Track Of The Day: AyOwA – ‘Insomnia’

What dreams may come when listening to this majestic new track from Danish electronic duo, AyOwA (Hannah Schneider and Nicolai Kornerup)!  ‘

The first single from their forthcoming EP Farvel, ‘Insomnia’ is sung in Danish, to the haunting lyrics of Danish writer Mette Moestrup. For those not fluent in Danish, the vocal effects of the language make us feel our way into the song. It begins like icy air creeping into a dark house, then sweeps and soars into droplets of crystallised sound towards the majestic chorus. To hear it is to feel the heartbeats and clicks in a waking dream.

 

AyOwA use Modular synths and old reel-to-reels effectively, lending the sound the quality of something unique, yet familiar. They have blended a haunting mix of timeless ambience with crystal-sharp vocals and crisp, clear sounds in a Bjork-like Scandanavian reverie. There are also echoes of other European nineties sounds, like Robert Miles, and Stereolab.  

The overall effect of this track is slow, melancholic, and cinematic. It is the sound of ice breaking above the darkened city on the tallest church spire… To sleep, perchance to dream.

Farvel, the upcoming EP from AyOwA, is set for release in May 2018 via Music For Dreams.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker   

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EP: Temples Of Youth – ‘Temples Of Youth’

In the internet age, mature and fully-formed music can come from nowhere and stun instantly. And so it is with Winchester’s Temples of Youth – an electro-soul duo crafting well-worked and subtly smart neo-pop. Consisting of Paul Gumma’s precision hooks on guitar and Jo Carson’s synths, drums and, crucially, her rounded, emotive vocals, Temples of Youth have made quite the impression during their live dates, and previous singles ‘Amber’ and ‘Churches’ have met with critical success from the likes of Clash and Wonderland. Now comes their debut, self-titled EP.

Opener ‘Churches’, with its low-key guitar chords and bluesy lyrics sees the band at their most XX-ish. But as the song grows, it turns into something more than a mere facsimilie. With lyrics dealing with isolation – based on a real life experience of rejection from a religious group – the song’s sound also evokes the outsider-pop of Lonelady, Everything But The Girl and London Grammar.

Bluesy pop is a risky gamble: too much and it can sound maudlin. But on ‘Dunes’, the EP’s third track, Temples of Youth hit the sweet spot somewhere around the Chris Isaak-Lana Del Rey mark. As guitar notes roll like sea-waves on a winter’s day around bitter-sweet vocals, it’s a song that’s both chilling and warmly comforting – like the last, bright, dying embers of a fire.

‘Sometime’ is a gentle pop ballad with the feel of the better end of ’80s synth-pop in the manner of Talk Talk or Tears for Fears, whilst closer ‘Twice’ is even more stripped-back and, with its gently picked guitar, shows the influence of Nick Drake and Bon Iver – both cited as favourites of Jo and Paul’s in interviews.

But it’s second track ‘Amber’ that’s the standout. A sweeping epic, with synths in the cinematic mould of Vangelis, it invites the listener to dive into a world of “empires falling”, carried onward by a subtle yet driving guitar line and Jo’s voice at its very best. By the song’s synth and drum outro, you’ll be yearning to hear it again.

Live, the pair cut an impossibly cool swathe and are totally at home on stage amidst the dry ice. That feeling isn’t lost here, either. Ice-cold but with a certain confidence to back it up, Temples of Youth is an excellent introduction to a band whose grown-up pop music is primed for worship in 2018.

Temples Of Youth is out now. And make sure you catch the band in all their glory, headlining for us at The Finsbury this Friday 8th December!

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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Introducing Interview: Kraków Loves Adana

Kraków Loves Adana release their first single ‘American Boy’ from their upcoming album Songs After The Blue this month via Better Call Rob & Rough Trade. The song channels the anger one feels in a world with its recent political developments and the inevitable powerlessness that comes with it – meltingly melancholic and raging in equal parts.

We caught up with Deniz, one half of Kraków Loves Adana to talk DIY production, inspirations and what 2018 has in store…

Welcome to Get In Her Ears!  Can you tell us a bit about Kraków Loves Adana?
We are a duo living in Hamburg consisting of me, Deniz Cicek, and Robert Heitmann, who also has his own label Better Call Rob. We founded the band in 2006 after meeting in a night club and have since released three LPs, the last one Call Yourself New on Rob’s own aforementioned label. The upcoming record ‘Songs After The Blue’ is set for release early in 2018.

Deniz, we understand that you record and produce all the music yourself, which we totally respect, what inspired you to do this?
I have worked with several people on our first two records and was never satisfied with the final outcome. I often felt overlooked, undermined and almost crippled in my own work, so becoming truly independent – especially as a woman – was a rebellious act for me at that time. Being capable to write, record and produce all the music by myself also heightened my creative abilities as a songwriter so I encourage everyone to do so in the first place. It is always good to know what you are doing. But I don’t live under a bell jar, so if the time and the chemistry is right, I am open to any kind of collaboration with other creatives.

Your previous single ‘Never Quite Right’ was inspired by a Bukowski quote, but who would you say are your main artistic and musical influences?
I am influenced by all the pictures and movies I see – the songs I hear, the books I read, the people I meet etcetera. But I am truly inspired by great minds that have something to say and make their mark on the world. For the upcoming record, I was mostly inspired by books like Rainer Maria Rilke’s ‘Letters To A Young Poet’, Julia Cameron’s ‘The Artist’s Way’ and Patti Smith’s ‘Just Kids’. I also rewatched a lot of movies from my youth like Heathers, Girl Interrupted and The Breakfast Club.

Deniz, how have you found the transition from working full time as a dentist to now fully focusing on your music?
I still have a day job, but not as a dentist. Rent in Hamburg is high and being unemployed for a while I realised that not having any touch with reality actually blocks me in my creative endeavours. People sometimes ask me why I torture myself by doing a job that doesn’t match my education, but little do they know about the profession. I am happy with how things are for now, but am open for anything new that comes my way.

What can fans expect from your live shows and, more importantly, are you planning on coming to the UK anytime soon??
People who will see us live can expect a strong and memorable performance. I may be an introverted person in real life, but as soon as the lights turn on I am a full on entertainer. Sometimes I even think to change the genre and become a comedian, but maybe I have watched too much Seinfeld the last couple of months, so who knows… We haven’t any confirmed shows for the UK yet, but would be happy to play there, so if you are a booker in the UK and are reading this, hit us up!

We’re loving the new single ‘American Boy’ which we played on the last radio show – what’s it all about?
Thank you! With everything that is happening in the world, especially with someone like Trump becoming president, I felt that writing music for the sake of itself has become a selfish and almost hollow act. I had the urge to express the anger I felt with the world, but also the frustration and lack of power that arises when you want to do something about it but are left with a feeling of powerlessness. All these ambivalent emotions are captured in the song.

Your next album Songs After The Blue is set for release in 2018, what can we look forward to on the record?
The main theme of the record are the struggles and aspirations of the self-made creative.  The songs are definitely catchier than their predecessors with much more use of synths and drum beats. The order and mood of the songs go hand in hand and reflects the stages of being creative.

Finally as we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming bands or artists you’d suggest we check out?
I must admit that I mostly listen to old stuff, but you should definitely check out our Swedish label mates Wy who released their debut Okay in October. They make music that is dreamy and melancholic and they are also doing everything themselves with a lot of love for the visuals.

Huge thanks to Deniz for answering our questions! 

‘American Boy’, the upcoming single from Kraków Loves Adana, is out now.

 

Tash Walker
@maudeandtrevor

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Introducing Interview: Kid Cupid

Having already received support from the likes of BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, GIHE favourite Kid Cupid are back to win your ears over with a brand new single.

Oozing euphoric layers of sound alongside Laura Shaw’s soulful vocals, ‘Easy’ is a truly blissful slice of electro-pop; a dreamy sonic delight that’ll leave you longing for more.

We caught up with the band to find out more…

Hi Kid Cupid! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Sure, we’re Laura, James, Ian and John and we’re an alt-pop band based in South London.

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
Laura and James met on a TV set, both worked in TV production pre music.  James was in a band and they asked Laura to sing on a track. Ian was a close friend of Laura’s boyfriend and then we found John on a Gumtree Ad believe it or not.

We’re loving the new single ‘Easy’ – what’s it all about?
‘Easy’ delves into themes of addiction, I don’t think we’ve been so specific on a theme before. It’s something that we have experienced in some way or another.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Oh Wonder, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
We draw influence from loads of different places – anything from electronica to jazz to punk. I think the Oh Wonder comparison gets brought up a lot because of the vocals in our live show – John and Laura do a lot of harmonies together, which always seems to get audience attention. John’s really into falsetto singing, and Laura has more of a low, husky voice – so the harmonies are inverted in comparison to what you’d normally expect.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
The music scene in London is amazing, we try and see as much as possible and it’s always great playing with so many great bands.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
We have a very bassy sound, and we all stand in a line. The line formation came about from playing on a tiny stage, but the audience seemed to love it so we’ve kept it ever since!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming bands or artists you’d suggest we check out?
We just supported Fours and Avec Sans, both are amazing!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Yes and no, it feels impossible at times as it’s so over-saturated but with so many ways to get your music out there these days you just have to be a bit clever to stand out! If you really believe in the music and work hard hopefully good things will come. 

Finally, what does the rest of 2017 have in store for Kid Cupid?
Weirdly for us, lots of acoustic stripped back shows and sessions which is really cool to try something different. We have a music video coming out for ‘Easy’ and hopefully some exciting announcements.

Huge thanks to Kid Cupid for answering our questions!

‘Easy’, the new single from Kid Cupid, is out now.

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