LISTEN: Siân Alexander – ‘Blizz’

Having previously charmed our ears as vocalist of Gold Baby, songwriter Siân Alexander has now shared her first solo material. In the spring of 2018 Siân tied an acoustic guitar, a keyboard, a suitcase and a flute to a folding trolley and made the long commute by tube, train, ferry and bus from London to County Wicklow in Ireland to write an album. And she has now shared the first single from the album.

Oozing a blissful, melancholic aura, ‘Blizz’ flows with twinkling melodies alongside Siân’s luscious smooth vocals. With a shimmering emotion and folk-strewn musicality, it’s a beautiful, contemplative ballad with a gritty edge; a simply spellbinding, goosebump-inducing, introduction to this solo collection.

Listen to ‘Blizz’ here:

 

Siân has committed to producing and releasing one song from the solo album each month. ‘Blizz’ will be followed by ‘Henry’ on the 18th of June, with all ten tracks due to be released before the year is out.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: @zeashanashraf

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

LISTEN: MAVICA – ‘Ada Road’

“You ask me how I feel about it, I feel it’s time to burn it down” MAVICA tentatively reveals on her latest track, ‘Ada Road’. Taken from her upcoming EP, Send Me To The Water, set for release on 24th April via Hidden Track Records; the London-based, Spanish songwriter explores feelings of doubt on this latest offering.

Originally from Cartagena in Spain, MAVICA (aka Marta Casanova) blends elements of indie, pop, and folk to create her emotive, smooth sounds. Since the release of her debut EP Gone in 2019, she’s performed at Mad Cool and Vida Festival, as well as supporting the likes of Roo Panes, Blanco White, and Alice Phoebe Lou on their tours. Now, with a second EP on the way, MAVICA is concentrating on moving forward, and accepting that change isn’t always a bad thing.

She explores this beautifully on ‘Ada Road’, as she eloquently explains: “I wrote ‘Ada Road’ when I was moving out of my old house. I was desperate for a new home, and felt very lost. It felt like I was jumping into an abyss of nothingness and it was a really scary time, where I didn’t know if it was worth staying in London or not. Because of this uncertainty, I felt like my creative output was changing and I didn’t quite understand where it was going, where I was going. I was born in a small town in the South of Spain where the sea is a big part of life there. In this song, I talk about sending me back to the water. When everything was going wrong in London, all I wanted was to go back home to the sea. That anxiety almost crushed me and I wrote this song to get it out, like I needed to expel it in some way.”

MAVICA’s talent for turning personal difficulty in to ear-melting, honest tunes is what makes her music so captivating. Her moving vocals and considerate lyrics, fused with both folk and pop elements in the chorus make ‘Ada Road’ an affecting, but enjoyable listen. Watch the accompanying video for the track below, and follow MAVICA on Spotify and Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Introducing Interview: Chloe Foy

Following acclaim from the likes of BBC Introducing and BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, Manchester-based artist Chloe Foy has just released her enchanting new EP.

An introspective collection of reflective offerings, Callous Copper showcases Foy’s smooth, rich vocals and stirring heartfelt emotion alongside glistening sweeping string arrangements.

We caught up with Chloe to find out more…

Hi Chloe, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a singer-songwriter living in Manchester, originally from Gloucestershire, trying my best to do what I love.

How did you start creating music?
I had always been musical, and started off learning classical music, but then picked up a guitar when I was about 14, learnt a few basic chords and started to write my own songs. A lot was going on in my life then and it was my most instinctive form of expression.

Your new EP Callous Copper is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the album?
There’s not a lyrical theme as such, other than the fact my songs are all inspired by this weird thing we do called life. There’s themes of love and death and mental health too. Really, it was an opportunity for me to realise this idea of doing a record with a string quartet, which I had wanted to do for a while.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Laura Marling and Lucy Rose, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I think they are probably up there with some of the big ones, as well as Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
Manchester is great for live music. There’s usually something going on every day of the week that you can go to. These days I’m busier, so I don’t get to see as much as I’d like but I still try and see a fair amount.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Heartbreak.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
There are some great North West artists who I love – Caoilfhionn Rose, Katie Mac, Hannah Ashcroft, Lindsay Munroe – all amazing female artists making diverse and beautiful music.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
I think it’s tough. There’s an abundance of music out there so it’s hard to be heard above the noise. I think it’s easier than ever to get your music onto platforms like Spotify and start to make a few little waves, but to get further and make a sustainable living I think is tough without a strong team behind you.

Finally, what does the rest of 2020 have in store for Chloe Foy?
A headline tour with my string trio in March, to get out and play songs from my forthcoming EP, and hopefully some trips further afield, as well as some festival slots to be announced!

 

Callous Copper is out now. Catch Chloe Foy live at The Islington on 4th March via AntiFraglie.

 

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

EP: Tape Runs Out – ‘Talking Through Walls’

In a glistening manner, indie/electronic band Tape Runs Out take listeners down a lively new exploratory path in their newborn EP, Talking Through The Walls. Like cutting a crisp corner, the wind of the EP’s overturning tone provides a sense of urgency throughout this twinkling release that allows intricacy a spotlight, and quietness its space. In Talking Through The Walls‘ opening track ‘Make It Work’, the feeling of nostalgia is set for the record that stands parallel with the smell of untouched stories. With a shoegaze-strewn, dream-like element to the sonic landscape, Tape Runs Out lay out a bed of travel where moments of swelling synth and shiny guitar can be immortal. 

The freshness of Talking Through The Walls resides in Tape Runs Out’s ability to introduce folk sounds and timbres that ever so unexpectedly fit the band’s sonic language. ‘Ice Cream Soup’, found halfway through the release, bends in ways sounding both digital and analog as synths mimic a traditional guitar slide. There is a distinct and quirky charisma embodied in what Tape Run’s Out have stumbled upon here.

Ending the EP with lullaby-like elegance, ‘My Childhood Hands’ is an emotionally enduring mural painted with background samples that sound like home. As the pulsing keys initiate the song, here there remains room for listeners to have their own moment with the piece before the tremolo begins to shift the song’s footing. As the drifting instrumentation builds, listeners shuffle along picking up tiny yet significant elements that gradually layer in the mix like a story. This tasteful font in which Tape Runs Out have written their EP so strategically in, illustrates the band’s attention to detail. Talking Through The Walls is an instrumental adventure worth the conquest. 

Talking Through Walls is out now via Kuang Grade Recordings. Listen on Spotify.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment