NEW TRACK: Piss Kitti – ‘Leather Forever’

Combining a healthy dose of cynicism and optimism in the same existential breath, Liverpool garage punks PISS KITTI have shared their bittersweet new single ‘Leather Forever’. Released via Venn Records (Gallows, Witch Fever, Bob Vylan, Meryl Streek) and accompanied by second track ‘I’m Jammed’, the AA single celebrates the feeling of breaking through a negative thought cycle and trying to find joy amidst the darkness and chaos of life.

Formed of Esme Brown (vocals), Clara Cicely (bass/backing vocals), Harry Jones (guitar) and Daniel Melia (drums), PISS KITTI strive to defy the monotony of everyday existence with their garage punk anthems. Born from Esme & Clara’s initial desire for better inclusivity and representation for queer people within the UK music scene and beyond, the band vent their frustrations through their music, sharing a similar ethos with Dream Wife and Amyl and the Sniffers, who they have supported on past tours. With ‘Leather Forever’ PISS KITTI push through their frustrations once more. “I don’t wanna die, I wanna live forever / if it all goes wrong, just bury me in leather” sings Esme in the track’s chant-worthy chorus, offering listeners a mantra for testing moments.

“‘Leather Forever’ is about the feeling of being in a dark place worrying about other people and feeling lost within yourself,” the band comment about their new single. “[It’s about] not wanting to be here anymore, but then a switch flicks and you realise everything is okay, noticing beauty in all the things that you never stopped and took the time to appreciate. That feeling when it’s been dark and rainy for a whole week, then you wake up one morning and the sun is beaming through your window and you can feel the heat and you get comfort from it.”

“‘I’m Jammed’ is about the times you get yourself stuck in a situation with someone you care about so much, but they aren’t being open and honest with you,” they continue. “You want them to open up to you but they keep doing things that let you down. You can’t stop forgiving them for their actions because you believe eventually they’ll see their mistakes and everything will be okay.”

PISS KITTI will be hitting the road throughout March and April, on a mix of UK headline dates, support slots with Grandma’s House and Bruise Control, and an appearance at Manchester Punk Festival.

Watch the video for ‘Leather Forever’ & see the band’s full live listings below.

PISS KITTI UK Live Dates 2023
20.02.23 – Manchester – The Peer Hat &
04.03.23 – Liverpool – Kazimier Stockroom
09.03.23 – Leeds – Oporto *
11.03.23 – Sheffield – Sidney & Matilda *
30.03.23 – Manchester – The Deaf Institute
08.04.23 – Manchester Punk Fest 2023
02.05.23 – Leicester – Duffys Bar ^
03.05.23 – Nottingham – Percy Picklebackers ^
04.05.23 – Liverpool – Quarry ^
05.05.23 – Sheffield – Sydney & Matilda ^
06.05.23 – Newport – The Cab ^

* w/ Grandma’s House
^ w/ Bruise Control
& w/ Ming City Rockers

Follow PISS KITTI on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Murman – ‘Falling Down’

Since forming back in 2018 via a Gumtree Ad, London-Brighton band Murman are now a refined four piece who’ve shared stages with the likes of Lucia and the Best Boys and Porridge Radio at esteemed venues such as The Scala and Camden Assembly. Now, following the success of recent singles ‘Baptism’ and ‘Achilles’, they have shared an infectious new offering.

Propelled by swirling, scuzzy hooks and an anthemic, emotion-filled drive, ‘Falling Down‘ oozes a gritty energy in the vein of rock greats such as Bruce Springsteen and The Killers, with an added unique colourful pizazz and impassioned swooning vocals. If you’re in need of an instantly catchy, joyously jangly slice of Americana-tinged garage-rock, then look no further… ‘Falling Down’ offers a perfectly danceable antidote to all of life’s worries. Of the track, the band explain:

“It’s one of those songs that just sticks with you and you keep hearing in your head. We feel incredibly privileged to have collaborated with extraordinarily talented people like Josh Hayward (The Horrors) who worked with us in the studio, Garmo Mandica who mixed and produced the song, and Swedish vocalist Wiktoria who is featured on backing vocals on the track... I’m a big fan of Blondie – I remember hearing ‘Dreaming’ for the first time and it was like a kick to the gut. I wanted ‘Falling Down’ to have that same impact.”

Watch the new video for ‘Falling Down’ now:

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with Fraulein 09.02.22

Tash, Kate & Mari were back on the Soho Radio airwaves playing loads of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists.

London-based grunge duo Joni & Karsten aka Fraulein joined them to talk about headlining the first GIHE gig of 2022 at The Victoria in Dalston, their upcoming tour dates with The Mysterines, what initially inspired them to start playing instruments and Joni’s upcoming rhythm guitar teaching workshop for First Timers Fest.

Listen back below:

 

Tracklist
Ronnie Spector – She Talks To Rainbows
Dropper – Ok Ok Ok
Brimheim – can’t hate myself into a different shape
SASAMI – Say It
LOBSTERBOMB – Sense
SPRINTS – Little Fix
Kim Gordon – Murdered Out
Moon Panda – Falling
LEYA ft. Julie Byrne – Glass Jaw
Novaa – The World’s Thing
SEA CHANGE – Is There Anybody There
Pearly – Silver Of The Mirror
Fraulein – Belly
**Fraulein Interview**
Bachelor – Back Of My Hand
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupil – Ceci n’est pas un cliché
Celine Love – Good Girl
MARIA BC – The Only Thing
Gazelle Twin – Hole In My Heart
Mitsune – Maru
Proper. – Milk & Honey
Double Helix – Rat Rave
Bluebook – Shake Shake
t l k – Frame of Ted
Bas Jan – Sex Cult
Queen Cult – Calm
Tits Up – Macho Bullshit
Sassyhiya – I Had A Thought
Nova Twins – Bullet

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ALBUM: Shoun Shoun – ‘Monsters & Heroes’

Truly exemplifying the do-it-yourself band ethos, Bristol-based four-piece Shoun Shoun (‘shoon-shoon’) have released their debut LP of genre-defying noise, Monsters & Heroes – a fuzz-drenched, lo-fi excursion into don’t-give-a-fuck art-punk experiments.

Following the release of their 2019 EP A Hundred Trips – five tracks of dreamy garage rock – lead vocalist and guitarist Annette Berlin began working with an uncontrollable urge to connect with music. Finding intimacy with sound during a time when the UK was in lockdown, a result of the continuing global pandemic, Berlin fought isolation with creativity. The result is Monsters & Heroes, a record that rewards repeat spins on the turntable.

Opening with Giuseppe La Rezza’s crashing drum assault and Berlin’s distorted guitar grunge, ‘Did I Play Games’ disorients the listener with its loud-soft-loud dynamic, a juxtaposition of propulsive rhythm and delicate psychedelia recounting that one occasion a friend drunkenly slept on Berlin’s kitchen floor: “Just let me lie here with nothing to do / As long as I lie here everything will wait.” Next, the highly danceable punk groove of ‘Much Sweeter’ enters the chaotic spirit of Kim Gordon and Sonic Youth, before Shoun Shoun lowers the tempo for the monotone ‘Sway with Me’, Berlin’s evocative lyrics swaying in ethereal feedback – “Feel your way through time and space.”

Recorded in a garage and mixed in a loft, the frustration of lockdown is captured perfectly by Berlin on ‘Stuck’, a pandemic prompted coping mechanism. Her loneliness is confronted by infectious basslines courtesy of Berlin’s neighbour and literal garage rock guitar, whilst ‘Follow Me’ rumbles with a slow burn of unpredictable melody. Boris Ming’s abrasive violin strings stand out amongst a cacophony of idiosyncratic instrumentation, whilst Berlin delivers a vocal performance eerily similar to Björk, pre-The Sugarcubes.

Psych-monstrosity ‘Toxic’ allows for eccentric synth experimentation from Ming, who instinctively lets loose across a scuzzy bassline from Ole Rudd, before the mood shifts into the uplifting poppy alt-rocker, ‘My Daughter’. The lysergic wail of the violin pierces through the hauntingly atmospheric Nick Cave-like soundscape of ‘Refresh & Replay’ before Berlin shifts language for album closer, ‘Schwing Mit Mir’ (or Swing With Me), a droning melody building towards a crescendo of Deutschpunk.

Monsters & Heroes is a fractured collection of songs, reflecting a fractured period of time; two years of emptiness defied by experimental ingenuity. Ignoring genre conventions, Shoun Shoun have crafted complex noise that is uniquely their own, delivering an infectious lockdown long play without compromise.

Follow Shoun Shoun on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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