Track Of The Day: First Frontier – ‘Insist’

If you’ve heard any of the other tracks that Birmingham based duo First Frontier have released so far from their brand new debut EP, you might have an inkling of what to expect from ‘Insist‘; but the relatively gentle opening bars do not prepare you for the depth and power the duo have managed to inject into their latest song.Whether you’re familiar with their work or not, though, you can make the reasonable assumption that this is a track that is going to stay with you.

From the beginning, ‘Insist’ is made of the kind of stuff that seeps into your mind and lingers, though not in a way that is at all unwelcome. The track builds until the rich, wailing guitar and throbbing drum beat uplift the comparatively soft vocals. The song as a whole encapsulates the churning, roiling emotion that both causes and is hidden by the stoic exterior of someone who would never let on, on the outside.

‘Insist’ is a love song – though it’s not like other love songs in many ways you might expect, but it still has a very recognisable emotion. Instead of treating the hypothetical lover in the song as an object of pursuit, First Frontier makes them the inspiration to grow: it depicts love as a driving motivator. 

The lyrics are simple but heart-wrenching. The way the two vocal lines echo around each other create an image of the relationship that exists. One is tempted by the kind of desperate decisions that can destroy a life, while the other is beckoning them towards better, healthier things. Together they evoke an incredibly vivid picture of someone in the depths of despair, but who is starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. This is the kind of love that hurts, but it’s the kind of pain that you can channel into growth and use it to propel you to a better place.

First Frontier use a simple combination of just guitar, drums and vocals to create a unique and moving sound. ‘Insist’ a genuinely beautiful song – it aches to be consoled, but leaves you confident that there is hope very nearby.

Just Matter, the debut EP from First Frontier, is out now! Listen here.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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Track Of The Day: O Hell – ‘Untangle’

A shadowy, captivating soundscape that documents a personal metamorphosis, Brighton-based artist and producer Lucy Sheehan aka O Hell has shared their latest single ‘Untangle’. The follow up to their debut single ‘Down’, the track sees Sheehan unravel their feelings of disconnecting from a past relationship, carving a new narrative of self-autonomy via shuddering synth lines, twitchy beats and crystalline vocals.

After years spent touring and recording music in alternative bands around the UK, Sheehan has ventured into fresh sonic territory under their new moniker O Hell. Influenced by a love of eclectic, brooding soundscapes and a desire for creative independence, their debut single ‘Down’ was an “exercise in refusing compromise.” With new single ‘Untangle’, Sheehan explores this process further, finding catharsis and strength in deconstructing yourself and re-building a new identity.

“I wrote ‘Untangle’ when I was living alone in a cabin,” Sheehan explains. “This song came up and felt like a rare moment of clarity, that I was in the process of becoming an ‘I’ rather than part of a ‘we’, and that process could either be a brutal erasure or in fact a rebirth. The song is about disentangling from a person, who you can no longer discern yourself from, where the ‘I’ has become lost in ‘us.’”

“I was getting interested in making beats and then cutting it up at random – removing the odd snare, hat or kick with my eyes closed, so I landed with this slightly twitchy beat that immediately inspired the rest of the song. I was listening to a lot of Christine & the Queen’s La Vita Nuova and Nine Inch Nails, so when Ben Hampson and I got it in the studio, it was a delicate process of finding that hyper-pop dynamic, balanced with deranged sonic details.”

O Hell will make their live debut supporting Thyla at the Hope & Ruin in Brighton on 25th May.

Listen to ‘Untangle’ below.

Follow O Hell on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Annie Dorrett

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Talk Like Tigers – ‘Sacred Feminine’

In anticipation of their debut double-EP release, Newcastle’s Talk Like Tigers reveal ‘Sacred Feminine’ – a feminist-indie-pop anthem. As identical twins and a two-piece indie band, the duo manifest a captivating presence the moment that their creative efforts join together.

Charlotte and Stephanie blend the melodies of indie-pop’s catchy merit with wisps of other outside influences like retro synth-pop and dreamy alternative pop. What remains steady in the vividness of Talk Like Tigers’ lyrical takes, which paint colourful images via the pair’s lush, velvety vocals. The vocal harmonies in ‘Sacred Feminine’ are a fierce, distinguishing element that adds a fizzing energy to the track. Many producers feel that this kind of oral chemistry is exclusive to siblings, so to hear the synchronisation of these gifted twins is quite the exhibition.

While switching between synths, guitars and snappy drum pads, the duo glitter ‘Sacred Feminine’ with quirky rhythms that are both abstract and infectious, symbolising the multi-faceted aspects of femininity. Celebration is a central sentiment as listeners are transported to a space where both the beautiful and the strong nature of femininity merge to reflect the goddess-like qualities of the phenomenon.

Talk Like Tigers summarise that their track “is a powerful, anthemic song about femininity and female worth.” ‘Sacred Feminine’ honours femininity, vulnerability and intuition as absolute strengths in this empowering anthem.

Watch the sparkling, uplifting video for ‘Sacred Feminine’ here:

Talk Like Tigers are set to release their debut double EP in May. Keep your eyes and ears peeled!

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Photo Credit: Lee Scullion

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Track Of The Day: VERO – ’22:12′

A tender, melancholic offering that laments the feeling of being taken for granted, Stockholm-based trio VERO reveal their softer side on their latest single ‘22.12’. Taken from the band’s upcoming debut album Unsoothing Interior, which is set for release on 6th May via PNK SLM, the track is an urgent, hazy musing that the band have dubbed as their “official cry song.”

Formed of teenage friends Julia Boman & Amanda Eddestål and Clara Gyökeres who they befriended whilst DJ’ing on the Stockholm nightclub circuit, VERO create music inspired by an eclectic range of influences. Their main purpose, aside from creating anthems with shades of 90s alternative icons Sonic Youth, is to challenge the idea of what a modern guitar band is supposed to be. That challenge started with previous singles ‘Beg!’, ‘Cupid’ and a cover of Shame’s ‘Concrete’, but now the trio reveal a different kind of emotional rawness on their new release ’22:12′.

“From the whining, lonely guitar in the intro, to the painful lyrics about leaving the party early and feeling defeated…in a way, the song is an ode to someone else’s happiness, of which you have no part in, and that hurts,” VERO explain about the track. Through yearning vocals, distorted riffs and confessional lyrics, the band tackle feelings of inadequacy and loneliness with grit and grace, providing an aural tonic for those whose bones are also aching with an unrequited love.

Listen to ’22:12′ below.

Follow VERO on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Pre-order VERO’s debut album Unsoothing Interior here

Photo Credit: Dan Kendall

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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