Five Favourites: Sophie Jamieson

Having received acclaim from the likes of Brooklyn Vegan, The Line Of Best Fit and Under The Radar, London-based artist Sophie Jamieson has now shared her exquisite second album, I still want to share, via Bella Union. Reflecting on themes of love and its many meanings, the album showcases Jamieson’s ability to create stirring celestial soundscapes with an added orchestral splendour. Rippling with the soaring raw emotion of her rich, resonant vocals, alongside an immersive shimmering musicality, it’s a beautifully heartfelt collection.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them. So, following the release of I still want to share, we caught up with Sophie to find out about the five albums that inspired the writing of the new album the most. Read about her five favourites, listen to the album, get tickets to see her live and watch the beautiful new video for ‘I don’t know what to save‘ below.

Anna B Savage – in|FLUX
It’s hard to overstate the impact this album and this artist have had on me. Sometimes you hear a voice or a song that sounds familiar in a bodily way, but that also opens a door into more daring territory. Everything Anna does feels so… physical. Tangible, clutchable. There’s so much life bubbling through this record, so many sounds, such a sense of play, but with direction, earnestness, confidence, heart. It came out just after we’d begun recording. Something about its attitude crept into ideas I brought into the studio. One day we were working on ‘Baby’ – I said to Guy, I want some weird, bending sound here. Something loose – I found myself playing him ‘Crown Shyness’ which has this roar bubbling away through it, unsettling you. Inspired by that we detuned the guitar from note to note with some effects to create a similar sense of elasticity. We actually managed to put some kind of bending note into almost every song. I think a lot of Anna also crept into ‘How do you want to be loved?’ The moments of strangeness and grittiness amongst warmth and rich melody in this record played a big part in what I felt able to want from my own music.

Angel Olsen – Big Time
I’ve hammered this album pretty hard. It’s definitely one of my favourites of all time. I’m finding it hard to pin a finger on what has been most inspirational, because my album was written over four years and recorded over one. I’ve taken in a LOT of music over that time. But looking back, this record sank deep into my consciousness about six months before I went into the studio. The simplicity, the imperfections, the space. It’s epic, and intimate, also light, full of love, and full of tears. Angel sounds like she’s crying most of the time. I think the albums I love and learn from span the full breadth of the human heart and capacity within whatever they are exploring. That means touching upon highs as well as lows, and leaving space for hope. There’s a drum part I find sooooo satisfying and bouncy in ‘All The Good Times’ and I think that might have crept into the drums for ‘I don’t know what to save’. This record set a beautiful example for me that songwriting doesn’t have to reinvent any wheels or say anything other than what is. It also showed me the power of what a voice can do, when you let it come out as raw as this.

Daughter – Stereo Mind Game
A theme is emerging – the albums that came out during recording time couldn’t avoid coming into the studio with me. I’ve been a huge Daughter fan as long as they’ve been going. Elena’s understated vocals and gut-punch lyrics have driven me since my earliest songs. I couldn’t say what exactly fed into my album from this one but I know it’s there. This is a perfect record. I believe Elena worked almost obsessively on it for years, and scrapped some or all of it and started again… Perhaps just knowing that I feel deep love and appreciation for the level of attention to detail, the crafting of energy, push, drive, space. I think Daughter have always tickled the part of me that wants to be overwhelmed by music, and overwhelm a listener myself. If I had to find a detail that inspired me, it would be a part of ‘Dandelion’ where there’s another bendy note (!) which is a guitar in reverse reverb with loads of gain I think, it sounds like a revving engine. I was obsessed with it. I think it fed into a sound in ‘Welcome’ that revs up an octave between the verses. 

Hannah Cohen – Pleasure Boy 
This is the odd one out choice for me. My only one here not released in 2023 (it’s from 2015), Hannah’s 3rd album, Welcome Home is actually in probably my top three albums of all time. Though I wouldn’t quote its influence here as much as this one. I don’t find myself listening to this album much because it feels lonely, and I guess it reminds me of a particularly painful time I was going through when it was released. But I brought this record into the studio as a reference, because there is a spikiness and a fragility about it, as well as a hard kind of strength. It’s a contradictory combination that I guess I recognise in myself. It’s also just full of what feels like unrequited longing. I think it’s stayed with me, quietly, over the years, in my bones somewhere. I’m listening to it now, and it actually hurts. Like when you stick a finger somewhere really tender. I guess that’s what I’d love to do with my music.

Feist – Multitudes 
This was released around halfway through recording, shortly after I broke up with the person who has loved me best in my life, which plays out in ‘Your love is a mirror’ and ‘I’d take you’. This record really made me look at myself. I’m not sure why. There’s a line in ‘Hiding Out In The Open’ which echoed the song I’d already written: “the mirror in another’s eyes / that’ll get you every time / there are a thousand different ways to hide”. I was absolutely grabbed by this song, and the other stripped back ones on the record (‘Redwing’, ‘Love Who We Are Meant To”) in which the arrangement is so intimate and touchable, the recording is so alive. It really raised the stakes for how close you could get to the listener’s ears, and with those uncomfortable truths. I think it fed into “I’d take you”, which I wrote and recorded at home over a weekend that summer. This album really feels like a reckoning with something foundational and elemental. It does that with very little and also a lot, the dynamic range is enormous, and the sense of space is constantly morphing and bewildering. I love that.


