LISTEN: BLÓM – ‘Be Kind’

Noisy, abrasive, and intensely cathartic; BLÓM are firing on all cylinders on their latest single ‘Be Kind’. Self-described as “three qt punks playing pure radge shit; with female, trans and non binary members”, the band power through four minutes of explosive riffs, intense distortion, and raging vocals on their latest offering.

‘Be Kind’ – despite its furious nature – is a reminder to be open-minded, compassionate and understanding towards issues surrounding gender, sexual identity and mental health. It’s the first single to be lifted from the band’s upcoming debut album Flower Violence, which is set for release on 1st May via Box Records.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Sam Grant at Blank Studios, the album explores themes of queerness, feminism, gender identity, mental health, socio economic challenges, Christianity, Twin Peaks and the Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel ‘Crime and Punishment’. That’s a pretty eclectic mix of influences, so BLÓM’s debut looks set to be a diverse and empowering listen.

The band will be touring their riotous sounds across the UK in support of PIGS x7 in April and early May, so grab a ticket quick if you like what you hear. Listen to ‘Be Kind’ below, and follow BLÓM on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

BLÓM UK Tour Dates 2020 (Supporting PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS)
Apr 16 Manchester Gorilla (SOLD OUT)
Apr 17 Birmingham The Mill
Apr 18 Bristol Thekla (SOLD OUT)
Apr 24 Leeds Stylus
Apr 25 Glasgow St Luke’s
Apr 29 Nottingham Rescue Rooms (SOLD OUT)
Apr 30 London Electric Ballroom
May 1 Brighton Concorde 2 (SOLD OUT)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Anna B Savage – ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’

An intense, personal, exquisitely revealing celebration of female pleasure; London-based songwriter Anna B Savage has shared her latest single, ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’. Taken from her upcoming album which is due via City Slang later this year, the track is an affecting, powerful exploration of female desire, and how Savage has learned to dismiss the damaging tropes associated with it.

Fans of Leonard Cohen may be familiar with Savage’s opening lyric – “He was giving me head on my unmade bed” – as it’s paraphrased from Cohen’s track ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’. Over tentative guitar sounds, revealing lyrics, and through her measured, captivating vocals; Savage reveals how she learned to prioritize herself, and how female pleasure is not “secondary”. She subverts Cohen’s storytelling, re-writing the narrative to rid her feelings of shame and confusion.

Savage explores the meaning behind ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ in more details: “‘Wank More’ was my 2016 New Year’s Resolution. It was part of my need to battle all the internalised bullshit I had ingested about women. I’ve spent the last few years actively unlearning things I spent my first twenty years passively being fed. Like how women are sexualised, but never allowed to be sexual, they are the object (sometimes even an object). It took me until 21 to start masturbating, even longer to realise that sex was also for me (groundbreaking, I know) and that I had agency and could and should ask for things. It’s wildly frustrating and sad. Out of these thoughts came ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’.”

“While it’s a naked nod to Cohen’s Janis Joplin in ‘Chelsea Hotel #2’, in my mind it’s an even bigger nod to Chris Kraus’s I Love Dick, a book which prompted me to be able to express myself in this way. The man in ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ is a stand in for all men, and as I’m telling my story, here he plays the role of the passive pawn and “muse”, a like-for-like role reversal of how women have “inspired” men for centuries. The song is a groan of boredom for the role of passive, mute, muse women, and a scream for female autonomy and pleasure.”

Produced by William Doyle (East India Youth), ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ marks the first new music for Savage since her 2015 EP, which caught the attention of Father John Misty and Jenny Hval (both of whom brought Savage out on European tours). Savage defiantly sings on her new track “I will learn to take care of myself”, and we fully believe that she will.

Watch the video for ‘Chelsea Hotel #3’ below, and follow Anna B Savage on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Dream Nails – ‘Payback’

A rallying cry against the lack of justice for survivors of sexual violence; GIHE favourites Dream Nails have shared their powerful new single ‘Payback’. Taken from their upcoming self-titled debut album, set for release 3rd April via Alcopop! Records, the track is accompanied by a poignant video showcasing the work of UK feminist activist group, Sisters Uncut.

With it’s mantra-like lyrics – “Hey mister, get your hands off my sister” – and abrasive guitar riffs, Dream Nails have created an aural call to arms that vehemently protests the rights of domestic violence survivors. The track is heavy in terms of volume and context, but as is the case for so many of Dream Nails tracks, it’s also tear-jerking because of the depressing reality behind their catchy lyricism.

Vocalist Janey Starling provides further insight: “In the UK, only 1.5% of rape cases lead to a charge or summons. ‘Payback’ is a song about how the UK criminal justice system fails survivors – and we’re angry about it. This is a country where two women are murdered every week by a partner or ex-partner. So many women have lived through sexual and physical abuse, and carry the scars and memories of that – but will never see justice for it.”

Drummer Lucy Katz adds that the single is “fuelled by fury borne from our experiences and the stories we hear from our peers, from the news, and in our day jobs. We are sick and tired of being failed and gaslit again and again by a state and a system that does not care about the continued abuse of women.”

Whilst there is a necessary and underlying rage throughout ‘Payback’, Guitarist Anya Pearson reminds us that it provides time and space to blow off some steam: “This is a tune to mosh to, throw yourself around with your sisters and non binary babes in the pit and scream the chorus: “One day we’ll make you pay””

Dream Nails are a vital force in both musical and activist societies, and their refusal to accept sub-standard treatment for their fans and their allies is why we keep returning to their music time, and time again. Watch the video for ‘Payback’ below, and follow Dream Nails on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Dream Nails UK Tour Dates 2020
10 April Cardiff, Wales Goes Pop!
11 April Leicester, The Shed
22 April St Albans, The Horn
23 April London, Oslo – Album Release Show
24 April Bristol, Louisiana
25 April Reading, Are You Listening? Festival
26 April Southampton, Heartbreakers
29 April Leeds, Oporto
30 April Manchester, Castle
02 May Edinburgh, Stag & Dagger Festival
03 May Newcastle, Hit The North
09-11 July Cheltenham, 2000Trees Festival
31 Jul – 01 Aug Oxfordshire, Truck Festival

Photo Credit: Marieke Macklon

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Get In Her Ears w/ Brix Smith-Start 20.02.20

Kate & Mari were back in the studio this week with plenty of new music from the likes of MAITA, MIRI, LegPuppy, Bad Bones, HMS Morris, Li Yilei, Am.I & Charlotte Spiral.

They were joined by the incredible Brix Smith-Start, who spoke about her last three albums with Brix & The Extricated, and her experiences over the years as a trailblazer in the music industry.

Listen back here:

Tracklist
Lizzo – Juice
LegPuppy (feat. Josefin Ohrn) – Secret Friend
MAITA – A Beast
DRAMA – Years
MIRI – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
MEI – I Don’t Know What’s Next
Lido Pimienta – Eso Que Tu Haces
Bad Bones – Beg
Desire – Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order Cover)
Alessi’s Ark – Woman
Shoulder Season – Clean Lines
Brix & The Extricated – Wolves
RUNAH – Same Face
Li Yilei – A Star Without Guidance
HMS Morris – Babanod
Hilary Woods – Orange Tree
Girl Ray – Friend Like That
Am.i – Millenial
Chloe Foy – Callous Copper
Charlotte Spiral – Wide Eyed
Nirvana – Heart-Shaped Box
Kate Tempest – People’s Faces

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