LISTEN: VERO – ‘Concrete’ (Shame cover)

A swirling, provocative cover of British punk band Shame’s gritty original track, Stockholm-based trio VERO have shared their latest single ‘Concrete’. Released via PNKSLM Recordings as the second half of their upcoming 7″ ‘BEG!/Concrete’, which is set for physical release on 14th January, the track is a heady mix of distorted guitars and alluring vocals.

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. With their cover of Shame’s ‘Concrete’, the trio have further proved their ability to antagonise and intrigue listeners with their brooding rhythms and crystalline, urgent vocals.

“We’ve never made a cover before, so when we were thinking of a fun B-side for the 7”, we decided to pick a song and a band that we loved,” the band explain. “We’ve been fans of Shame since ‘The Lick’, so it was an easy choice. The original ‘Concrete’ is a high-powered song; energetic and fast. We decided to take it down a whole lot, and then accelerate the intensity for the second half of the song. We had only 2 days to arrange, record and mix the track, which must’ve been a record for us. It was done in super-speed with no second thought, and we love the result.”

Listen to ‘Concrete’ below.

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

Photo Credit: Hanna Rubensson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Riotmiloo – ‘4 Women’ (Nina Simone Cover)

A jagged, heavy re-working of an iconic Nina Simone song, London-based industrial riot grrrl Riotmiloo has shared her latest single ‘4 Women’. The opening track to Furnace Record’s new charity album Black is the New Black: The Power & Privilege Industrial Culture Compilation, Riotmiloo has kept Simone’s powerful observational lyrics at the centre, but she’s twisted the jazzy score to further reflect the insidious nature of the racial stereotypes Simone originally sang about.

“Simply put, Nina Simone was a very talented, feminist and political artist. She sang stories filled with pain and racism with eloquence and exquisitely well,” Riotmiloo explains. “Someone highlighted the similarities between the theme of her song ‘Four Women’ and the stories in my album, La Pierre Soudée. From there I fell in love with this particular song. I cry each time I listen to her renditions.”

“When Darryl Montgomery-Hell from Furnace Records called on artists to give one track for his fundraiser for the Radical Monarchs, it had to be this song. I am so glad it found a home in this varied compilation for such a noble cause. I am so honoured to open the album. Proceeds will be donated to the Radical Monarchs, an organisation that empowers young girls of colour.”

Listen to ‘4 Women’ below.

 

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

Listen to, download & donate to Black is the New Black: The Power & Privilege Industrial Culture Compilation on bandcamp

Photo Credit: Blauerosen

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Catherine Moan – ‘Fools’ (Depeche Mode Cover)

A fun, polished cover of a Depeche Mode b-side, Philadelphia-based electro-pop artist Catherine Moan has shared their latest single ‘Fools’. Immersing themselves into the moody, catchy beats and synth sequences that the 80s new wave band were originally renowned for, Catherine’s version of ‘Fools’ shimmers with a playful yearning.

“I recorded this while taking a break from working on my album,” Catherine explains. “Ever since I started making music, one thing I always wanted to do was record a cover of Depeche Mode. I especially adore their earlier records with industrial percussion influence and campy & moody vocals layered over a repetitive but infectious groove. Their music really inspires me and is the blueprint for a creative process that doesn’t have to be complex or intellectually challenging to create something fun and danceable.”

Catherine channels these elements into her cover via smooth vocals, buoyant electronics and infectious rhythms, giving this slice of 80s alternative music nostalgia a welcome sultry twist. Listen to ‘Fools’ below.

 

Follow Catherine Moan on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Foxgluvv – ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich’ (Lady Gaga Cover)

A glamorous cover of Mother Monster’s fabulous original 2008 single, London-based queer “hungover pop” artist Foxgluvv has shared her rendition of Lady Gaga’s ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich’. Following on from her recent single ‘Don’t Text Back’, Foxgluvv has decided to pay homage to LGBTQ+ icon Lady Gaga by crafting this funky re-working with producer by Scott Colcombe.

“This is one of my favourite, old school Gaga tracks to blast while I’m getting glammed up and need to remind myself that I am that bitch,” Foxgluvv explains. “To me, Gaga is such an inspiration and I find this song to be really empowering. The notion that no matter who you are, or where you come from, you are beautiful and you can be dirty rich is f*cking everything and I wanted to put my own spin on that.”

Foxgluvv’s rendition is accompanied by an ultra glam DIY music video, which shows her sipping on pink cocktails, reclining in a Juicy swimsuit and generally just being a 10/10 babe. With its flirtatious beats and super fun visuals, Foxgluvv’s ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich’ has all the spirit and sass of Gaga’s original, with a slight disco-pop twist.

Listen to ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich’ below.

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

Photo Credit: Michael Hart

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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