Track Of The Day: Ex-Vöid – ‘Churchyard’

A catchy, jaded slice of garage-pop inspired by an unusual past-time, UK power-pop punks Ex-Vöid have shared their latest single ‘Churchyard’. Taken from their debut album Bigger Than Before, which is set for release on 25th March via Prefect Records/Rough Trade, the track is a buoyant blend of melodic guitars, soft dual vocals and frustrated lyrics.

Formed by ex-Joanna Gruesome vocalists Lan McArdle and Owen Williams, along with Laurie Foster (bass) and Jonny Coddington (drums), Ex-Vöid are inspired by the sounds of The Byrds, Big Star and Teenage Fanclub. Whilst on the surface their music is infectiously upbeat, the band retain a sardonic, strung out wit through their lyrics, with ‘Churchyard’ being a prime example of this blend.

“I wrote ‘Churchyard’ when I was like 24 and living in Brighton,” guitarist Owen Williams explains. “My friend and I were unemployed and we used to spend a lot of time drinking cans of lager and taking legal highs in a pet graveyard. It was boring so at the end we sing ‘I get so bored’ over and over etc.”

This humourous apathy underscores the band’s debut record, Bigger Than Before. The album was recorded in just over an hour in a studio in Hackney, with minimal overdubs and no breaks. Bassist Laurie Foster was reported to have “kept on playing even though his belt came loose and his trousers fell down” – if that’s not incentive to listen, what is?

Listen to ‘Churchyard’ below.

Follow Ex-Vöid on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Max Warren

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Pet Crow – ‘Take The Edge Off’

Smashing through insecurities and personal ailments in refreshing garage-pop style; Derby-based band Pet Crow have returned with their second album, Take The Edge Off. Self-released in the UK on 7th Feb, it’s an apt title for a collection of songs that provide momentary relief from the everyday stresses of being an adult.

Formed of Danielle Ross, Dan Barradell, Sean Kenny, Conor Wallis, and Sophie Prosay; Pet Crow are facing up to their demons on their sophomore record. Speaking from direct experience; the band explore anxiety, depression, drug addiction, recovery, OCD, and ADHD across the ten tracks on Take The Edge Off.

The first three songs – ‘Limbo’, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘NOCD’ – fly by in a blur of fuzzy guitars, punky percussion, and moody vocals. They’re restless, cathartic laments about not being able to switch off, or switch back on when you most need to. The band channel not having a clear direction in life into well directed sounds on ‘What We Doin’, whilst the riotous ‘One Whole Summer’ is a strung out two and a half minutes about cutting loose, and the repercussions of going wild a little too often.

‘Controlling’ explores a toxic relationship, but the buoyant, surf-rock guitars distract from the darker context of the song. The same can be said for eponymous track ‘Take The Edge Off’, which does exactly that for just shy of two minutes. The band are “flitting between caring, and care free” on ‘Hostage’, and the manic instrumental mid-way through penultimate track ‘Scars’ is equally as freeing.

The joyfully named ‘Prick’ closes the record. It’s an infectious four minute take down of another toxic relationship, and the repeated line “You make me sick” will draw a wry smile across your face as you sing along to the catchy guitar riffs. Pet Crow firmly believe you can dance and sing your way through your problems, and Take The Edge Off will help you to do just the same.

Pre-order your copy of Pet Crow’s Take The Edge Off via Bandcamp
Follow Pet Crow on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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PREMIERE: bigfatbig – ‘Science’

If you’re fed up of casual dating and sick of being treated like a hole instead of a human being; bibgfatbig‘s debut single ‘Science’ will help to remedy that frustration. The trio’s blend of buoyant guitar melodies, crashing percussion and relatable lyrics are a welcome tonic against toxic masculinity.

With a friendship spanning over a decade, vocalist Robyn Walker and guitarist Katie Ryall began writing songs together as a way of privately putting the world to rights behind closed doors. As things progressed and more ideas flowed, the notion of taking their work to the stage became within reach, and once bass player Chaz Hall was recruited, bigfatbig became a reality.

Guitarist Katie extrapolates on the themes that fueled the band’s debut single ‘Science’: “Being single for the first time as an adult opened my eyes to modern casual relationships. The complexities that social media, free thinking, and a misogynistic world has had on 2018 “dating” weren’t a shock to me – I hadn’t been living under a rock – however, I also hadn’t considered how they could equal a lack of respect. Without going into detail, Science came after growing tired of being mistreated by men who believed that because a relationship is casual, respect doesn’t come into it. We all came to the conclusion of writing Science as a big “fuck you” to this – song writing is cathartic to us, and screaming this song every practice has certainly helped me navigate what it means to be a single adult.”

We’re thrilled that the bigfatbig grrrls have stepped out of their bedroom and on to the stage with their catchy, reassuring tunes. You can listen to ‘Science’ below, and you can catch the band live in their hometown of Newcastle at the Cumberland Arms on November 10th.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LIVE: The Big Moon – The Lexington 17.10.19

Joy incarnate: The Big Moon‘s sold out headline show at The Lexington on Thursday night was a playful, polished affair that left us grinning from ear to ear. The four-piece have been busy supporting The Pixies on their UK tour, but found time to debut some of their new material to excited fans for their final gig of 2019.

The band were left beaming after their affectionately dubbed “guinea pigs” responded with cheerful applause to song’s from their sophomore album, Walking Like We Do, which is set for release in January 2020. The tracks are filled with the same buoyant melodies and charming choruses as that of their debut, Love In The 4th Dimension, and are sure to be popular singles upon their official release.

Their set opened with a trio of classic Big Moon tracks: ‘Silent Move Susie’, ‘Sucker’, and ‘Formidable’. Delivered with trademark enthusiasm and superb vocal harmonies, it paved the way for a series of new songs including ‘It’s Easy Then’, followed by older material such as ‘The Road’ and ‘Cupid’ during the latter half of the set. Lead vocalist Juliette broke the fourth wall during crowd favourite ‘Bonfire’, raising the room temperature by more degrees than we cared to count.

Whilst The Big Moon’s music is undeniably infectious, it’s their camaraderie on stage that makes their live shows such a joy to witness. Juliette, Soph, Celia & Fern have an enviable chemistry; they bounce off of each other (sometimes literally) throughout their set, and always appear relaxed and at ease in each other’s company. Their attitude and their music shows that even in the darkest of times, there’s always a space for friends to come together to have fun and let go for a while.

This is proven once again during their performance of recent single ‘Your Light’ at the end of their set. Its luscious chorus and atmospheric keys fill the venue with a shiny sense of optimism, a feeling that’s enhanced by the reflections of the disco ball above the crowd’s heads. The Big Moon proved once again that they are stars in the making, and we’re one of many fans who were blinded by their glorious garage-pop light.

Pre-order your copy of The Big Moon’s new album, Walking Like We Do, here.

Follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Pooneh Ghana

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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