Track Of The Day: Navina – ’27 Hearts’

Bringing a happy, summery feeling, ’27 Hearts’ is the bright and catchy new single from indie producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Navina. It is the first from a “volume” of her upcoming releases called S H A P E S.  

Navina writes and produces music herself from her bedroom in Cambridge, playing all the instruments apart from the drums and bass. This delightful new single was mixed by Grammy Award-winning Rob Chiarelli.  

The song addresses social media, and an instant-gratification society. Oozing a smooth, piano–led, pop/soul vibe, it will have you tapping your toes and snapping your fingers along to its bouncy rhythm on first listen. However, although the song is light-hearted and fun, there is a serious side to it: “You’ve got 27 Hearts, every picture is the same… How much more they mean to you.”

It’s a clever and self-reflective song, with the poppiness slowing down midway and at the end with the gentle reminder that “What you need is right in front of you”, preferring the freedom of looking out, and not looking down. Think Feist, with a touch of Minnie Ripperton’s ‘Loving You’, and what’s not to love?!  

Every once in a while, it’s nice to slow down and enjoy life’s simpler moments, and ’27 Hearts’ sums up that feeling perfectly for me. And, having already received acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network, I look forward to hearing more from Navina, and the breath of fresh air that her music brings.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: DOLLS – ‘Sugar Free’

Prepare to have your bubble well and truly popped by the sound of DOLLS‘ latest single ‘Sugar Free’. The London-based duo have delivered another slice of grunge-pop glory alongside the news they’ll be releasing their debut EP Pop The Bubble in September.

Produced by Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds/Grinderman), ‘Sugar Free’ is a song about “the use-and-throwaway society around us today, how superficial people’s lives can be, and how rapidly people’s values and what’s on-trend can change”. Together, Jade (vocals & guitar) and Bel (drums & vocals) create songs that on a surface level seem sweet, but there’s serious bite beneath their sugary titles. The pair have been packing out venues around London because of this, and have caught the attention of Radio X & BBC Introducing too.

The Pop The Bubble EP marks the first time the band have worked with Sclavunos, whose production credits include The Horrors, The Wytches and Du Blonde. The record will be released via Mondo/Death Waltz on a limited edition multi-coloured and etched vinyl, as well as in digital format. The duo will celebrate their release at Rough Trade East with an in-store show on Monday 24th September.

Listen to ‘Sugar Free’ below and follow DOLLS on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit:Gabrielle Hall.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

LIVE: The Joy Formidable – The Lexington, 22.08.18

Almost six years to the day since they last played the venue, The Joy Formidable made a triumphant return to The Lexington to perform to a sold out crowd on Wednesday night. Ritzy, Rhydian and Matt are masters of loud-and-quiet alternative anthems and despite being absent from the London live scene recently, the trio have lost none of their momentum.

Opening their set with the riotous and rarely played ‘Greyhounds In The Slips’, the band tore through the song with impressive precision and energy. ‘I Don’t Want To See You Like This’ followed, before the all-encompassing ‘The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade’ took hold, filling the venue with foot-thumping and chants of appreciation. At the close of the song, guitarist & vocalist Ritzy and bassist Rhydian addressed the “familiar faces” in their crowd, and banter about her “mountain troll” clumsiness – as well as drummer Matt’s intake of walnuts and whisky – drew laughs from their loyal fans.

The trio eased into a stellar rendition of ‘Ostrich’, which unlike the recorded version, hosted a calmer intro, reflecting Ritzy’s words about the song’s theme of “moving on and forgiving” people. With their fourth album AAARTH due for release next month, the band then showcased some of their new material, including latest single ‘The Wrong Side’ which rang out with trademark Joy Formidable intensity.

Hitch track ‘This Ladder Is Ours’ thundered through after, before the band briefly left the stage, returning for a knockout encore. Between the blur of ‘Buoy’ – which was given similar treatment to ‘Ostrich’ – and final track ‘Whirring’ the band took time to remind fans that next year marks the tenth anniversary of the release of their debut EP, A Balloon Called Moaning. Ritzy promised the band would be celebrating the occasion with some intimate acoustic shows, then promptly apologised for not playing the acoustic dates she promised last time she was in town, when the band played Oslo in Hackney.

In one final six minute frenzy of riffs and raucous drumming, the band threw themselves and their instruments around the stage during ‘Whirring’, leaving their crowd fired up with the promise of seeing them in town again soon. The Joy Formidable have been on the musical radar for almost a decade, and last night’s performance proved they’ve got another decade’s worth of raw live power in them.

Support came from the wonderful Bryde – who performed with a full band – who TJF heartily praised.

Pre-order your copy of The Joy Formidable’s AAARTH here.
Follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Eliza Shaddad – ‘This Is My Cue’

Gentle reverb and gorgeous vocals permeate Eliza Shaddad‘s new single ‘This Is My Cue’, taken from her upcoming album Future, released on the 26th of October via Beatnik Creative.

Recorded in the same studio in Devon where she worked on her Run & Waters EPs with Mercury-nominated collaborator Chris Bond, ‘This Is My Cue’ is an atmospheric break-up song that quietly broods before breaking away from a bad relationship. Speaking about the track, Eliza explains: “This song is about freedom and anguish and trying to find the strength of mind to end things.”

Born to Sudanese and Scottish parents and raised across seven countries, Eliza is the descendant of a long line of progressive artists and academics dating back to the 1800s. She holds an MPhil in Philosophy, speaks four languages and is a graduate in Jazz from the Guildhall School.

Her academic accolades are impressive enough, but Eliza also finds time to run events as part of female arts collective Girls Girls Girls, which she co-founded with fellow musician Samantha Lindo, and which works to empower women within the arts through special cross-disciplinary events across the UK, and to raise awareness and funding for the anti-Female genital mutilation charity ‘Orchid Project’.

With a work ethic this strong, Eliza’s career is sure to blossom in to something wonderful. Listen to ‘This Is My Cue’ below and follow Eliza Shaddad on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Mel Tjeong

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment