ALBUM: Los Bitchos – ‘Let the Festivities Begin!’

The first week of February. The deepest depths of winter. The coldest time of the year. A couple of weeks on from ‘Blue Monday,’ supposedly the most depressing day of the year. What better time to release an album full of summer party bangers? Enter Los Bitchos, wielding their debut record Let the Festivities Begin!, a bumper pack of the pan-continental band’s signature swashbuckling, psych-swirling instrumentals – the sound of the festival you are already impatiently looking forward to.

This is an album dedicated to joy. It is full of irresistible grooves and winding guitar lines and occasionally punctuated by yells of triumph overheard at the end of takes. The guitar line on ‘Pista (Great Start)’ is almost physically tangible, reaching out of the speaker to tickle your spine. Other tunes, particularly ‘Tropico’, move with the synth pulse and go-ahead danceability of a Tom Tom Club record. Half the song names sound like the captions of polaroids from a summer holiday – especially ‘Lindsay Goes to Mykonos’ and ‘Try the Circle!’ – a feeling heightened by the sunny flange guitars that lead most tunes. The group seem to stand for escape to faraway climes, from their pseudo-Spanish name through to the evident inspiration they’ve drawn from the music of warmer countries, from Turkish and Australian psych to Argentinian cumbia.

With Let the Festivities Begin!, Los Bitchos herald the arrival of summer with an album to thaw your soul. It’s playful and modestly epic, encapsulating the infectious spirit that has led the group to be one of the best loved acts on the scene.

Los Bitchos’ new album Let The Festivities Begin! will be released on 4th February.

Follow Los Bitchos on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Tom Mitchell

Lloyd Bolton
@lloyd_bolton

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Hinako Omori – ‘a journey’

A soft, lilting creation that transports listeners into a state of calming bliss, London-based artist Hinako Omori has shared her latest single ‘a journey’. Taken from her forthcoming debut album of the same name, which is set to be released on 18th March via Houndstooth, the track gently meanders through memories and reflects on their ambiguous nature, guided by a lightly distorted, meditative voice.

Born in Yokohama, Japan, Hinako moved to the UK when she was three years old, beginning her musical journey by learning classical piano. She later trained as a sound engineer and has now transitioned into working with analogue synths (including the Prophet 08 and Moog Matriarch.) Heavily inspired by the physiological effects that music and sound frequencies have on the body, field recordings and the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (“forest-bathing”) her music seeks to connect with, and understand the human condition in intricate and invigorating ways.

On her new single, Hinako’s use of warm, expansive synths supplies a gentle rush of tranquility, which she describes as “a journey through the cartography of the mind, piecing together past events which seem to appear differently each time – revisiting memories, and healing cognitive distortions.” This is further reflected in the beautiful accompanying music video, created by Emi Takahashi.

Hinako will celebrate the release of her upcoming album with a special performance on 19th March in the Purcell Room at London’s Southbank Centre accompanied by London Contemporary Orchestra. You can buy tickets here.

Watch the video for ‘a journey’ below.

Follow Hinako Omori on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Annie Lai

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Salvation Jayne – ‘A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite’

A masterclass in marrying fuzzy rock heaviness and breathtaking vocals in perfect harmony, this latest tune from alt-rock five-piece Salvation Jayne confidently demands your attention from the very first note. 

The title track from the band’s forthcoming debut album, ‘A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite’ is wholly enthralling, pairing crisp electric riffs with heavy hits of distortion and crushing bass that swirl and stomp around your eardrums. The gritty guitars are then punctured by the band’s ferocious vocals, soaring sky-high with an impassioned call to “cut loose” from toxic individuals that only seek to control, manipulate, and drag other people down.

The band explain: “Sometimes there is constructive criticism, which is fine. Then there are also overpowering controlling opinions that are shoved down your throat when you haven’t even asked for them. People like that exhibit this behaviour tend to thrive off of manipulating people into believing only what THEY think.”

Salvation Jayne’s magical push-and-pull of instruments and vocals, added to their magnetising self-confidence, continues to ascend until the track erupts into a guaranteed mosh-pit starter of an ending, leaving us amped up and eagerly anticipating their debut album, set for release next year.

Watch the artfully choreographed new video for ‘A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite’ here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RCBFOZ8luls

Salvation Jayne’s debut album, also entitled A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite, is set for release on 18th February 2022.

Leonie Bellini
@teenpeachmovie

Leonie BelliniLeave a comment

ALBUM: Fears – ‘Oíche’

An intuitive artist who has transformed her darkest moments into graceful electronic soundscapes, Fears aka Constance Keane has shared her debut album Oíche. Released via her own label TULLE, the Irish-born, London-based musician balances her intense ruminations on trauma alongside delicate synth loops and tentative beats to shine a light on a personal metamorphosis.

Much like the coarse fabric she used to create her unique dress on the album’s artwork, Fears allows her lived experiences to take up space and permeate this record, which swells with unflinching honesty and elegance. Oíche – meaning “night” in Irish – is a graceful collection of shadowy lullabies that spans five years of emotional territory for Fears, and the result is a truly immersive and enlightening body of work.

Since it was written & recorded in the music room of the hospital she was once an inpatient in, opener ‘h_always’ has remained untouched. “I’m black and blue / on the inside too” she softly repeats, juxtaposing her emotions alongside ward paraphernalia and atmospheric guitar lines, capturing a mindset that is revisited, dismantled and rebuilt over the course of Oíche.

She taps into the fluctuating nature of her mental health with magnetic synths and soft percussion on tracks like ‘bones’, ‘daze’, ‘vines’ and ‘Blood’, each embellished with vocals that ache with gentle sincerity. Her cyclical, buoyant synth loops mirror intrusive or recurring thought patterns, whilst her lyrics capture the mental push-and-pull of processing, accepting and learning to let things go. This is epitomised on ‘Fabric,’ which resonates deeper each time it’s listened to.

Her moving account of gripping her knees tightly while confessing “I’m so sorry for the mess I a made” on ‘dents’ is deeply affecting and marks a change in the record’s tone. The instantly mood-lifting ‘Brighid’ – a home-recording of Fears’ sister and late Grandmother in casual conversation – invites listeners to share in an intimate family moment. It beautifully precedes ‘tonnta’, where Fears weaves memories of her Grandmother into her lyrics, crafting a fitting tribute to the person who originally taught her how to sew.

The resilience of her familial relationships are acknowledged on the album’s poignant closing track ‘two_’. Whilst it centres around Fears’ own experiences of self-harm, the repeated sentiment “If not for my family / I’d never have healed” is deeply moving. It’s this unwavering love and support – whether from others, or mined from deep within herself – that’s helped to shape Oíche and why it’s such a cathartic, cohesive collection of songs.

It is a privilege to listen to this considered, intensely personal record.

Order your copy of Fears’ debut album Oíche here

Follow Fears on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook
Follow TULLE on Instagram & Twitter

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate Crudgington4 Comments