Track Of The Day: Screaming Toenail – ‘I.O.U’

Having blown us away with the impassioned magnificence of their live show at The Finsbury last December, and with performances for the likes of Decolonise Festival and Afropunk Battle Of The Bands under their belts, anti-colonial queer punks Screaming Toenail have become firm favourites here at GIHE and their message is more resonant now than ever before.

Oozing a seething energy as a whirring tension builds with jangling hooks, new single ‘I.O.U’ asserts that we are worth so much more than our wages, and that we don’t owe our bosses, landlords, or this racist government, anything. Propelled by an impassioned cathartic rage and swirling magnetism, its raw, angst-driven power immerses the listener in its striking, empowering message. As front person Jacob repeats the refrain “I owe you nothing” with a fierce intensity, you’re left – fists-clenched – ready to come together in solidarity and rise up against the forces seeking to oppress us.

Screaming Toenail really are one of the most important bands around at the moment; and tracks such as ‘I.O.U’ and accompanying single ‘Sever’ showcase their vibrant spirit and raw emotion perfectly, highlighting how necessary voices like these are in the fight for justice.

Download ‘I.O.U’ and ‘Sever’ on Bandcamp now:

 

Growth, the upcoming new album from Screaming Toenail, is out 28th July.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Bitch Falcon – ‘Gaslight’

A striking, brooding observation on what you see vs what you get, Bitch Falcon have shared their latest single ‘Gaslight’. Released today (16th July) via Small Pond Records who the band have recently signed to, the track marks a change in the Dublin trio’s writing style, blending “melodic intricacies” with their trademark heavier sound.

Formed of Lizzie Fitzpatrick (vocals/guitar), Barry O’Sullivan (bass) and Nigel Kenny (drums), Bitch Falcon have been firm favourites of GIHE since they played live for us at The Finsbury Pub with Trash Kit in 2017. Since then, they’ve shared stages with the likes of Girl Band, Fontaines DC, Torche, Black Peaks, and Pussy Riot.

Full of seething bass lines and savage guitar licks, their new single is a stirring reflection on the way we perceive other people’s truths. Fitzpatrick’s powerful vocals permeate ‘Gaslight’, soaring over Kenny’s crashing beats and O’Sullivan’s heavy bass hooks, fusing their grunge-meets-dream-pop sound together.

Speaking about the track, Fitzpatrick explains: “‘Gaslight’ is a song that came together quite fast. Barry started playing his riff and I played along messing rhythmically, just making noise. It sounded so weird and intense so quickly. I remember us all looking at each other and saying this is the one.

I wanted to describe the feeling of what you see is not necessarily what you get. The holy grail of public display, and worth to others. Expressing yourself puts you in a vulnerable position, and I think a lot of people embellish the truth. In that way, an unachievable status is shoved down our throats, and we play into the game every day.”

Listen to ‘Gaslight’ below and follow Bitch Falcon on Spotify and Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: The C33s – ‘Harpurhey Hostility’

Surf-rock doesn’t always need a beach. For Manchester three-piece, The C33s, the genre that grew out of the Californian coastline is perfectly suitable for their rattling takes on contemporary life. In latest single ‘Harpurhey Hostility’, turning their collective eye on the area of their home town named “the worst place in England” in a 2007 headline by the Manchester Evening News. Throwing the genre’s snappy guitar lines in with a blast of Anglo punk lyricism gives the band’s observations on deep-seated urban decay all the power it needs to be stuck in your head for weeks.

Dogs bark, a siren wails and a dirt bike engine revs – as introductions go, this one’s about as uncompromising as the song that follows. There’s no gentle lead-in for ‘Harpurhey Hostility’; it’s straight into the riffs, slamming into top gear, replete with a few quintessentially surf yelps courtesy of drummer Judy Jones, who takes lead vocals here.  There’s no verse-chorus-verse either: just twelve lines sung either side of an instrumental section. That being said, there’s an appeal to the sparseness of the lines – reflecting the setting of the song, and its video – and the mentions of local politician and Harpurhey councillor Patrick Karney and “wasps instead of worker bees” are a fond ribbing of Mancunian sensibilities. Pleasantly raw as it develops, the track reveals it owes as much to garage as it does to surf, with kicking bass and blamming drums that only lull slightly to allow for a trigger-finger lead guitar solo, before kicking back in for the song’s final twenty seconds. And, after the music echoes out, it closes out with a magnificent vocal snarl – what else?

The accompanying video opens with a quote from one-time Harpurhey resident, and literary explorer of society’s disenfranchised, Anthony Burgess: “It is as inhuman to be totally good as it is to be totally evil”. It’s a fitting choice – a defiant and seemingly contrarian statement about human nature under pressure, much like the track that follows it. The narrative of the video features three Harpurhey residents, and their activities, culminating in a lager and crisps-fuelled revel. That too, seems a conscious choice by the band (who cameo, offering a fag at a bus stop), almost as if to say that those three people could be them, or anyone, if born and raised in a hostile setting, living off their wits. Fortunately for us, Judy, Cav and Ste play music instead.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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WATCH: Maria-M – ‘Endtimes’

Having previously captivated us as front person of ambient alt-pop outfit Grawl!x at the last gig we put on at The Finsbury, Maria-M has now shared their first solo offering.

A song of hope during this uncertain period, ‘Endtimes’ flows with glitchy hooks and swirling atmospherics, creating a euphoric, cinematic soundscape, propelled by the captivating majesty of Maria’s soaring vocals. Oozing a twinkling musicality and effervescent charm along with uplifting ’80s-infused vibes, it’s a perfectly uplifting offering, tugging at the heartstrings with a poignant, stirring emotion.

‘Endtimes’ is accompanied by a beautifully hand-crafted video, reflecting on the feelings of isolation that come with lockdown, but with an overriding sense of hope and unity within the LGBTQ+ community. Depicting a transgender couple communicating whilst separated during the pandemic, it’s a heartfelt and moving visual accompaniment to the track.

Of the song and video, Maria expands:

“… it’s a song of hope, reminding myself mostly that though things can seem a little overwhelming these days, things are hopefully getting better (particularly for marginalised groups) & that while there are doomsdayers, the naysayers; there are also brave wonderful folks who are fighting to make people’s lives better… I decided it would be nice to convey this through a trans couple Yvonne & Chloe, who have been separated because of the pandemic but are there for each other with love & here’s hoping – I chose to use text-to-speech voices cos I thought it sounded cool!

Watch the video for ‘Endtimes’ here:

‘Endtimes’ is out now via Year Of Glad, a Derby based collective specialising in outsider music, art and writing. The track features a garage influenced remix by label mate Tom John Hall, and a stunning nine minute ambient B side, and all funds will be donated to the charity Derbyshire LGBT+. Download/buy on Bandcamp now.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Laura Mi

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