Huge thanks to Sophie for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Watch the beautiful video for ‘I don’t know what to save’ below.


I still want to share, the new album from Sophie Jamieson, is out now via Bella Union. To celebrate, catch Sophie live this month – all dates and tickets here.

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

LISTEN: Daughter – ‘Arise, Daughters Of Marsha’

The debut release from transgender black metal project Daughter, ‘Arise, Daughters of Marsha’ is a battle cry summoning the global community to stand up for trans rights. The track begins with a scream that acts as Daughter’s mission statement, not just with this single but the full upcoming EP. Vocalist and songwriter “Deadname” aims to channel the trauma of the trans experience in contemporary society through the brutal, aching sound of black metal.

The lyrics are delivered in a guttural scream that feels like it has been ripped violently from her throat. Shrieking guitars and rapid drums echo the feeling in the vocals, without compromising on the absorbing quality of the beat or the melodic riffs. An almost military-sounding rhythm adds a looming sense of dread to the track, compounded by the ominous wailing stings.

In this song, Deadname allows herself to cast aside the composure with which she, as a trans woman, is expected to carry herself with at all times in public; to act as a representative of her community against the vitriol of transphobic commentators. Instead, this track is raw and honest and seethes with the pain and rage that come as an extremely understandable reaction to the treatment of trans people right now, as news stories of transphobic attacks are increasingly, tragically frequent.

Savage riffs and blasting beats ramp up to a churning storm of music, until it ends by sampling some massively poignant lines from Sylvia Rivera’s ‘Y’all Better Quiet Down‘ speech from 1973, in which she exposes the hypocrisy of trans-exclusionary queer people. She reminds the world how much abuse trans women have historically faced when standing up for queer liberation only to be shunned by other members of their own community. “You all treat me this way? What the fuck’s wrong with you all?” The fact that these words are still so powerfully relevant more than fifty years later, with “charities” claiming to support the queer community but explicitly and unashamedly excluding trans people, gives this track a sucker-punch finish that leaves you unable to ignore the importance of the conversation Daughter generates with this poignant and necessary debut.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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Introducing Interview: Rebekah Fitch

Having received acclaim from the likes of Clash for previous singles ‘Dust’, ‘Game Over’ and ‘Loose Ends’, Irish artist Rebekah Fitch has now shared a stirring new offering. A moving reflection on parting ways with someone you’ve loved, ‘Goodbye’ oozes a sweeping, rich emotion and sparkling musicality to create a heartfelt pop anthem.

We caught up with Rebekah to find out more…

Hi Rebekah, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! Thank you so much for having me! I’m an alt-pop artist and songwriter from Belfast, currently living in London.

How did you initially start creating music?
I guess I initially started writing music when I was at school, as a way of channelling my creativity and processing what I was thinking. Pretty sporadically though! It wasn’t until I was actually leaving university that I started taking it seriously, trying to figure out what kind of artist I wanted to be and what I wanted to say. That was when I started focusing on trying to improve my songwriting and hone my craft. 

Your new single ‘Goodbye’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?
‘Goodbye’ is about the struggle to express the full weight of a momentous goodbye between two cherished people – what our heart is longing to say, but our words can never fully express. It’s a song full of grief, but also of gratitude. I’ve had several significant goodbyes in my life, but I never felt that I honoured them with enough recognition, as I was always looking ahead to the next stage in my life. I wanted to write a song that paid homage to those people that have had such a profound influence and significance on me, and have given me so much.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Lorde and Daughter, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I mean, they are definitely both strong influences for me, but what I’m inspired by ranges right the way from Bjork to Kanye, Sigur Rós to Muse. Anything that transports me, challenges me, excites me. I’m a real fan of actively listening to music, really paying attention to every part of it, and I love artists that create a full world around their music. The closer you listen, the more you uncover. 

In ‘normal’ times, how is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I cut my teeth in the local scene in Belfast, which is incredible. For a small city, the wealth of talent it contains is just ridiculous, and immersing myself in the scene was truly amazing. There are tonnes of small music venues, and always something to see!

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
My live shows usually contain some multi-instrumental live looping, where I build up the song with different layers – synths, drums, flute, vocals etc. It’s so much fun to do, and makes the electronic side of what I do feel more organic. I also love sharing a bit behind the songs – you can feel people connect with them more when they know where the songs have come from.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
If you don’t know her already, Lydia Evangeline is amazing, as well as WILDES and Reevah!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It’s a blessing and a curse I would say! Anyone can release music now – it’s accessible for everyone, not just a lucky few. We have access to every type of music at all times, so genres are mixing all the time and creativity is at an amazing high. It does mean that the amount of music out there is insane, so it’s hard to get noticed. But I believe that if you have talent, something unique to say and bucketloads of determination, with a tonne of hard work it can happen.

