Track Of The Day: All Cats Are Beautiful – ‘wishin i cld fit in ur backpack’

Ow, my heart! If, like most of us, you’re missing someone, All Cats Are Beautiful’s ‘Wishin I cld fit in ur bckpck’ could be the song you need right now. Written at the start of the pandemic about how the band were “already missing each other wildly” after quarantining separately, it’s a beautifully dreamy song about love, longing and friendship.

Clips of personal calls, as well as chopped up drum samples, field recordings and sounds from previous sessions, punctuate the band’s confessional, lo-fi vocals and slow, woozy beats. The result is intimate, immersive and utterly authentic – kind of reminiscent of Coco Rosie.

The wonderfully imaginative chorus, about taking a ride in your friend’s backpack so you can go wherever they go, is even cuter than the band’s name. And what makes it even richer is knowing that the harmonies were actually recorded in isolation by the band and their friends. Melancholic and totally beautiful, it shows that you can create wonderful things together, even when you’re apart.

 

‘Wishin I cld fit in ur backpack’ is out today on Peapod Recs.

Vic Conway

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Track Of The Day: A. A. Williams – ‘Melt’

A cinematic, slow-burning exploration of self-autonomy; A. A. Williams has shared her latest single ‘Melt’. Lifted from her debut album Forever Blue, which is set for release on 3rd July via Bella Union, the track is an epic six minutes of beguiling vocals, brooding bass lines and dark orchestral sounds.

“Let go of these promises” muses Williams in the opening lyric to the song, permitting herself to start anew and explore what it means to be alone again. She blends quieter moments that centre around her vocals with the fleshed out sound of a full band throughout the track; reflecting the uneven path to autonomy.

Of the track, Williams explains: “’Melt’ addresses an individual’s search for, acknowledgement of and acceptance of independence. After only believing in their own fragility they come to realise that they themselves were never dependant on others, others depended on them. Within this newfound strength they find comfort.”

William’s sublime treatment of ambiguous subjects is what makes her music so captivating. A classically trained pianist and multi-talented musician, her blending of post-rock and post-classical elements makes for exquisitely raw listening. Watch the video for ‘Melt’ (directed by Steve Turvey) below and follow A. A. Williams on Spotify & Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Thomas Williams

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Nuha Ruby Ra – ‘Erase Me’

For Nuha Ruby Ra, music is just one aspect of her work as a self-described “experimental artist”. Having emerged as part of the Vicious Collective – a collection of ziners, satirists and fashion designers, based in Hackney – music has begun to take centre-stage for Ra, following rave reviews of her appearances supporting Warmduscher (on whose recordings she has also appeared) and Snapped Ankles, as well as performances alongside some of the best emerging artists of last year, such as Amyl and the Sniffers, Bo Ningen and Bambara.

With such a diverse background in art and music, it’s perhaps no surprise that ‘Erase Me’, her debut single from the forthcoming How to Move EP, is a deftly crafted and deeply emotional performance, both in its lyrics and in the video, made by Ra in collaboration with her friend, Billie Turnbull.

Sonically, a repetitive piece, formed from warped percussion and a raw, softly detuned guitar line, ‘Erase Me’ has a dark psych feel, initially, that grows into something more foreboding through the industrial sounds that grow from the background of the track, into a roar by its close.

Lyrically, it’s similarly repetitive, particularly as Ra’s plaintive voice echoes the word “heavy”, just as the music starts to increasingly weigh on the listener. A tale of dark affections and addiction, it’s a grower, with the hypnotic effect of its sound mimicked by that of its simple-palette video, which features overlaid images of Ra dancing and singing against a black background, lit solely in a red or blue hue.

Given the balance of art, experimentalism, performance and pop in ‘Erase Me’, it’s perhaps no surprise that Ra’s diverse influences include the likes of Philip Glass, Brian Eno and Einsturzende Neubaten; the darkness of The Birthday Party, the auto-biographical hip-hop of Princess Nokia, and the Egyptian torch songs of Abdel Halim Hafez – presumably a reflection of her upbringing in Cairo. Similarly, her visual style – described by the single’s press release as “Grace Jones meets Fat White Family” and by Ra herself as “part-time punk, part-time goth” – is a unique mish-mash of old and new, art and fashion. And, with her mesmerising combination of imagery and sound, it seems unlikely that you’ll be erasing Nuha Ruby Ra from your mind, any time soon.

Check out Nuha Ruby Ra’s website and Instagram for more examples of her creativity.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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Track Of The Day: Penfriend – ‘Everything Looks Normal In The Sunshine’

Amidst the thick of global uncertainty and turmoil, Penfriend (Laura Kidd) releases her new mighty anthem ‘Everything Looks Normal In The Sunshine’, emitting undeniable and hard-hitting hope against our universal haze.

Written in reflection of the state of a pandemic and the emotional strife that it perpetuates, Penfriend asks us to not “second-guess humanity away” and illustrates her current journey with catchy pop melodies in a controlled, yet scuzzy, alternative-rock soundscape.

Crunchy wide-spread guitar tones sit just right, allowing her supportive lyrics to lend a helping hand to listeners as they are whisked away by energetic synth lines and booming drums. Grunge era elements set a solid bed for Penfriend’s lead guitar parts to dance upon its noise, giving the tune a contagious indie hook to its taste.

‘Everything Looks Normal In The Sunshine’ is the supportive essence of a true best-friend, or everyone’s favourite Auntie, and the feeling of dancing a night away. It is the freshness of stretching your lungs with your deepest breath in a while, and the lightness in your footsteps on your home’s carpet after a day’s work. It’s an equal marriage between reflective catharsis and a plan to move forward. Let’s “stand tall and we’ll all take the weight” together, with Penfriend as our inspiration and soundtrack.

 

‘Everything Looks Normal In The Sunshine’ is out now.

Jillian Goyeau
@jillybxxn

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