Track Of The Day: Projector – ‘NON’

A gritty, urgent blend of candid vocals and heavy riffs that tackle the nihilistic frustrations surrounding the way we are perceived, Brighton-based trio Projector have shared their latest single, ‘NON’. Following on from their previous release ‘Hell In My Head’, the band have unleashed another biting offering that tackles the weight of misconception via brooding, swirling sounds and an anthemic chorus.

“’NON’ is a song about expectation, feeling miss-sold as a good person, pulled in two directions and getting nowhere,” explains vocalist and guitarist Edward Ensbury. Recorded, produced, and mixed by the band themselves, ‘NON’ is a complete nosedive into Projector’s alternative sound, commanded by the charged percussion of drummer Cal Marinho.

The new single is also accompanied by a video, shot, directed by and starring the band. Despite the playful nature of the visuals, vocalist and bassist Lucy Sheehan explains that there’s a punk practicality behind the video’s conception: “I always loved those bands who were like a punk collective, finding ways to do everything themselves. The industry isn’t a friendly place for musicians financially – costs are going up and our fees and revenues are going down – so bands are going DIY again.”

After recently returning from a European tour with Canadian alt-rockers Cleopatrick, Projector are now playing headline shows across the UK, including London’s Moth Club on 7th October.

Watch the video for ‘NON’ below.

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

Projector UK Tour Dates 2022
5th Oct – Bodega, Nottingham
6th Oct – Heartbreakers, Southampton
7th Oct – Moth Club, London
8th Oct – The Crypt, Hastings

Photo credit: Libby Malandrone

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Miss Grit – ‘Like You’

A hypnotic blend of clear vocals, electric guitar riffs and mesmeric beats, New York-based, Korean-American musician Margaret Sohn aka Miss Grit has shared their latest single, ‘Like You’. Released to coincide with the news that Sohn has signed to Mute Records, the track is a captivating soundscape that explores the conflicting nature of our inner voices, weighing up which ones to trust and which ones to ignore.

“I had the character of Ex Machina in mind as the voice I was singing from,” Sohn explains about the inspiration behind their new track, which they produced and recorded themselves. “Her arc in the movie felt really beautiful to me, and I wanted to reach the same ending as her in this song.” Through their soft vocals and clear intonation, Sohn brings this android imitation to life, accompanied by the distinct basslines of Zoltan Sindhu.

As a mixed-race, non-binary artist, Sohn has always used their art in order to explore, connect with, and understand their own identity further. Their self-released 2021 EP, Impostor, addressed their “life-long journey through racial impostor syndrome,” whilst their debut EP Talk Talk, tackled the complexities of relationships. On new release ‘Like You’, Sohn once again views life from a different angle, providing listeners with a magnetic musing on what it’s like to dismantle these parts of yourself.

Signing to Mute records has boosted Sohn’s confidence in this journey even more. “Mute is one of the labels I put on a pedestal in my mind,” Sohn comments, “so the fact I was even on their radar was really flattering. And then to think they believed in my music enough to want to work together made me so happy.”

Miss Grit will be playing shows across Europe in October and they will be playing in London on 1st November. Full details below.

Follow Miss Grit on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Miss Grit EU Live Dates 2022
26 Oct – Paris (FR), Supersonic Records
27 Oct – Antwerp (BE), Trix Club
29 Oct – Amsterdam (NL) London Calling at Paradiso
1 Nov – London (UK), Amazing Grace

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: New Pagans – ‘Better People’

A racing, euphoric guitar anthem that encourages listeners to smile in the face of adversity, Belfast-based band New Pagans have shared their latest single ‘Better People’. Underscored by the group’s desire to write an uplifting, hopeful offering in the midst of a difficult and chaotic time, the track is an empowering blend of cathartic vocals, soaring riffs and commanding beats.

Far removed from the righteous fury of the songs that formed their debut album, The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All (2021), but still brimming with a strong social conscience, ‘Better People’ is New Pagans’ ode to pushing through collective doubt. The band urge listeners not to lose faith in the idea that there is better quality of life on the horizon. “Fix it when we do it wrong / working together makes us strong,” sings lyricist Lyndsey Mcdougall, her startling, clear vocals soaring above the band’s urgent, melodic efforts to drive home the message that we’re stronger when we work together.

Written during a period of lockdown at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘Better People’ was inspired by the time Lyndsey spent listening to, and celebrating the joy of music with her children. This propelled the songwriter and her band mates to write a track that leaned more towards resilience and hope, and the result was ‘Better People’. Recorded and self-produced by the band in the Glens of Antrim in Ireland, and mixed by Sam Petts Davis (Radiohead, Warpaint, Frank Ocean), ‘Better People’ is an exhilarating aural antidote to persistent uncertainty in an increasingly stressful world.

Listen to ‘Better People’ below.

 

Follow New Pagans on bandcamp, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & Spotify

Photo Credit: Billy Woods

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: O Hell – ‘I Watch The Women’

A twitchy electronic soundscape that explores the personal confines of imposed femininity, Brighton-based artist and producer Lucy Sheehan aka O Hell has shared their latest single, ‘I Watch The Women’. The follow up to previous releases ‘Down’ and ‘Untangle’, the new track is underscored by a quiet agitation, released via atmospheric synths, crystalline beats and hushed vocals.

After years spent touring and recording music in alternative bands around the UK and fronting PROJECTOR, 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, Sheehan continues to explore their new sound further on ‘I Watch The Women’, deconstructing their notion of femininity and reassessing the personal toll this process can take.

“‘I Watch The Women’ is about feeling distanced from your femininity: being drawn to it and wishing you embodied the classic vision of womanhood, but sensing you’re on another side of it,” Sheehan explains. “The first lines came from a moment I recall, standing across the street from a nice cafe, the women outside looked so polished, real, womanly. I felt like a girl, or something else?’

I wrote it while living mostly in a cabin last winter, quite isolated, picking at drum patterns. I think that feeling of abstraction, even alien-ness, guided the lyrics and delivery towards being off-kilter, almost at odds with the outside world, even the language itself. Later I spent a long time with George Godwin (Moon Panda, Zooni) exploring weird textures, re-amping, tape delays etc to find the track’s atmosphere. Then at Christmas, he handed me a tape of a mix he’d done, to tape, and it was perfect.”

Accompanied by a video, shot by Godwin and directed by Sheehan, the visuals show O Hell traversing the stairwells of a block of flats, reflecting the tumultuous inner journey that’s explored in the track’s lyrics.

Check out the video for ‘I Watch The Women’ below.

Follow O Hell on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Annie Dorrett

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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