Track Of The Day: Beorma – ‘Her’

A bittersweet, sultry tune lamenting the pain and confusion that comes with heartache, Birmingham-based duo Beorma have shared their latest single ‘Her’. Mixing R&B and indie pop sensibilities with a Prince inspired guitar solo, the track is a smooth, melancholy-tinged reflection on absent love.

Formed of Tom and Ferns, Beorma performed separately in different bands before they began working together during lockdown in 2020. Sending ideas back and forth online, the duo’s collaboration led to the creation of their debut EP Virtual Emotionality, which they released at the end of January. Now, the pair have shared their new single ‘Her’ which captures the inner conflicts of desire and the need for distance when it comes to a breakup.

“’Her’ is probably our most soulful song,” Ferns explains. “I really wanted to just lay it bare on vocals and nothing too fancy, just more about trying to channel raw emotion. Prince is a huge inspiration to me so that’s kinda the vibe I was going for whilst still making it very Beorma emo through the lyrics. I think it’s a really relatable song, we’ve all been through some sort of heartache and it’s never easy, especially not when you’re the cause of it. ‘Her’ is essentially a soulful breakup.”

“‘Her’ is a song that felt like it took forever to finish,” Tom continues. “I had the core of it sorted and sent it to Ferns quite early on in Beorma days, but the structure just never felt right, then at some point Ferns suggested a Prince type guitar solo after the first chorus and it all just fell into place after we put the guitar in there and now it’s one of our favourite songs.”

Listen to ‘Her’ below

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Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: The Dead Zoo – ‘In The End’

A shimmering synth-pop tune that celebrates the importance of emotional resilience in the face of adversity, London-based group The Dead Zoo have shared their second single ‘In The End’. Following on from their J-Pop cover ‘Mother‘ in 2020, the band continue to blend pop sensibilities into their usually heavier post punk/shoegaze offerings, this time reflecting the optimism and strength that underscores their latest effort.

“During the second lockdown, I was listening to a lot of 80s stuff–Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer, Madonna, Japan, New Order,” songwriter and vocalist Kaoru explains. “That poured into the conception of sound and melody for the song. The lyric is founded on my gender transition experience. The sense of keeping faith in an envisioned future and using that goal to overcome difficulties and stay on course; though I think it carries a more universal message of hope and optimism that I think we all need right now in these unusual times.”

Full of lush synths and snappy beats, ‘In The End’ is an uplifting ode to coping through testing circumstances. The track has also been remixed by Brighton’s CLT DRP and fellow London band The Sly Persuaders, something band member Somrata takes great pride in. “We were completely blown away by the creativity and variety of the remixes as they came in. It’s great to have so many liberating perspectives on a piece that was conceived and mostly recorded and mixed during the very difficult winter lockdown. We can’t wait to share it with the world and to perform it live for the first time.”

Listen to ‘In The End’ below.

Follow The Dead Zoo on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: K Hearne

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – ‘I Didn’t Love You When I Said I Did and I Don’t Now’

Equal parts charming and cutting, Dublin-based trio Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra‘s latest single ‘I Didn’t Love You When I Said I Did and I Don’t Now’ is a swirling lament to the moment when you realise a relationship is ultimately beyond saving. Released via Anon Records and recommended to us by fellow Irish musician Fears, the band blend shimmering guitars, urgent vocals and poignant lyricism to reflect the frustrations and uncertainties that come with this unwanted epiphany.

Formed of Sarah Deegan (songwriter/guitarist), Alice Grollero (bassist) and Danni Nolan (drummer), Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra met via Dublin’s underground & DIY music scenes and began writing music together inspired by the sounds of Mitski, Courtney Barnett and Angel Olsen. The band deliver their observations on life with a raw sincerity, with Deegan’s distinctive voice leading the charge on ‘I Didn’t Love You When I Said I Did and I Don’t Now’.

The track is accompanied by a video, shot and edited by artist Hollie Gilson, reflecting the irritation, resentment and reluctance that follows the point of no return after a breakup. To take the edge off, they’ve also shared some fun ‘Behind The Scenes’ footage that you can watch here too.

