ALBUM: Scrounge – ‘Almost Like You Could’

Since our promoter Mari booked South London duo Scrounge for a Get In Her Ears gig at The Windmill in Brixton back in 2018, we’ve been avid fans of their vital art-punk anthems. Formed of lead vocalist & guitarist Lucy Alexander and drummer & vocalist Luke Cartledge, the pair have been bringing their formidable live sound to stages across the UK for years, as well as taking them across the pond to the USA to perform at SXSW in Texas and The New Colossus Festival in New York.

It’s at the latter that Scrounge caught the attention of label Ba Da Bing! Records, who have worked alongside the pair to release their first full length record, Almost Like You Could. Following on from Scrounge’s debut mini-album, Sugar, Daddy – which featured on our Albums of 2022 list – the title hints at the prospect of existing beyond the chaos and despondency of the current social and political climate. All it takes is a commitment to friendship, community and the guts to live authentically; something that Scrounge have dedicated themselves to on and off stage.

Sugar, Daddy was a succinct blend of cutting lyrics, intense riffs and fraught percussion that truly hit a nerve, but on their first full length offering Scrounge have upped the anti and delivered a collection of anthems that are just as hard-hitting and relatable, whilst simultaneously managing to explore new sonic territory in the process. Take closing track ‘Nothing Personal’ for example. Luke takes the lead vocals on this stripped back offering, which tackles themes of urban isolation. It’s a vulnerable and fitting end to a record that doesn’t hold back in any sense. The pair shared in an interview with The Line Of Best Fit that they incorporated samples and recordings they’d captured throughout the album’s recording process into this track, proving that their desire to push the boundaries of what they’re capable of as a two piece is as steadfast as ever.

Single ‘UTG’ is another stellar example of Scrounge’s blend of tenacity and vulnerability. Lucy penned the track to express how as a queer person, she feels that the process of “coming out” never truly ends. She pairs her earnest lyricism with a more buoyant guitar sound here, making it one of the band’s softest tracks to date, but it still retains the visceral emotional potency of Scrounge’s sonically heavier offerings. The duo balance these conflicting elements effortlessly throughout the record, which gives Almost Like You Could its impressive cohesive quality.

The album has been fuelled by the kind of proactive, cathartic cynicism that motivates you to resist and revolt, instead of sending you into a hopeless spiral. The pair acknowledge that even though things might be dire, there will always be moments of joy, pleasure and hope if you look hard enough for them. This is directly addressed on the ricocheting beats and riffs on opener ‘Higher’ as well as the melodic ‘Buzz/Cut’. Even the track ‘Dreaming’ – where Lucy repeats the melancholic line “dreaming isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be” – there is still a strong sense of finding faith in reality, however that might present itself.

‘Waste’ and ‘Rat’ are two of the record’s grittier offerings and both simmer with unrest. Lucy’s distorted riffs and Luke’s urgent percussion are totally gripping on both. ‘Corner Cutting Boredom’ and ‘Melt’ bookend each other beautifully – referencing each others titles – and again, they flow with that distinctive pressing momentum that we have come to admire in all of Scrounge’s music.

Almost Like You Could is a powerful, biting reminder that Scrounge remain driven by the desire to create meaningful art that represents who they are, as well as the voices of the allies and DIY communities that they’re a vital part of; which is something that we back all the way at GIHE. Please, please buy this album. All of the team endorse it.

Buy a ticket for Scrounge’s London headline show on Weds 23rd April at The Lexington here

Scrounge are also headlining our GIHE stage at The Great Escape in Brighton on Sat 17th May!
Day & Weekend tickets available here

Follow Scrounge on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook, Instagram and X

Photo Credit: Joseph Elliott

Kate Crudgington
kate_getinherears

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ALBUM: Neev – ‘How Things Tie In Knots’

Scottish-born, London-based indie-folk artist Neev has been making her mark on the UK’s indie-folk scene with her intricate storytelling and evocative vocals. Her upcoming second album, How Things Tie in Knots, explores the complexities of identity, heritage, and self-discovery through a rich, cinematic soundscape.

