalised confetti and a small signed A5 poster. You can order your copy here.

Watch the live video for ‘The Shore’ below and follow CIEL on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Jantina Talsma

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: New Pagans – ‘Yellow Room’

A racing, urgent exploration of the isolation new mothers often face, Belfast band New Pagans have shared their latest single ‘Yellow Room’. Inspired by the semi-autobiographical short-story The Yellow Wallpaper, written by American feminist author Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the band have penned the track to highlight the need for a specialised parent-and-baby mental health unit in Northern Ireland.

After watching her close friends struggle with post-natal depression, New Pagans’ vocalist Lyndsey McDougall decided to speak out about the silencing of motherhood, especially in music. McDougall saw parallels between the experiences of her friends and the character in Gilmans’ original story, in which the mental health of the female protagonist deteriorates rapidly when she is separated from her normal life, locked in an old nursery room by her physician husband. Through the medium of Gilmans’ text, McDougall channels these feelings of fear and rage in her clear, cathartic vocals, supported by the band’s crashing percussion and charged, powerful riffs.

Being a Mother herself, McDougall is aware of the pressures that come with the role, and whilst she is not solely defined by these responsibilities, she feels they shouldn’t be ignored or played down. By using personal experience and Gilmans’ text as foundations for ‘Yellow Room’, New Pagans are challenging and updating the narrative around women’s mental health, and they’ve crafted a catchy, energetic post-punk tune in the process.

Listen to ‘Yellow Room’ below and follow New Pagans on bandcamp, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Emily McNally – ‘Pretty Girl’

A carefree tune about having a summer crush, Brooklyn-based folk-pop artist Emily McNally has shared her latest single ‘Pretty Girl’. Recorded, mixed, and mastered on her iPhone, McNally has created a charming tune that celebrates the joys of queer relationships.

Released via Corkscrew Records, a teenage-run label devoted to amplifying marginalized voices, ‘Pretty Girl’ playfully explores feelings of yearning through sweet vocals, cute lyrics and upbeat instrumentation.

Creating all her sounds from her bedroom, McNally hopes to share a time capsule of the emotional whirlwind of queer adolescence in order to ease the sense of loneliness in others and herself. Listen to ‘Pretty Girl’ below and follow Emily McNally on Instagram and YouTube for more updates.

 

 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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