WATCH: Penelope Trappes – ‘Fur & Feather’

Inspired by Celtic mythology, the on-going journey towards self-autonomy and a sense of inner peace, Australian-born Brighton-based artist Penelope Trappes has shared her latest single ‘Fur & Feather’. Taken from her upcoming album Penelope Three, which is set for release on 28th May via Houndstooth, the track is a deeply soothing listen led by tentative keys and Trappes’ beguiling vocals.

“I wrote ‘Fur & Feather’ after becoming inspired by the Celtic tale of The Selkie, which is about ‘homing’ – returning to a sense of self,” Trappes explains about the track. “I found this treasure within the well-known book Women Who Run With Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkes Estés. In preparation for the inevitable day that my sole daughter would leave home after 18 years, I carried a great sense of bittersweet loss in my heart. The Selkie reminded me of how I always knew the time would come when I’d be physically and emotionally alone and because of this I have always kept my own identity intact.”

Accompanied by a beautifully shot self-directed video in collaboration with art collective Agnes Haus, ‘Fur & Feather’ sees Trappes find contentment in a spiritual and physical sense, exploring lush woodlands as her calm vocals act like a deep exhale, dispersing her fears of loneliness and reassuring herself that the inevitability of change can be embraced and enjoyed with the right mindset.

Watch the video for ‘Fur & Feather’ below.

Follow Penelope Trappes on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Agnes Haus

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Penelope Trappes – ‘Nervous’

A graceful, evocative soundscape that tentatively traverses the inner thoughts of an anxious woman, Australian-born Brighton-based artist Penelope Trappes has shared her latest single ‘Nervous’. Taken from her new album Penelope Three, which is set to be released on 28th May via Houndstooth, the track ripples with a sense of mystery and disquiet, both of which are beautifully reflected in the accompanying video.

Forming the final part of her musical trilogy, Trappes’ upcoming album reflects on healing from grief while harnessing the unique power of her voice to tell tales of resilience and the restorative power of love. Utilizing her lived experiences as a mother and swiftly defying the limiting ageist and sexist industry ideas about women’s creativity, on ‘Nervous’ she masterfully layers her clear vocals over sparse beats and atmospheric electronics to hypnotic effect. “I’m digging up the underworld with visual motifs, and a mystical, gothic darkness that symbolises my struggles,” Trappes says of her new music, exhuming her feelings and finding joy and liberation in expressing the darker aspects of the emotional spectrum.

“In mid 2020 I began renting a strange and unique house in Brighton…I used the odd space and time to film the video for ‘Nervous’,” Trappes explains. “It delves inside the mind of a nervous smoking woman, which takes the form of an oppressive strange house. Inside, she is confronting the balance between the masculine and feminine within her, which take the form of two spirit characters. Outside there are expansive but liminal moments of reprieve from the claustrophobia, but she invariably gets drawn back into the anxious loop of her own mental entrapment.”

Watch the video for ‘Nervous’ below.

Penelope Trappes UK 2021 Live Dates
13 May The Great Escape, Brighton *Live Stream*
23 Sept The White Hotel, Manchester
24 Sept The Alchemy Experiment
25 Sept Future Yard, Birkenhead
26 Sept Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
30 Sept The Rose Hill, Brighton
21 Nov St Pancras Church, London
24 Jul SNNTG Festival, Hannover
*supporting Leifur James

Follow Penelope Trappes on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram and Facebook

Press Credit: Agnes Haus

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Maria BC – ‘Devil’s Rain’

A tender reflection on the cherished summers they spent with their grandparents in northern Ohio, Brooklyn-based artist Maria BC has shared their latest single ‘Devil’s Rain’. Taken from their upcoming EP of the same name, which is set for release on 5th February via Fear of Missing Out Records, the track is a comforting realisation about how joy and melancholy can harmoniously co-exist in your memories.

“When I was little, my grandmother would sit with me on the porch during rainstorms and read me chapter books,” Maria explains. “While we sat on the porch swing one day, the sun came out while the rain kept pouring and she taught me the term ‘devil’s rain’. I think it’s a Southern expression (my grandmother grew up in Kentucky). I love the phrase, how sinister it is and the event itself — sunshine and rain, co-occurring opposites — puts you in a spiritual mood, all wonder and melancholy.”

Maria’s warm memories of being “cradled by a summer day” are reflected in their ambient  guitar sounds and emotive vocals. Despite the dreamy nature of the track, Maria’s peace feels as temporary and interchangeable as the natural phenomenon they’re singing about, accepting that beliefs and emotions are as fleeting, but as awe-inspiring as the tempestuous weather.

Listen to ‘Devil’s Rain’ below.

 

Follow Maria BC on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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#ThrowbackThursday: GIHE w/ Black Gold Buffalo (08.03.18)

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and new lockdown in London, we’re unable to make it into the Hoxton Radio studio to broadcast our weekly live new music show from 7-9pm. Instead, we’re sharing previous GIHE radio show recordings as #ThrowbackThursday sessions, so you can still enjoy 2 hours of new music tunes & chats with some of our favourite artists each week.

Today, we’ve picked our March 2018 show originally broadcast on International Women’s Day. Tash & Kate played plenty of new music and a few tracks from iconic female artists to celebrate the occasion. They were joined by the lovely Keziah and Marc from Black Gold Buffalo, who spoke about the inspiration behind their self-titled debut album, and premiered their single ‘Penkenna’ live on air.

Listen out for Kate’s accidental Cilla Black impression too…

Listen back to the show here:

Tracklist
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Up Above My Head
Smerz – No Harm
Gina Rose Bruce – The Way You Make Love
Kidsmoke – Sister Sadness
The Shacks – Follow Me
Table Scraps – I’m A Failure
Denton Thrift – Confessional
VOKXEN – Running On Empty
Skating Polly – Queen For A Day
Track Not Found – Code Red
Like Swimming – Strike a Pose
Stay South – If You Leave LA
Black Gold Buffalo – Pearls Deep
**Interview – Black Gold Buffalo**
Black Gold Buffalo – Penkenna
Sextile – Current Affair
Pussy Riot – Straight Outta Vagina
Maja Francis – Saved By The Summer (Shura Remix)
Ms Mohammed – Pandora
The Sonder Bombs – Shitty Boyfriend
Zialand – Shelter
Amparo – That Was Her
Gitta de Ridder – The Wheel
The Julie Ruin – Girls Like Us

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