How Things Tie in Knots is an album of contrasts – tradition vs. progression, restraint vs. release, softness vs. intensity. Neev navigates these tensions with poetic lyricism, crafting an album that feels both personal and universal. Thematically, the album delves into the push and pull between letting go and holding on, the weight of expectations, and the nuances of self-acceptance.

Produced by an all-female team; engineered by Taylor Pollock (Cosmorat), mixed by Fi Roberts, and mastered by Izzy McPhee, the album is both expansive and intimate. With backing from Arts Council England, Neev’s vision is further enhanced by Brighton-based artist Rebecca Brandler’s individual paintings for each track, reinforcing the album’s rich aesthetic.

Drawing influence from Scottish folk traditions, blues, and alternative indie production, Neev’s work evokes artists like Weyes Blood, Agnes Obel, and Julien Baker, resulting in an album that is lush, warm and textured. The opening tracks are delicate and folk-tinged, combining gentle piano lilts with airy, melodic vocals. ‘I Put It in the Frame‘ is particularly catchy, bursting with rhythmic energy, big drums, and electric guitars, but it’s ‘He Built Himself’ that marks a sonic shift, introducing a darker, more urgent energy. From this point on, the album gradually expands its sound, moving into deeper, more dynamic territory.

‘My Own Back’ leans into bluesy grit with a Hammond organ-esque sound, violin, and layered harmonies, while ‘Keep Low’ carries a brooding urgency, driven by a cool electric guitar that adds raw energy. ‘A Sad Tightrope’ is the most melancholic track, its slow pacing and rich harmonies drawing the listener to contemplate.

How Things Tie In Knots is, overall, a really bold, polished body of work. With its sweeping arrangements, storytelling, and striking honesty, Neev cements herself as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary indie-folk.

How Things Tie In Knots, the upcoming second album from Neev, is released tomorrow – 28th March – via Trapped Animal Records. Pre-order here. And, following a gorgeous night at The Lexington last week, Neev will be celebrating it’s release with a special gig at The Folklore Rooms in Brighton on Saturday 29th March. Tickets here.

Ella Patenall
@ella_patenall

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ALBUM: Mammoth Penguins – ‘Here’

There’s a cliché that, as bands mature, they tend to drift away from something essential into experimentation. For Cambridge’s Mammoth Penguins – made up of Emma Kupa (vocals, guitars), Mark Boxall (bass, keys, vocals), and Tom Barden (drums, percussion, vocals) – their fourth album – Here – takes things way, way back. To such an extent that, though largely recorded at Norfolk’s Sickroom Studios, the band decided to make additions to the album in the simpler environment of a garden shed belonging to Tom.

It’s not surprising then, that the album blends some of the rawer elements of garage or US college rock, and smatters of math-rock, alt-country and post-punk, with the more whimsical instrumentation of British indie-pop. The lyrical approach of the latter, open-hearted and often confessional, is present throughout with narratives that appear to be drawn directly from songwriter Emma’s life. In that way, and especially given the album’s title, the whole appears to be an attempt to define where, in 2024, Here is.

The dozen songs on the album zip by, despite frequent switch-ups of pace. Structurally, the songs are mostly grouped thematically in pairs; this is most clearly demonstrated in the titles of consecutive songs ‘Old Friends’ (a lilt full of jaunty strums which has both bleeps and a full-on rock guitar solo in its middle eight and lyrics expounding on the positivity of reuniting), and ‘Lost Friends’, which is acoustic guitar led and brief (coming in at less than two minutes) but as poignant as its title suggests. Elsewhere, Emma’s lyrics discuss the relative ups and downs of being in bands – ‘Flyers’ with its bouncy bass, and ‘Blue Plaque’, with its overdriven lead guitar. She reflects on surviving the days in ‘Help Yourself’ (whose Camera Obscura style opener, blends into guitars full of whammy) and the gentler sound of ‘Success’, which opens with birdsong but still contains biting lyrics in its final chorus: “Fuck success, fuck expectation”.  

