ALBUM: Horsegirl – ‘Versions Of Modern Performance’

With their debut album, Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl have translated the world of underground underage Chicago into 30 minutes of sludgy jubilation. Thudding drums, strangled guitar lines and catchy choruses: it’s a time-honoured formula, executed here with vigour and original flair.

The band produced this record as college freshmen and high school seniors and it is bursting with a fine balance of youthful exuberance and nuance beyond their years. Within a tight instrumental framework, the group explore a range of emphases and styles, from the more straightforward guitar pop of tunes like ‘Anti-Glory’ to textural instrumental interludes and the unusually weighted ‘Fall of Horsegirl’, in which the guitar foregrounds the vocal line.

The integrity of the artistic scene from which Horsegirl have emerged defines the sound, attitude and presentation of this music. The group are keen to champion the work of the network of fellow creatives too young to get into most concerts going on in Chicago and forced to organise shows and create among themselves. Their videos employ the talents of friends and peers who put their directorial and kitchen dancing skills to use in assertively homemade productions (check out the video for ‘Billy’). There is an infectious DIY enthusiasm in everything this band does, and this reverberates through Versions Of Modern Performance.

Undaunted by the transition from high school band to signees with heavyweight indie label Matador, the group have made a deliberate effort to remain faithful to the simple setup that has taken them this far. Describing this self-consciously as “the debut bare-bones album”, they bring the sound of their various basement rehearsal rooms to the studio. The choice of John Agnello as producer suits this aim to be true to the band’s roots, given that his CV, which includes Dinosaur Jr. and The Breeders, reads like a list of the influences you can hear working throughout the record.

Though this record takes many cues from the sound and approach of much of that American brand of alt rock that has been around since the mid-80s, the group make this sound their own. It feels like the natural outcome of three imaginative rock musicians playing in someone’s basement; an honest, instinctive debut free from contrived affectations.

Listen to Versions Of Modern Performance on bandcamp or Spotify

Follow Horsegirl on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Cheryl Dunn

Lloyd Bolton
@franklloydwleft
@lloyd_bolton

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Track Of The Day: REWS – ‘Breathe Into Me’

A cathartic anthem designed to resurrect feelings of joy and creativity, REWS have shared their latest single ‘Breathe Into Me’. Released via Earache Records, the track is full of driving beats, chunky guitar riffs and front woman Shauna Tohill’s effortlessly powerful vocals, acting as a reminder to listeners to persevere in the face of adversity.

“‘Breathe Into Me’ is a song about the revival of a broken creative spirit,” Shauna explains. “It’s been a really tough time out there for everybody over the last couple of years and for me, it definitely did change my view on a number of things. There were a few demons to battle and so this song is an autobiography of the recent times experienced. It’s influenced by hues of dark pop merged with upbeat rock. I hope it ignites your spirit as much as it did mine!”

Through her chant-worthy chorus, Shauna provides her listeners with some welcome respite from the stresses of everyday life, urging them to embrace their desire to let go and move on from whatever might be holding them back. REWS have always provided their fans with big riffs and upbeat anthems, and ‘Breathe Into Me’ flows in the same vital vein.

The new single is accompanied by a video directed and edited by Tom Dodd, featuring Shauna and her REWS band mates circling a shadowy figure who bursts into life at the close of the visuals, mirroring the energy of the song’s chorus.

Watch the video for ‘Breath Into Me’ below.

Follow REWS on Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Josephine Oniyama – ‘Tears Will Never Be Mine’

New music from Josephine Oniyama doesn’t come along often, but it’s always worth the wait. The Liverpool-based singer-songwriter has one of the most distinctive voices in British pop – a soulful, complex contralto steeped in the musical heritage of her Manchester upbringing and influences ranging from Joni Mitchell to Motown to Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

‘Tears Will Never Be Mine’ is the first taste of her new EP, Human, with a long-awaited follow-up to her 2012 album Portrait scheduled for the autumn. Oniyama steps into new territory here, giving the song an airy electro backdrop that makes way for a strident, string- heavy chorus that she says represents “the elevation possible when healing happens and you’ve worked out of trauma and pain to a place of freedom and hope.”

Oniyama has always been an intriguing artist, often popping up in surprising places. Her 2015 collaboration with producer/trumpeter Matthew Halsall showed off her sophisticated jazz side, while her inspired pairing with Travis on ‘Idlewild’ was appealingly noir-ish and spooky. Her commissioned work for Manchester contemporary arts centre, HOME, adds another layer of interest. Broadening her scope as a songwriter and sound artist, Oniyama worked on composing new, contemporary soundtracks to silent films, including an ambitious electro-acoustic score for the 1922 Swedish/Danish witchcraft documentary ‘Häxan’, together with students from the University of Salford.

With all this activity – as well as completing a Master’s degree and having her first child – Oniyama is bringing a whole new set of influences and perspectives to her forthcoming releases. Due next month, the Human EP promises to “celebrate bonds”, exploring the ties that bind people from all backgrounds in the current era of political division and cynical culture wars. As the old saying goes, change starts from within, and ‘Tears Will Never Be Mine’ is Oniyama’s “call to self-forgiveness and self-healing, as a way to be better to ourselves and others.”

Listen to ‘Tears Will Never Be Mine’ below.

 

Follow Josephine Oniyama on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Alan Pedder
@alanthology

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Track Of The Day: Real Big Sky – ‘Another Day’

A fluctuating, brooding guitar tune that swells with anticipation, Gothenburg four-piece Real Big Sky have shared their latest single ‘Another Day’. Taken from the band’s self-titled debut album which is set for release this summer, the track blurs powerful riffs with distant, elusive vocals to create a powerful four and a half minutes of swirling, enigmatic sound.

Originally created as a distraction for multi-instrumentalist Sara Kleppe (You Break, You Buy, Gold Baby) during the Covid-19 lockdowns here in the UK in 2020, Real Big Sky began life as a solo project which Kleppe worked on at home in her bedroom in Hackney. Making good use of her time during an unpredictable year, Kleppe picked up her old electric guitar and began working out songs and sounds that would eventually form the eight tracks on Real Big Sky’s album. Kleppe relocated back to her native Sweden in 2021, and now Real Big Sky have now blossomed into a full band, made up of her friends and family members.

With the help of friend & long-term collaborator Luca Romano – who also played drums and was on recording, mixing and production duties for the record – Real Big Sky’s sound is now fully fleshed and ready to be released into the world. The band’s previous singles ‘Long Lost’ and ‘Jess‘ were perfect introductions to their heavy, introspective noise, and their latest single ‘Another Day’ continues to flow in this vein.

“I wanted to experiment with introducing new elements to a song as it went along, but still try to keep it as coherent as possible,” explains Kleppe about the process of writing ‘Another Day’. “Changing dynamics throughout a song is something I try to give a lot of attention to, as well as trying to break free from the standard song structure.”

Listen to ‘Another Day’ below.

 

Follow Real Big Sky on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Johanna Kleppe

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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