Track Of The Day: Maya Lakhani – ‘Nightfall’

An invigorating haunt makes for a sonic thunderstorm in the latest from British-Indian artist, Maya Lakhani. In her highly anticipated third single, ‘Nightfall‘, Maya leads us through a forest of dark sounds at the guidance of her dynamic voice. Displaying an explosive level of capability in bedroom studio production, Lakhani makes her impressive mark.

With instrumentals reminiscent of PJ Harvey and Garbage, ‘Nightfall’ pairs grunge influences with Maya’s captivating and bewitching vocals, channelling inspiration from modern rock vocalists like Evanescence’s Amy Lee or Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante. Guitar tracks topped with modest layers of reverb elongate the soundscape and foster a thick, overdriven mix felt in the chest. Energetic yet washy drums perpetuate the urgency of the track and support Maya’s guitar leads in just the right way.

Inspired by bad habits and unexpected dark thoughts, Maya captures her vulnerability by embodying emotional experiences in her lyrics – “I am holding on when night falls, for my life.” With a commitment to endure even the darkest of ventures, ‘Nightfall’ creates its own city of hopeful lights, all from a single bedroom.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

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LISTEN: About Bunny – ‘Special’

A fuzzy, racing guitar tune that smoulders with riotous attitude, London-based four piece About Bunny have shared their debut single ‘Special’. Self-released via Kartel music, the track is full of buzzing bass lines, grungy guitars and sardonic yet sweet vocals, inspired by the likes of Garbage and Blondie.

Formed of Jemma Mckenzie-Brown (vocals), Alex Malseed (bass), Karl Hopkins (guitar) and Luke Coare (drums), About Bunny met in London and bonded over a mutual love of Debbie Harry, dancing and pre-pandemic nights out. The group managed to play their first show earlier this year opening for VUKOVI at their Banquet Records gig, just before the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to live music.

Undeterred by the current state of affairs, About Bunny have shared ‘Special’, providing listeners with all the beats and riffs they need to rock out in the safety of their own homes. It’s the first offering from the band’s upcoming EP which is set for release in 2021, and it’s an exciting glimpse into their punk-infused, intensely catchy sounds.

Listen to ‘Special’ below.

Follow About Bunny on Spotify, Twitter & Instagram for more updates.

About Bunny’s bassist Alex was also a guest on our Hoxton Radio show last year talking about her work with Girls Rock London. You can listen back to our chat with her here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Sarasara

One Little Indian Records signee Sarasara is set to release her second album Orgone on the 5th of July which she co-produced with Liam Howe of label-mates Sneaker Pimps (Nülifer Yanya, FKA Twigs, Tom Vek, Lana Del Rey) and it looks set to be a versatile, experimental delight.

Sung mostly in French and dealing with themes of suicidal thoughts, existentialism and meditation, Sarasara moved from Paris to Margate at the beginning of 2018 to write her new record, which features collaborative tracks with Peter Doherty of The Libertines. We caught up with Sarasara ahead of her headline show at St Pancras Old Church on Thursday 4th July (tickets here) to talk about her “Five Favourite” albums – five albums that have influenced her songwriting techniques. Check out her choices below…

1. Malik Djoudi – Cinema
I’ve discovered Malik’s music recently when he played with me in New York at France Rocks festival, the very first show of my Orgone tour. I fell in love instantly, his live show was so good and his songs so catchy. Me and my team are currently touring in Asia and Europe and we’ve been listening to him like crazy people. His definitely part of our tour playlist.

2. ASAP ROCKY – Testing
I love a bit of American rap & hip hop sometimes. I think this one is a bit of a UFO, I look forward to it every-time I listen to Testing, the album, I love the vibe, it takes you back to America. I would love to work on a rap project at some point, I have absolutely no idea how, but I love the idea of a new challenge, it’s exciting.

3. Tricky – False Idols
I’ve always been a fan of Massive Attack, Tricky solo projects included, and it is an absolute honour to have had my production sound compared to his, but it was never my plan when I started to write music. Lately, I’ve been thinking there’s probably something for me to learn from this because it keeps coming up, and I’ve been digging into his old albums again. False Idols and Adrian Thaws are two masterpiece albums for me. ‘Parenthesis’ is one of my favorite songs ever.

4. Garbage – Garbage
I’ve been listening to Garbage since I was a teenager. I discovered them when I was maybe 12, 13 years old, via Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, Shirley Manson was playing a gig at the Bronze, which is the music venue where the Scooby gang goes every night. It made me want to dig into their music. Then I discovered Garbage and Garbage 2.0 which are two brilliant albums. At that time for me, Shirley Manson was really impressive and I was seeing her as a role model, a powerful front woman, a rebel. She was singing boldly, screaming stuff like “Make the beat go harder”, wearing crazy outfits in crazy music videos. That’s what I was feeling like at that time, rebel and raw. I remember I got kicked out of school for several days because I arrived there one day with bright pink hair, nose piercing and massive boots, I just wanted to look like her but teachers thought it was “a bit much” . Anyway, I heard the song ‘Milk’ several times randomly while on tour, so I’m listening to the album G again.

5. MONOLOC – Drought
I’ve got a thing for dark techno. I’ve been following Sascha since his debut on Chris Liebing Recordings. I love his way of incorporating techno music and his aesthetics. I can feel soul in his productions, there’s the dark and raw side, but there’s also always a touch of gentleness somehow. I love the combination of both. I think he definitely stands out from the crowd. I am really honoured and proud that he remixed my single ‘Blood Brothers’, first extract of my upcoming album Orgone, the result is stunning. I can’t wait for it to be released.

Thanks to Sarasara for sharing her choices with us. Follow her on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Ioanna Gika – ‘Out Of Focus’

Inspired by her Greek heritage and an emotional realisation after unexpected familial grief; Ioanna Gika has shared her new single ‘Out Of Focus’. Taken from her debut album Thalassa, which is set for release on 5th April via Sargent House, the song is a gentle and ornate example of Ioanna’s songwriting talent.

The single is accompanied by a self-directed music video, featuring world surf champion Jake Caster masked as the Greek God Pan. Ioanna’s album Thalassa takes its name from the primeval spirit of the sea, and her unusual treatment of mythical figures makes for a surreal set of visuals. Whilst her music has a strong sense of melancholy to it, her vocals and lyricism are as cutting and powerful as the waves Caster is chasing in the video.

Speaking about her upcoming album, Ioanna explains: “A series of deaths drew me home to Greece. The city of childhood memories was in disrepair. I drove past painted swastikas towards burial sites. I said goodbyes and grieved for those I didn’t get to say goodbye to. Thalassa is about going through change that is unwanted yet unstoppable. It is a document of the dread, the adrenaline, and the surrender in the moments when you realise the only way to survive the wave, is to brace yourself and go through.”

Ioanna will be supporting Garbage across the US in May as part of a Spring tour around the release of Thalassa. European dates will follow soon. Listen to ‘Out Of Focus’ below and follow Ioanna on Facebook for more updates.

Pre-order your copy of Ioanna Gika’s debut album Thalassa here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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