Finally, what does the rest of 2021 have in store for Rebekah Fitch?
LIVE SHOWS! About time, we’re all desperate for it – haha! I can’t wait to relive the euphoria of playing to a live audience with no restrictions!

Massive thanks to Rebekah for answering our questions!

‘Goodbye’, the latest single from Rebekah Fitch, is out now. Listen/download here.

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Bleach Lab

Working through unexpected grief majorly informed the songs on South London-based Bleach Lab’s upcoming EP, A Calm Sense of Surrounding. The death of bassist Josh Longman’s father and the breakdown of vocalist Jenna Kyle’s long-term relationship seeped into the band’s song-writing, as they began to musically explore the five stages of grief – anger, denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Through Kyle’s emotive vocals and earnest lyrics and guitarist Frank Wates’ fluid, atmospheric riffs, the band soften the sharpness of their collective pain.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Bleach Lab to ask them about their “Five Favourites” – five songs that have inspired their song-writing techniques. Check out their choices below and scroll down to listen to Bleach Lab’s latest single ‘Flood’ at the end of this post.

1. Mazzy Star – ‘Halah’
Jenna Kyle (vocalist): My closest friend introduced me to Mazzy Star when I first moved to Brighton a while ago. She thought it would be right up my street, she knows me well. It’s hard to pick a favourite Mazzy song, but after a lot of rumination I concluded a while ago that ‘Halah’ takes the top spot. It quickly became a break up song of sorts for me and accompanied me on many wine filled nights. Hope’s dreamy, effortless voice floats above the guitar so flawlessly. The story that I take from the lyrics is not too dissimilar from the themes that I tend to find myself pulled into writing. The reflection and process of a break up that you can’t quite manage to move forward from. “Before I close the door, I need to hear you say goodbye, baby won’t you change your mind?” The story is a relatable one, it’s immersive and something that a lot of listeners can place themselves in. Something that I try to achieve with the way that I write my lyrics.

2. Radiohead – ‘Pyramid Song’
Frank Wates (guitarist): I remember first hearing this song on the TV soon after Amnesiac was released. It was the music video, the beautifully animated one where the diver jumps into the water and explores the submerged city. At the time I was probably around 10. I remember it really hit me emotionally, but I also remember being so confused about its rhythm and meter, which I later learned to be swung 4/4. I was tapping my foot along and totally failing to follow the beat and it really frustrated me. Granted I was only 10, but I think it really imprinted on me and it ended up being an important moment in my developing interest in rhythm. Rhythm is now the main thing I think about when writing my guitar parts and imagining how our songs will sound when fully formed. Melody and everything else come second.

3. Daughter – ‘Youth’
Jenna: ‘Youth’ was one of the first songs I fell in love with when I began the journey of figuring out my own style, back when I was around 16 and had previously only been singing over karaoke videos of Les Mis and Cats (the musical) soundtracks, whenever my parents left the house. I hadn’t really listened to any artists that ignited such a strong emotional response for me. I’m pretty sure it was a “this is it” moment when I heard it, and I couldn’t wait to learn the iconic guitar riff so I could play it myself. Elena Tonra’s lyrical style has always been a huge inspiration for the way that I have adapted my own writing. She writes visual stories with her words and her use of metaphors is effortlessly captivating. I would love to be able to quiz her on her approach and method to writing.

4. Interpol – ‘Rest My Chemistry’
Josh Longman (bassist): I have always been a big fan of Interpol growing up and have always been a massive fan of the simple guitar leads that just carry the song along from start to finish. I have always known of them, but only during my college days did a few of my friends entice me to dig deeper down the Interpol rabbit hole. The guitar tones and dynamic range throughout are spot on and the driving bass in many of their songs have influenced a few tracks for me as a bass player. When the bass isn’t driving, its simplicity really gives the guitars and vocals space to explore amazing melodies. Underrated band in my opinion, and I was happy to see them at All Points East when The Strokes were headlining, although for me I saw the festival as a good value of money as it seemed like there were 2 headliners that day.

5. Helena Deland – ‘Smoking At The Gas Station’
Frank: This is a really recent release, but I already know it will be one of my favourite records for a long time to come. I first heard it when I was listening through Helena Deland’s debut album Someone New for the first time soon after it came out. I was so excited for the album’s release as the singles were so gorgeously produced. Since sitting in on mixing sessions with the producer/mixer/engineer for our debut EP (shout out to Max), I’ve really started to pay attention to finer details around the mixing and production of any song I listen to. The song itself already features an incredible vocal performance, but I was absolutely blown away by its mixing and production. It has a really unsettling beauty to it to start but the song develops and finishes with one of the most beautiful and subtle outros I’ve heard. I’m starting to pay a lot more attention to writing powerful outros because of it.

Thanks to Bleach Lab for sharing their favourites with us!
Listen to ‘Flood’ below.

 

Follow Bleach Lab on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Isy Townsend

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment