ALBUM: Shitkid – ‘Detention’

Starting off as a solo project from Åsa Söderqvist in 2015, ShitKid has blossomed into a pop-punk revival as of late. Söderqvist and new bandmate Lina Molarin Ericcson have returned to their school days to unearth material for their new album Detention. The album, an eight-track EP, takes inspiration from the likes of old-school punk bands like Weezer, The Offspring and Simple Plan which is evident from the moment the title track ‘Detention’ hits. 

On deciding that the album should follow the pop-punk genre, Söderqvist says, “It’s a genre that’s quite embarrassing to go back to, and i knew that would make it really fun. I used to be emo in 2008, and no nobody plays that music anymore!”

The genre is definitely not what it used to be, and for those that used to listen to it who may be stuck in a rut, repeating the same artists and albums that they always have, Detention gives way to a new artist to the scene. As a fellow former emo-kid, I can relate.

While listening to title track ‘Detention’ my mind immediately floats to The Runaways, a comparison I’m sure they’ve gotten before. Other inspirations in the form of bands like Green Day or Sum 41 are apparent throughout other tracks like ‘Last Mistake’ and ‘Summer18’, which bring with them a heavy dose of nostalgia.

‘Home Wondering (I Don’t Wanna Go To Prom)’ holds stoic guitar riffs alongside the vocals that give the track personality, especially with the lyrics coinciding with the old-school throwback, whilst ‘Lost In A Dreamworld’ is a lightweight and heartfelt anthem to round off the EP, tying the rest of the tracks together perfectly.

If you’re tired of listening to American Idiot and Conspiracy of One since release and want a new band to jump around your flat to whilst head-banging and reliving memories of your teenage years, ShitKid is the artist for you. They are leading the way for a new era of pop-punk with emotions we only saw 20 years ago, and it’s certainly good to have a dose of nostalgia in 2019.

Söderqvist also promises that they’ll “definitely do a pop album next, and we want to make a screamo record too!”. So, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see where the band decide to walk with their next release.

 

Detention is out via PNKSLM Recordings on May 10th. Pre-order here.

Bekky Smart
@bekkymays

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Track Of The Day: Julia Shapiro – ‘Natural’

Known as the singer/guitarist in Chastity Belt, Julia Shapiro has now shared ‘Natural’, a taster track from her debut solo album.

As befits a track from an album due to be released in June, ‘Natural’ is pastoral and dreamy, reminiscent of sunny summer days spent running across fields. The guitars are pleasantly jangly, the vocals drawled.

Like so many modern day artists, Shapiro has emerged from a period of ill health and introspection to reflect on self awareness and self improvement. Recording an album of homespun songs, self produced, where she plays almost all of the instruments herself has been a part of this. ‘Natural’ is the opening track on the forthcoming album and, judging from this summery slice of indie, listeners are in for a treat.

Perfect Version, the debut solo album from Julia Shapiro, is due to be released on 14th June via Hardly Art.

 

Cazz Blase
@CazzBlase

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ALBUM: Heather Woods Broderick – ‘Invitation’

Oregon-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Heather Woods Broderick releases her third album Invitation this month. Having toured with Sharon Van Etten, Efterklang, and Lisa Hannigan, her new album is laden with dreamy Baroque pop sounds, built around piano and vocal melodies, with poetic lyrics inspired by her move to a quiet corner of the Pacific North West.

Opener ‘Stilling Wind’, with its gentle electronics and slow dreamy guitar, deals with memories invoked by once familiar landscapes – “how did you slow the tide and disappear so quickly… Have I changed yet, or do my habits still remain?” The lush atmosphere leads into the beautifully poetic ‘I Try’, whilst imagery of the natural surroundings intertwines with the music in the country-sounding ‘Nightcrawler’, and in ‘Where I Lay’ producing a haunting effect.

The piano opens out into an elegiac chorus, like the powerful, crashing waves of the landscape in ‘Slow Dazzle’, and ‘A Daydream’ provide moments of pleasure in solitude, before the pace picks up again on ‘White Tail’ with its nocturnal forest sounds and ethereal vocal exploring Heather’s experiences with depression and finding a transcendence.

The beautifully personal piano ballads ‘Quicksand’ and ‘My Sunny One’ deal with alcoholism and failed relationships respectively, whilst closing track ‘Invitation’ completes the journey of self-acceptance: “I left that candle burning… I dreamt it took me last night into the darker side of life.”

I too accept the invitation this delicately-crafted album offers for introspection and the beauty found in stillness. The sentiment, that it is not the fear of falling, but getting back up again, recurs throughout each captivating song, offering hope and light.

Invitation is out 19th April via Western Vinyl.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

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WATCH: Hatchie – ‘Stay With Me’

“I’m a sucker for crying-in-the-club tracks” says Australia’s Hatchie – and we’re happy to sob under the strobe lights to her catchy new single ‘Stay With Me’. The electronic-pop gem is taken from her highly anticipated debut album Keepsake, which is set for release on June 21st via Heavenly.

Hatchie (aka Harriette Pilbeam) explains how ‘Stay With Me’ came to be: “[The song] was written as a writing exercise in an effort to step away from my usual style into something more fun and dancey. We originally wrote it with someone else in mind, but realized it was the perfect fit for my album as I wanted to expand into a different sound. It became one of my favourite songs on the record”.

On her upcoming album, Hatchie has blended and explored new textures – from industrial to new wave to dance-pop. Despite not being a sentimental person, Hatchie says the record is “a keepsake in itself” – an aural memory of moments and experiences translated with her shining, upbeat energy.

Watch the video for ‘Stay With Me’ below and pre-order your copy of Keepsake here.

Hatchie UK live Dates 2019
9-Jun Green Door Store, BRIGHTON UK
11-Jun The Louisiana, BRISTOL UK
12-Jun Moth Club, LONDON UK
13-Jun Yes, MANCHESTER UK
14-Jun Brudenell Social Club, LEEDS UK (Heavenly Weekender)

Photo credit: Joe Agius

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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