Track Of The Day: Danika Smith – ‘Suit Of Armour’

Smooth vocals, lo-fi percussion and beguiling guitar sounds permeate Melbourne-based artist Danika Smith‘s debut single ‘Suit Of Armour’. Her blend of folk and soul elements captivate the ears, and prove that Danika has an instinctive approach when it comes to songwriting.

Speaking about the track, she explains: “I wrote ‘Suit Of Armour’ when love and fear collided, and left me feeling confused and avoidant. It’s a song that observes the reservations I have, when there is something potentially beautiful in front of me, and I look for the cracks and flaws, as a protective method to avoid pain. It is melancholic that the beauty of love is shadowed by so much skepticism and mistrust, but there is an optimistic message too. I have the power to move through the weight of these experiences, remove the armour, and eventually be more open to connection, in time.”

Danika’s careful removal of her emotional chains is a humble, inspiring act that demonstrates both her vulnerability and her strength as a woman, and as a musician. She’s currently working on her debut LP and gigging around Australia, and we’re keen to hear more of her Lifted from her beautifully crafted sounds.

Listen to ‘Suit Of Armour’ below and follow Danika Smith on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Track Of The Day: Keren Ilan – ‘This Morning, Yesterday’

I only heard this song for the first time a couple of weeks ago but it has already made it onto my latest personal playlist. ‘This Morning, Yesterday’ is the title track taken from Vietnamese, Tel Aviv-based Keren Ilan’s debut EP.

So full of rich emotion, delivered with indie guitars that leave you always wanting more, ‘This Morning, Yesterday’ is a firm favourite of mine right now.

Watch the video for ‘This Morning, Yesterday’ below:

 

Keren Ilan’s debut EP, This Morning, Yesterday, is out now. Find out more on Instagram and Facebook

Tash Walker
@maudeandtrevor

Photo Credit: Ariel Pedatzur

LISTEN: Death Valley Girls – ‘Dream Cleaver’

Scuzzy riffs and a cosmic context inform ‘Dream Cleaver’, the latest single from doom-boogie LA rockers Death Valley Girls. Released via Suicide Squeeze, the track is “an anthem in praise of psychonaut and ethnobotonist Terrence McKenna, his research on “the spirit molecule” DMT and the possibility of trans-dimensional travel”.

Rolling rhythms and impassioned vocals permeate the new standalone single, which the band say is inspired by a desire to connect with the afterlife, whilst being in the midst of real life. The girls explain further: “Mr. Mckenna proposed that DMT (dimethyltryptamine) sent one to a “parallel dimension” and that literally enabled an individual to encounter “higher dimensional entities.” We believe that these entities hold the secrets of the universe and the afterlife! We became obsessed with trying to contact them, so we don’t have to wait till the afterlife to have some answers to these questions!”

It seems Death Valley Girls have the answers to questions we didn’t even know we needed answering, and we’re happy to swagger along to their mystical new offering. They have a sound rooted in nostalgia, but an outlook that spans the past, present, and future dimensions. Listen to ‘Dream Cleaver’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Photo credit: Deb Frazin

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Track Of The Day: El Tee – ‘How I Like It’

Full of hazy guitar sounds and hushed, heartfelt vocals; Melbourne-based artist El Tee has shared her latest single ‘How I Like It’ via AWAL. The track is both a “protest against, and an acknowledgement of losing yourself to someone else” and showcases the songwriter’s strength and vulnerability over the course of five sweet minutes.

El Tee (aka Lauren Tarver) has been busy performing in her hometown recently, both as a solo artist and as part of local five-piece outfit Club Med. Her relatable lyrics and her honest narratives mark her out as an interesting new talent on both the Aussie new music scene, and further abroad.

Speaking about her latest single, El Tee explains: “‘How I Like It’ captures the surrender of identity in fear of disapproval and rejection, while holding on to just enough self-respect to voice your needs and desires”. It’s this willingness to confront emotional difficulty that makes her new track linger in the memory for so long. Listen to ‘How I Like It’ below and follow El Tee on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut