LISTEN: Anna B Savage – ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’

An intense, personal, exquisitely revealing celebration of female pleasure; London-based songwriter Anna B Savage has shared her latest single, ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’. Taken from her upcoming album which is due via City Slang later this year, the track is an affecting, powerful exploration of female desire, and how Savage has learned to dismiss the damaging tropes associated with it.

Fans of Leonard Cohen may be familiar with Savage’s opening lyric – “He was giving me head on my unmade bed” – as it’s paraphrased from Cohen’s track ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’. Over tentative guitar sounds, revealing lyrics, and through her measured, captivating vocals; Savage reveals how she learned to prioritize herself, and how female pleasure is not “secondary”. She subverts Cohen’s storytelling, re-writing the narrative to rid her feelings of shame and confusion.

Savage explores the meaning behind ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ in more details: “‘Wank More’ was my 2016 New Year’s Resolution. It was part of my need to battle all the internalised bullshit I had ingested about women. I’ve spent the last few years actively unlearning things I spent my first twenty years passively being fed. Like how women are sexualised, but never allowed to be sexual, they are the object (sometimes even an object). It took me until 21 to start masturbating, even longer to realise that sex was also for me (groundbreaking, I know) and that I had agency and could and should ask for things. It’s wildly frustrating and sad. Out of these thoughts came ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’.”

“While it’s a naked nod to Cohen’s Janis Joplin in ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’, in my mind it’s an even bigger nod to Chris Kraus’s I Love Dick, a book which prompted me to be able to express myself in this way. The man in ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ is a stand in for all men, and as I’m telling my story, here he plays the role of the passive pawn and “muse”, a like-for-like role reversal of how women have “inspired” men for centuries. The song is a groan of boredom for the role of passive, mute, muse women, and a scream for female autonomy and pleasure.”

Produced by William Doyle (East India Youth), ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ marks the first new music for Savage since her 2015 EP, which caught the attention of Father John Misty and Jenny Hval (both of whom brought Savage out on European tours). Savage defiantly sings on her new track “I will learn to take care of myself”, and we fully believe that she will.

Watch the video for ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ below, and follow Anna B Savage on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: LIME – ‘Surf n Turf’

With a sound as refreshing as the citrus fruit they’re named after; LIME‘s latest single ‘Surf n Turf’ is a catchy slice of surf-pop joy. The band have turned the experience of having an unwanted confrontation on a night out, in to an easy-going ear worm.

Coming together from across the UK, the four-piece band mix elements of psych, indie, and other genres to create their buoyant guitar tunes. Accompanied by a kaleidoscopic set of visuals (directed and produced by Jay Bartlett), ‘Surf n Turf’ brims with indie melodies, energetic vocals, and plenty of attitude.

We can’t wait to see them live at our GIHE gig at The Finsbury Pub supporting Jemma Freeman & The Cosmic Something on 8th May (Free entry. Event details here.) Watch the video for ‘Surf n Turf’ below, and follow LIME on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo credit: Julia Nala

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: New Pagans – ‘Admire’

A humble, shimmering ode to the perseverance that’s needed to keep a long-term relationship going; New Pagans‘ latest single ‘Admire’ is a beautifully relatable listen. The track is lifted from the Belfast-based band’s debut EP, Glacial Erratic, which is set for release on 6th March.

Proof that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (even if you’ve daydreamed about it), New Pagans’ treatment of love and its many faults is far more romantic than any Valentine’s card or bouquet. Lyndsey McDougall’s lyricism and smooth vocal delivery float above atmospheric guitars, swirling bass lines, and driving percussion. “Let’s preserve our old ways / lets’s preserve them always” she sings, as the song builds to a cathartic cacophony of shoegaze noise, removing all sense of doubt about why you chose to stay faithful.

‘Admire’ follows the band’s previous singles ‘Charlie Has The Face Of A Saint’ and ‘It’s Darker’, all of which are featured on their upcoming EP. They’ll be playing a handful of UK shows in early March (dates below), so make sure you get yourself a live dose of New Pagans’ realistic romanticism. It’s certainly softening our thick skin.

Listen to ‘Admire’ below and follow New Pagans on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

New Pagans’ UK Tour Dates (March 2020)
2nd – Rough Trade, Nottingham
5th – Think Tank, Newcastle
6th – Off The Square, Manchester
7th – The Lounge Archway, London
8th – The Crofters Rights, Bristol

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Harkin – ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’

Inspired by the chaos and the romanticism of a night out in a UK city, multi-talented musician Harkin has shared her latest single, ‘Nothing the Night Can’t Change’. The track is lifted from her debut self-titled album, which is set for release on 24th April via Hand Mirror.

The new single features Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa, and Bon Iver’s Jenn Wasner. Speaking about her collaborators, Harkin explains: “Jenn and Stella were both old tour friends of mine, but had never met before our recording session together. By the end of day one, they were finishing each other’s jokes. [They] are as good as it gets, and I’m hugely grateful.” Harkin’s talent for collaboration extends even further, as she co-founded the label she’ll be releasing her debut record on (Hand Mirror), with her partner; poet and live arts organiser Kate Leah Hewett.

“What we did by the light of the fridge cannot be undone” sings Harkin mid-way through on ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’, prompting a plethora of scandalous images for her listeners. “Anyone that’s been on a night out in Leeds, or any of those places [in the UK] knows all the switches get flipped after dark” Harkin says. She explores these moments over rolling guitar riffs, thudding percussion, and smooth vocals.

Harkin will tour across Europe over the next few months supporting both Sleater-Kinney & Torres. Listen to ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’ below, and follow Harkin on Facebook & Spotify.

Photo Credit: Tomm Roeschlein

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment