Get In Her Ears w/ Piney Gir 21.11.19

Kate was back in the studio this week with guest co-host Beth White. They played a plethora of new music; featuring highlights from ARXX, Bitch Falcon, PONY, Polly Money, The Menstrual Cramps, The Baby Seals, Nomke & Fightmilk.

Piney Gir joined them in the studio to perform acoustic versions of her tracks ‘Dream Catcher’ & ‘Great Pretend’ and for a chat about her recent album, You Are Here. We can’t wait to have her headline our FREE GIHE gig at The Finsbury Pub on Fri 14th Feb 2020 (event details here).

Listen back:

Tracklist
TLC – No Scrubs
Grimes – So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth
Bitch Falcon – Damp Breath
ARXX – You Got What You Want
REWS – Birdsong
Jemma Freeman – Hard Times
PONY – Limerence
Honeymoan – Still Here
Fightmilk – Four Star Hotel
Glacier Veins – Not Gonna Stay
Eilis Frawley – Illusions
Phlake – Baby Steps
Dutch Mustard – Get What You Want
Scrounge – Purpose
Pongo – Quem manda No Mic
Ren Harvieu – Teenage Mascara
Polly Money – Twntys
The Menstrual Cramps – Idols
Deux Furieuses – Let Them Burn
Nomke – Ended (by the morning)
Claire Foxx & The Antisocial Justice Warriors – Problem Child
Breakup Haircut – I Don’t Wanna Do Things
The Baby Seals – My Labia’s Lop-sided But I Don’t Mind
Berries – Written In Paint
Nao – In The Morning
Amy Fitz Doyley – Ears
Avril Lavigne – I’m With You

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ALBUM: Sea Change – ‘Inside’

Peel away your inhibitions and join Norwegian electronic artist Ellen Sunde aka Sea Change as she navigates a personal metamorphosis on her new album, Inside. Alongside co-producer and mixer Andrew Murray, Sunde has crafted seven ethereal sounding, club-inspired tracks that make her sound like she could be the introverted distant relation of Fever Ray.

Eponymous track ‘Inside’ may be brief, but in the space of two minutes Sunde outlines the direction of her album. Sparse synth sounds and hyper-conscious, introverted lyrics – “Come with me inside / my skin feels too tight” – alert listeners to the beginning of her journey towards breaking out of her shell. This idea is taken to a different level on following track ‘Stepping Out’. Through a fusion of disjointed beats and atmospheric synth textures, Sunde navigates the idea of transforming into an animal.

“Let me possess you / Let me destroy you” she delicately threatens on ‘Something Else’, a captivating four minutes of altruistic synth patterns and soft, reverb-strewn vocals. A quiet anger permeates following track ‘Scratch That Itch’, with the opening percussive clicks acting as a subtle nod to the itch in the song’s title. Sunde softly sings “I have a white hot anger / I’m slowly setting it free” over mellow synth textures and looping beats that sit in contrast to the emotion she’s expressing. This contradiction in sound and lyricism is what makes Sunde’s music so compelling.

The intimate ‘What Makes’ is truly intoxicating. “I wear my body inside out for you” she muses, over drifting beats and ambient synths. ‘The Bed’ is an emotive lament about the “skin and dirt” that sullies the sheets and the memories of stale love. Closing track ‘Flown’ is a breath of fresh air, a four minute rumination on freedom and letting go.

“When I made this record I tried to channel the same state of mind I have when I go clubbing” Sunde explains. “Not overthinking everything, like I usually do, but instead embracing my impulses; working intuitively, almost anti-intellectual.” This approach has resulted in an impressive collection of instinctive, immensely enjoyable sounds that could fill busy dancefloors, or soundtrack private moments of introspection in dimly lit bedrooms.

Photo credit: Fotini Chora

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: ESYA – ‘Blue Orchid’

“I only came here for the meat” broods ESYA on her latest track ‘Blue Orchid’, lifted from her new EP Absurdity of ATCG (II) – Emergent Form, released in digital form today (15th Nov). Filled with buzzing synth textures, direct vocals and pummeling beats; the song fleshes out the absurdities of our relationships and interactions with each other.

ESYA (aka Ayşe Hassan of Savages/Kite Base/180dB) has been busy cutting her teeth on the solo electronic music circuit since the release of her debut EP, Absurdity Of Being, in 2018. The first of a trio of records, Absurdity of ATCG (I), followed shortly after, and her latest release Absurdity of ATCG (II) – Emergent Form, now completes her “wonky exploration” of alternate personas.

Laced with themes of acceptance and growth, ESYA’s music is a captivating blend of experimental electronics and urgent lyricism. ‘Blue Orchid’ extrapolates on these elements, as do the other six tracks on the new EP. They’re also underscored by a scientific idea, as ESYA explains further:

“This EP is about becoming the next version of yourself, about engaging in the process of coming into being, or becoming prominent…ATCG refers to the building blocks in human DNA, that set the foundations of what we will be before we take our first breath along with the absurdity we encounter in the life/society we are born into. The intention is to be honest, abrasive and direct, confronting the things we fear the most.”

We can’t wait for ESYA to headline our next gig at Notting Hill Arts Club on Sat 30th November. Tickets are available on DICE, and you can find all the event info here. Watch the video for ‘Blue Orchid’ below (directed by Alex Keegan), and grab a copy of ESYA’s new EP on vinyl here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Get In Her Ears talks #TransAwarenessWeek 14.11.19

Kate was back in the studio this week playing loads of new music from the likes of PINS, The Dolly Shakes, Chartreuse, Despicable Zee, Big Joanie, Alessi’s Ark & HAVVK.

To highlight #TransAwarenessWeek, Kate & the GIHE grrrls also chose tracks from some of their fave trans artists, including Planningtorock, Queen Zee, Shea Diamond, ANOHNI & Jackie Shane.

If you identify as trans and are seeking advice or support, you can contact the UK-based charity Switchboard LGBT+ on their helpline: 0300 330 0630

Listen back:

Tracklist
Queen Zee – Boy
Le Butcherettes – Tunisia
Noga Erez – Off The Radar
The Dolly Shakes – Deep Fat Fryer
Planningtorock – Transome
The Mysterines – Who’s Ur Girl?
Lucia And The Best Boys – Good Girls Do Bad Things
Big Joanie – Fall Asleep
Alessi’s Ark – Born Free
Shea Diamond – I Am Her
Chromatics – Move A Mountain
PINS – Ponytail (Orielles remix)
HAVVK – Operate
Gazelle Twin – Glory
CN Lester – Heroes (David Bowie cover)
Chartreuse – Woman, I’m Crazy
Siv Disa – Moths
Anohni – 4 Degrees
Argonaut – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Piss Kitti – Girls In i-D
Captain Handsome – I Wish I Had A Dog
Despicable Zee – Counting Cars
Lucy Barton – Roadrunner
Salsola – Cass
JAAYNS – Natural Born Enemies
Mariuk – The Sword
CRISP&CLASSY – Suffocate
Weekend Recovery – Going Nowhere
LibraLibra – Tongues
ILL – Kick Him Out The Disco
The Joy Formidable – Austere
Jackie Shane – Any Other Way

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