Track Of The Day: BLAB – ‘Insurance’

A gritty reflection on how our definition of success changes as we grow older, Southend-based multi-instrumentalist BLAB has shared her latest single ‘Insurance’. Released via Cool Thing Records, BLAB combines direct lyrics and restless guitar lines in order to deliver her cutting observations on how we avoid being crushed by the pressures of conformity.

“I was really inspired by Gang Of Four when I was writing ‘Insurance’,” BLAB aka Frances Murray explains. “It’s about questioning whether your life actually makes you happy or whether you’re just following the crowd. Working in insurance or in a city job has become such a universal experience for 20-somethings. ‘Insurance’ peers behind the façade at the unfortunate truth that external markers of success don’t always equate to a life of fulfilment. It touches upon my own realisation of this fact, and how due to social media and societal expectation I had a very warped view of what a happy and successful life for myself would be like.”

With her previous singles ‘Eton Mess’, ‘Casual Sex’ and ‘RIP’, BLAB firmly communicated her anti-establishment message. Now with her latest single ‘Insurance’, she pushes these boundaries further and reaffirms her narrative of independence and individuality, completely on her own terms. She’s currently working on her debut album with Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly) and Rees Broomfield at SS2 Recording in Southend, channelling her riot grrrl attitude into a collection of witty, infectious anthems.

Listen to ‘Insurance’ below.

Follow BLAB on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter &  Facebook and for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Belako – ‘Truth’

Whether it’s the global nature of alternative music in the age of streaming, or possibly the cultural aftershocks of the credit crunch, it feels like there’s a new, mucho cool Spanish indie band every week. In the case of Belako – a four-piece from the Basque town of Mungia – using the word “new” might be a bit of a stretch for a band who have been releasing music since a couple of online demos in 2011 – but, whilst forthcoming LP Plastic Drama may be their fourth album, it’s their first international release on a major label. The best part?  The album’s lead single, ‘Truth’, finds them in as fiercely DIY a mood as ever.

Clocking in at a pacey (and satisfying balanced) two minutes and twenty-two seconds, ‘Truth’ lays its cards on the table pretty quickly; in a matter befitting its title, it launches into the slightly off-kilter, detuned guitar line and punchy, if tinny, sounding drums, which are consistent throughout. This is even more true of the track’s video, in some respects, which provides its viewer with the nine lines that form the song’s lyrical content.

Theirs is a stripped-back take on post-punk, consistent with some of the genre’s best voices, who have generally used a fairly simple adage: find a message, repeat it, make no compromises. There’s something of Dream Wife’s early stuff in vocalist Cristina Lizarraga’s atonal vocal style here, but you can take the combination of the persuasive thrust and wry observation all the way back to pioneers such as The Fall or Gang of Four.

The song’s shonky feel arguably gives the band a kinship with Hinds, perhaps the most widely-recognised Spanish group of recent times. Whilst lyrically, the “truth” being spoken here is that the concept of romance has been weaponised, ensuring that love keeps us “locked up”, enforcing our exploitation – essentially, it’s about as far from the usual pop content as you can get. 

For an album that “searches for the real meaning of things in a world that translates everything into assembly lines, manufacturing and the exploitation of living beings”, ‘Truth’ appears to be the ideal introduction, ahead of its release. It’s particularly encouraging to see a band, now some time into their career, embrace their ideas and apply them not only to lyrics but also to the album’s production. If there is any truth in pop music, it looks certain to come from Belako.

Plastic Drama, the upcoming album from Belako, is out 28th August via BMG.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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Track Of The Day: Pet Crow – ‘What We Doin’

This Pet Crow is wearing its dancing shoes, and maybe even a tiny leather jacket! The latest single from the Derby band is a proper anthem in the making. An ode to hopelessness and feeling a little lost without feeling sorry for itself, ‘What We Doin” is poppy, rock ‘n’ roll perfection.

Big, bouncy guitars lift the melancholic vocal, which ask, “who knows what they’re doing?” while the spiky, post-punk riffs make you want to move rather than mope. It’s fun and energetic.

From the opening bars, you can hear nods to a huge range of influences; think Sonic Youth, Gang of Four and Vivian Girls. But ‘What We Doin'” feels as fresh as it is familiar.

Taken from Pet Crow’s forthcoming album, Take The Edge Off, ‘What We Doin” is an exciting taster of what’s to come. I’m looking forward to hearing what more the band can do.

‘What We Doin” is out now. Pet Crow’s new album, Take The Edge Off, is out in February 2020 on vinyl and digital download. 

Vic Conway

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