Watch the video for ‘I Didn’t Love You When I Said I Did and I Don’t Now’ below.

Follow Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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STILL SPINNING: Gazelle Twin – ‘The Entire City’

Our Still Spinning feature focuses on records that we consider to be iconic – whether that’s for popular, or personal reasons – and celebrates our enduring love for them. Get In Her Ears Co-Founder & Features Editor Kate Crudgington talks us through why electronic artist Gazelle Twin’s debut album, The Entire City, released in July 2011, is still one of her most influential listens to date.

Named after a painting by German surrealist artist Max Ernst, Gazelle Twin’s debut album The Entire City was released via her own imprint Anti-Ghost Moon Ray on 11th July 2011. Independently composed, recorded and produced, her ambiguous lyrics and altruistic sounds invited her listeners into a world that offered both shimmering intrigue and heavy shadow in equal measure.

It was my older brother Joe who originally introduced me to Gazelle Twin aka Elizabeth Bernholz in 2014, citing her second album Unflesh as one of the best things he’d ever heard. I used to lay in the dark, headphones on, listening to it and feeling an odd sense of calm, as waves of nervous energy rippled through me. That record changed my idea of what electronic music could sound like and I was captivated by the persona printed on the album’s cover. Blue hoodie, long brown hair, a partially covered face and an open mouth revealing a snarling pair of teeth. Menacing yet enticing, terrifying yet familiar. Gazelle Twin was an enigma – communicating with listeners through harrowing imagery and nerve-shredding synths.

Back then, I had no idea she had released her debut album three years earlier, or that it would sound so different. Having encountered Unflesh first, listening to The Entire City felt like an ambient fairy-tale in comparison. But, as with all of her obscure creations, what Gazelle Twin excels at is contrasting the darkness with the light, so even if that darkness sometimes feels all consuming – like it often does on Unflesh and on her stunning third record Pastoral – the sublime still manages to shine through too. The Entire City is a sonic landscape littered with dense concrete, intimidating obelisks and unknown relics, but it’s also teeming with life.

Filled with twitchy drum samples, cinematic synths and her uniquely operatic vocals, The Entire City received flattering comparisons to Fever Ray when it was originally released, but I think Bernholz’s sound is often grittier and more detached. There’s an underlying feeling of voyeurism as you wander through her musical landscapes, something I feel she captures perfectly on the eponymous opening track, with her extended high pitch vocals guiding the way, like a thrilling race through deserted streets. It bleeds into the breathy stillness of ‘Concrete Mother’ and the hypnotic ‘Men Like Gods’, two of my favourite tracks on the record.

It feels odd to pick apart and review The Entire City on a track-by-track basis, because it has such a cohesive sound. Each time I listen I feel like I’m being shrouded in Bernholz’s graceful, unsettling sonic paraphernalia; her cryptic lyrics and eerie electronics lulling me into a false sense of security. The subtle power of her voice on ‘I Am Shell I Am Bone’ and ‘Changelings’ is intoxicating, whilst on ‘Obelisk’ – another favourite of mine – her blend of dense beats and crystalline synths evolves into an exquisite electronic hymn. Punctuated by briefer tracks like ‘Far From Home’, ‘Bell Tower’ and ‘Fight-or-Flight’ – on which she flexes her operatic voice sensationally – she ensnares the senses and gently pushes listeners into unchartered territories across the album. In retrospect, ‘View Of A Mountain’ feels like a hint at what was to come, it’s the kind of instrumental that would sit comfortably on Unflesh.

Steeped in shadow and mystery, The Entire City is a fascinating introduction to a truly progressive artist who has evolved into a new species of performer since 2011. Not known for revisiting her previous albums or personas, Gazelle Twin’s sights remain fixed on her future projects and I can’t wait to immerse myself in more of her visceral sounds.

 

Follow Gazelle Twin on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Album Artwork: Suzanne Moxhay

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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