There are bops, in the shape of the album’s second single ‘Everything That I Write‘, where spiky guitar flecks and power chords belie lyrical discussion of someone dedicated to a band. Similarly, ‘Nothing and Everything’ is a full-on stomper, with spectral guitar and interwoven backing vocals, while lead single and album opener ‘Species‘ discusses Emma’s relative unimportance against the “between two-hundred and two-thousand species that go extinct each year”, as a flurry of percussion explodes beneath the vocal line.  

What the album really leaves you with, though, is the sense that there is an emotional core underneath the rock stylings. ‘I Know The Signs’ is alt-country (with shades of Courtney Barnett), and reflects on a relationship going south. ‘Here’ sits Emma’s yearning vocals prominently alongside acoustic guitar, with lyrics about waiting for an unknown person who will partner you in adventures. Album closer ‘A Plea for Kindness’ is the nearest to an outright political statement, as its title suggests. Its opening lines “I don’t care what’s in your pants, I care what comes out of your mouth” begin against a downbeat bass, but as the song progresses, with the same lyrics repeated throughout, it turns musically into a garage stramash, clocking in at five minutes ten. Directed at the completely ill-founded and unnecessary hatred and prejudice that transphobic people insist on sharing, it offers  a heartfelt message of solidarity with our trans and gender non-conforming siblings. A fitting summary of the album that has preceded it.  

For Mammoth Penguins then, Here is where you were, where you are, and where you’ll be, with someone new but thinking about those that have gone; not getting what you want, but striving for more anyway. And, in another year of social and political upheaval, what better directions could there be?

Here, the new album from Mammoth Penguins, is out now via Fika Recordings. Find it on bandcamp.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

Photo Credit: Gavin Singleton

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ALBUM: BCOS RSNS – ‘BCOS RSNS’

London DIY post-punks BCOS RSNS‘ eponymous debut album is the kind of release that cements a band’s place in a musical landscape just waiting for them to come and take their rightful place at its heart. Every track is clearly drawn from an authentic place, whether it’s a fond memory of a night out or an examination of personal experiences of bigotry. This gives the whole album a sense of vulnerability that makes listening to it feel like you’re in the easy company of friends.

The music is stylistically uncomplicated, with simple rhyme schemes that make it easy to absorb the point of each song. The lyrics are straightforward and accessible, delivering thoughts clearly and frankly. These are set to upbeat rhythms and buoyant guitars that make for a very enjoyable listen. Elements that really shine in every track are the incredibly catchy hooks that bounce around your brain long after the album ends.

The album as a whole showcases a diverse range of musical styles and skills, but the one thing every song has in common is its honesty. Every line comes from such a real place; the songs feel like the band is opening up to you, trusting you with the important things they feel about the world around them. The album carries you along on a rich emotional journey that is intensely personal, yet still relatable. You’re invited to dive into their explorations of everything, from conspiracy theories, to being ghosted, to how they would go about their dream revolution. 

Through the two singles that have been released, we’ve been perfectly introduced to the tone of the album with its direct approach to emotions and generally wholesome vibe. Then as it gets underway, it eases you into deeper territory. The fun rhythms and authentic lyrics give the album such a gentle pace you almost don’t notice how intense the subject matter becomes. BCOS RSNS begins with a love letter to live music, ‘(First On At) The Buffalo Bar’, and continues to pay tribute to the scene simply by contributing the band’s own fantastic new introspective and insightful gems.

BCOS RSNS, the eponymous debut album, is out now. Listen / download on bandcamp now. And keep your eyes peeled for BCOS RSNS on a stage near you!

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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