Track Of The Day: Aisha Badru – ‘Splintered’

Following the lush, enveloping sound of previous single ‘Bridges’, New York’s Aisha Badru returns to charm our ears with a sparkling new offering, ‘Splintered’.

A call for people to take control of their lives, ‘Splintered’ flows with the beautiful, sweeping splendour of Badru’s delicately emotion-strewn vocals. Oozing a majestic grace, alongside twinkling melodies and a soaring musicality, it’s filled with a raw emotion that’ll send shivers down the spine on first listen. With shades of the twinkling fragility of Daughter, it’s another simply spellbinding creation from this innovative artist.

Of the track, Badru explains:

“We often find someone else to blame. We are afraid to take responsibility, reclaim our power, and heal ourselves. Splintered encourages people to face the dark spots within us in order to find the light.”

Pendulum, the latest album from Aisha Badru, is out now. Catch her live at her first UK appearance on 18th September at Oslo, Hackney.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

EP: Sextile – ‘3’

Lovers of deviant but dance-able noise with an appetite for all things electronic should submerge themselves in the sound of Sextile‘s latest EP, 3. The L.A. duo released the record through Felte last week, and its a smoldering collection of tracks that seethe with an industrial, punk-infused bite.

The new release follows the band’s 2017 album Albeit Living and early 2018’s ‘Current Affair’ single. After various line-up shifts, Sextile are now comprised of Brady Keehn and Melissa Scaduto, who now favour synths over guitars. 3 was recorded in Los Angeles at their home and practice space using a KORG MS-10, a sequencer, a Fender Stratocaster and a LinnDrum.

3 jolts in to life with jagged synth grooves on ‘Disco’. The song would fit perfectly in a dimly lit basement bar, with moody vocals and snapping percussion punctuating the track. ‘Drop You’ follows with more of the pair’s fast-shifting drum beats, hazy synth textures and rowdy guitar riffs.

Midway through, ‘Paradox’ breaks in with its manic blur of synths and bass lines, leaving no room for respite. Prepare to lose your head to the penultimate ‘Spun’, which is two minutes of abrasive synths and punk-like vocals, that buzz with Sextile’s trademark intensity. This buzz bleeds in to final track ‘Hazing’, which is fueled by more jagged synth sequences, foreboding electronics and strung-out vocals.

Sextile are skilled in their ability to create infectious noise that urges listeners to dance, rebel, and reach out in to new sonic territories; and 3 is a short but savagely sweet example of this. Invest now.

Sextile UK 2018 Live Dates
Sept 18 London, UK @ Electrowerkz
Sept 19 Brighton, UK @ Hope & Ruin
Sept 20 Portsmouth, UK @ The Edge Of The Wedge

Follow Sextile on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

EP: Petrol Girls – ‘The Future Is Dark’

Defiant, driven, and militant in their cause to give the voices of their sisters a platform; Petrol Girls have shared their latest EP The Future Is Dark (released via Hassle Records). It’s a blistering collection of anti-patriarchy, anti-capitalist anthems that will inspire listeners to stand up, speak out, and be counted.

The EP is named after a Virginia Woolf quote that writer Rebecca Solnit uses as a starting point for her essay ‘Woolf’s Darkness’, in Men Explain Things To Me. Solnit writes about accepting uncertainty and not fearing the dark or the unknown. Her sentiments reflect Petrol Girls’ unwavering belief in the strength of sisterhood, and speaking out against oppression.

The riotous ‘Survivor’ opens the record, and is inspired by the growing movement against sexual violence. Vocalist Ren’s powerful voice declares “It was my anger that kept me alive” over thrashing guitar riffs and heart-thumping percussion. It’s another much needed shout-back track, dismantling the damage caused by pervasive and traumatising sexual assaults. The slightly softer, but equally as striking ‘Sister’ follows – championing the power of sisterhood. It’s a reminder to cherish and nurture relationships with sisters from all walks of life.

The track ordering on The Future Is Dark sends just as seminal a message as the individual songs that form it. It begins with feelings of anger and isolation (‘Survivor’), fades in to relief, support and recovery (‘Sister’), before closing track ‘Strike’ reinforces the need to keep fighting, and to persevere against forces that continue to oppress us all (even if you fuck up from time to time).

Petrol Girls are experts at taking their anger and transforming it in to a force for change, self-expression, and most importantly – reassurance for listeners who need love and guidance in such turbulent political times. The future may be dark, but with Petol Girls around, it’s certainly not void of hope.

Order your copy of The Future Is Dark here.
Follow Petrol Girls on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

LIVE: Skating Polly @ Sebright Arms, 10.09.18

As a rule, especially now I’m fast approaching mid-thirties-dom, I generally try to avoid Monday night gigs – they tend to set a precedent of low energy and enhanced apathy for the rest of the week. But last Monday, I decided to make an exception for my favourite sibling punk-rock trio, Skating Polly. And I’m extremely glad I did.

Kicking off the two-band line up at Bethnal Green’s Sebright Arms are GIHE faves The Menstrual Cramps. Delivering their topical tongue-in-cheek wit and immense, politically-charged force, they succeed in astounding the crowd. With their refreshingly uncensored, genuine passion, they seem to have refined their seething set even since I last saw them play for us a couple of months back; they’re a band who are now more relevant and necessary than ever before, continuing to refine their musical prowess to blast their message into our ears.

Marking themselves out as favourites when we caught them a couple of years back, putting on an immense live set at The Lock Tavern, Skating Polly‘s Kelli and Peyton have since recruited brother Kurtis on drums, to create an even bigger, high-octane sound. Delivering their trademark combination of honey-sweet melodies with gritty, whirring hooks, 2016’s ‘Pretective Boy’ starts the set. And immediately they draw in the packed out venue with their immense buoyant energy and understated subtle power.

Although I had been blown away seeing Kelli and Peyton as a duo, with the added volume of one extra person, they’re able to blast into the eardrums with a fuller, all-encompassing sound that hits you with a sublime force from the start. And it doesn’t make it any less impressive or immersive either; the two front women continue to swap vocal responsibilities and instruments throughout the set, with Peyton and Kurtis swapping roles for one song too. Skating Polly are a band who continue to keep us on our toes, showcasing their exciting, multi-faceted sound and unique, impassioned stage presence.

Treating us to an eclectic mix of songs new and old, each and every moment of this jam-packed set is full of raw emotion, with this band’s intense snarling energy and ferocious vocal delivery blowing me away throughout. From new tracks such as ‘Free Will At Ease’ (inspired by a “shitty ex boyfriend”) and the seething grunge-fuelled power of ‘Camelot’, to 2016’s ‘Perfume For Now’ (about a guy who accused Kelli of being a creep when she was just 13) and the immense grit of ‘Stop Digging’, each and every offering is an exciting, intoxicating sonic delight.

Fiercely staring into the crowd and shouting “throw your mother-fucking hands up!”, Kelli tops things off by launching into the sweaty (and incredibly smelly!) sea of fans for an epic surf, bass and all. A glorious end to a glorious night of live music. Once again marking themselves out as going against the grain, Skating Polly deliver an empowering sentiment, uniting anyone who doesn’t want to coincide with the confines of society’s limitations.

Definitely worth venturing out on a Monday for; far from apathetic and energy-less, the night leaves me feeling motivated and refreshed, having been in the presence of such formidable women in music.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment