Introducing Interview: Hipersona

With their resounding motto of ‘Pop Punk Is Not Dead!’, Turkish twin sister duo Hipersona ooze their gritty-yet-sugar-sweet and immensely catchy offerings with a sparkling energy and swirling sense of fun. First recommended to me by the almighty John Kennedy, they’re just the empowering, uplifting blast of colour we need in our lives right now.

Having formed back in 2018 and released their debut EP – mixed and mastered by famous drummer and producer Alen Konakoğlu in Los Angeles – in 2019, the vibrant duo have now shared fizzing, energy-fuelled anthem ‘Satellite‘ and we couldn’t be happier.

We caught up with the girls of Hipersona to find out more…

Hi Hipersona welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Hi! We’re so happy to be here! Nice to meet you. We’re twin sisters from Turkey who love making noise! Hipersona was formed in 2018, Turkey. After the disbanding of our previous band in early 2018, we wanted to continue our music career without giving up. With our high and raw youth energy, we wanted to show that pop punk is not dead! I am Bengisu (bass player and backing vocals) – I’m a research assistant at TED University (Dept. Of Electrical Electronics Engineering). My twin sister Bilgesu (lead vocals and guitar) is an architect. 

Are you able to tell us a bit about how you initially started creating music together? 
When we were seven, our dad gave us guitars as gift. Since then we’ve played guitar – forming a rock band was our childhood dream. In our high school years, we played with so many different bands and won awards at music contests. And then these bands broke up, but we did not give up and promised each other: “Lets keep doing what we do love”. We are so happy that our dream came true!

I love the vibrant pop-punk energy of your sound, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Our hero is Dave Grohl (We have got a crush on him!). We freakin’ love Foo Fighters. But our main musical influence is 2000s pop punk. Maybe it sounds weird for rockers but we looooovvvve BTS! Their impact on our music is huge. 

And I’m a big fan of your recent single ‘Satellite’! Are you able to tell us a bit about this? Are there any particular themes running throughout the song?
Firstly, thank you so much! We always wanted to make happier songs, with a party-like energy. And ‘Satellite’ is about that. We wrote this song about the concerts that we’ve missed during the pandemic. We’re just so glad to see that we make people feel happy with our songs!

How have you found recording and promoting music during these strange times?
JUST ONE SENTENCE: IT WAS QUITE HARD.

How is the live music scene in Turkey at the moment – has it ‘recovered’ after the limitations of the last couple of years?
The number of concerts is increasing day by day. But we don’t think it is yet fully recovered – we’re still afraid to play live because of the virus. Things are crazy in Turkey at the moment…

How do you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? Do you feel much has changed over the last few years in its treatment of female and non binary artists? 
Making, recording and releasing new songs is much easier than in the past, but things have gotten easier for everyone and that makes our job harder. We can communicate more easily with our listeners – this is the biggest advantage for us. But being a woman in the rock music scene is not so easy. We live in Turkey and the rock scene here is still very much a men’s world. We hate that and feel pressure on ourselves, but do not give a shit. GRRRL POWER!

And, as we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists or bands you’re loving right now that you’d recommend we check out?
They’re not that new, but they are more popular lately: Waterparks!

Finally, what does the next year have in store for Hipersona?
We won’t stop! We’ve just finished recording our newest song half an hour ago… And we can say it’s the best we’ve done so far. We’re excited  share it with you. We’re also currently in touch with international music festivals… Maybe a surprise soon…?!

Massive thanks to Hipersona for answering our questions – we can’t wait to hear more from them! Watch the fun-filled video for latest single ‘Satellite’ here:

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Track Of The Day: Kills Birds – ‘Rabbit’

Fronted by the electrifying Nina Ljeti, Los Angeles-based Kills Birds‘ live-wire stage presence and unsettling, yet “hot as fuck” 2019 self-titled debut – a confrontational record flowing with deep-rooted anxiety – caught the attention of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl. Impressed, Kills Birds were invited by the Nirvana sticksman to record their sophomore album, Married, at Studio 606 – due to be released in November. And, having been recommended to us twice in the last couple of weeks by both Sleigh Bells’ Alexis Krauss and Toronto’s Bad Waitress, we felt it was about time we check out what all the fuss is about… It turns out it is 100% well-deserved.

‘Rabbit‘ is the resulting opening track and lead single from the upcoming record; a brutal song concerning an abusive relationship and how power dynamics can eviscerate self-worth. Accompanied by guitarist Jacob Loeb and bassist Fielder Thomas, Ljeti deals with the emotional consequences through cathartic distortion; her ferocious vocals piercing through trashing percussion, scuzzy riffs and pounding bass-lines.

Through propulsive rhythm, ‘Rabbit’ hooks you in with its intensity and disorienting quiet/loud dynamic, Ljeti startling the listener as she screams “How could I?” with raw emotion. Loeb remarks that despite ‘Rabbit’ being “one of the harder-hitting songs on the record, it was originally written on an acoustic guitar at Nina’s house.” Upon plugging in, the track became something else… Something more visceral.

Oozing justified angst, Kill Birds’ ‘Rabbit’ is an infectious combination of aggressive grunge melodies and anthemic vitriol; Nina Ljeti admirably screaming from the heart to share a moment of vulnerability from her own life. Of the track, she poignantly explains: “There’s nowhere to turn for help. Like many people who share this experience, this particular relationship defined the majority of my young adulthood, and I’m still dealing with the emotional consequences of it.”


Married, the upcoming album from Kills Birds, is set for release 12th November via Royal Mountain Records and KRO Records.

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

Photo Credit: Cheryl Georgette

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ALBUM: Dearly Beloved – ‘Times Square Discount’

Hailing from Toronto, CA – the Great White North – Dearly Beloved have made their welcome return with their sixth studio album, Times Square Discount; ten tracks of thunderous, anthemic rock and roll.

Dearly Beloved have been crafting weird, compelling melodies for over a decade  – from their 2006 debut You Are the Jaguar to 2016’s Admission. Times Square Discount is no different. Opening with lead single, ‘Race To The Bottom’, the hive mind of vocalist/bassist Rob Higgins and vocalist/percussionist Niva Chow collectively pay tribute to their grandmothers; immigrants to Canada that ran small businesses when Higgins and Chow were just teenagers.

Holding their middle fingers up, Higgins and Chow’s his and her vocals stress the importance of the “passionate and dedicated labour force whose front lines are already being run off a cliff”, whilst melting your face off with their hook-laden alt-rock; the erosion of the immigrant dream told through distortion.

Both ‘Vacation’ and ‘LSD’ display Dearly Beloved’s pop sensibilities and experimental nature. Melding scuzzy, pounding bass guitar with sing-song quality vocals from “The Chairman Chow” herself. And before you know it, ‘Close Encounters’ and ‘The Conqueror’ have joined the creepshow with otherworldly riffs ripped straight out of a 1950s B movie.

‘Fuck The Banks’ is a pretty self explanatory track that leads to ‘New Versus’; an abrasive fusion of bass guitar and theremin soundscapes, complemented by soft, harmonised vocals, whereas ‘Dog Food Thumbs’ is propelled by raw energy and a pop aesthetic. And if you thought Times Square Discount couldn’t get any weirder, think again! Meet ‘Al P’, a professional panchinko player from Tokyo. His only form of communication? Catchphrases culled from Al Pacino movies.

Closing track, ‘Super Hero’ is experimental electro hip-hop featuring MC Maia; just one of the multiple collaborators featured on Times Square Discount; including  Dimitri Coats (OFF) who provides much of the guitar riffs, James Di Salvio (Bran Van 3000), Jordan Lawlor (M83), Wylie Hodgden (Chevy Metal) and Dave Catching (Eagles of Death Metal). 

By the conclusion of Times Square Discount, the loose conceptual framework has become obvious. This LP, as Higgins explains, is “a rabbit-hole record”, one that has collated experiences and knowledge Dearly Beloved have gained from the various cities they have visited through near-constant touring. “Like the way Kubrick made films… Gather shit, learn shit.”

Recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606, Dave Catching’s Rancho De La Luna, and Dearly Beloved’s own home studio in Toronto, Times Square Discount is a wonderfully chaotically crafted record, tempered with love to create an impressive, cohesive whole. Just like Stanley Kubrick’s filmmaking process.

Times Square Discount is out 25th October via Future Shocks Records. Catch Dearly Beloved live on the rest of their UK tour with Sebadoh:

1st October – Bristol, @ Fleece
2nd October – Birmingham, @ O2 Academy 2
3rd October – Leeds, @ Brudenell
4th October – Glasgow, @ Broadcast
5th October – Manchester, @ O2 Academy 2

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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