NEW TRACK: Touch Excellent – ‘Record’

A tenacious anthem that takes aim at the failures of the healthcare system when it comes to treating women, non-binary and transgender folks, Touch Excellent have shared their debut single ‘Record’. Fuelled by the Dublin-based band’s collective anger, the track is a brief but powerful blast of attention-grabbing pop punk noise.

Playfully self-describing themselves as “Ireland’s most transgender band (surely)”, Touch Excellent create raw, frenzied, politically-driven cacophonies that are designed to dismantle the systems that oppress us. Together, Lenny (vocals/bass), Ló (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Amber (drums) transform their feelings of hopelessness and injustice into loud, cathartic, catchy anthems that address the issues facing young people today.

Their debut single ‘Record’ is inspired by the band members own experiences with the medical system, the recent Cervical Check scandal in Ireland, and the ongoing fight for reproductive rights around the world. The song is laced with medical imagery and descriptions of procedures that will be familiar to many women, and the band hope the track will offer a moment for rage, respite and relief in spite of these stressful moments.

Describing themselves as “a band for people who care about the issues and love a good live gig,” 2023 looks set to be an exciting year for Touch Excellent. The four piece played a show at Anseo on Camden Street in Ireland last night (May 25th) to celebrate the release of their debut single ‘Record’, and they will be releasing more material later in the year.

Listen to ‘Record’ below.

Follow Touch Excellent on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: Walk In Coma – ‘Suffer’

A riff-heavy, full on assault on the ear drums, Essex-based metal band Walk In Coma have shared their latest single ‘Suffer’. Full of corrosive vocals, thundering guitar sounds and blistering beats, the track is a cathartic rumination on emotional endurance, and the second single to be lifted from the band’s upcoming EP, HUMAN CONDITION.

Formed of Alex Adlington, Mark Elliott, Tom Case and Nicole Lastauskas, Walk In Coma are influenced by the heavy sounds of SkipKnot, Lamb Of God and Architects. To date, the band have supported bands like Funeral For A Friend and Breed 77 on their UK tour dates, and they released their debut EP, NARRENTURM, back in 2015. Now, the Essex metallers are gearing up to share their forthcoming new EP, which was recorded during the uncertainty of the latter part of the Covid-19 pandemic back in 2021.

Mined from the depths of Walk In Coma’s “hallucinatory nightmares”, new cut ‘Suffer’ is accompanied by a chaotic video, shot by Gallow Wood Media. The frenzied and bizarre visuals are inspired by David Lynch’s dark cinematic imagery and feature the band, who are adorned in pig masks and splattered with blood as they rip through their relentless new single.

Alongside their EP release, Walk In Coma have a string of gigs and festival appearances lined up over the summer, including a slot at grassroots festival Breaking Bands alongside Healthy Junkies and DROWND. You can find full details of their live shows by visiting their website here.

Watch the video for ‘Suffer’ below.

Follow Walk In Coma on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Richard Gatecliffe (@1dxrich)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: REWS – ‘Not Your Soldier’

Following on from previous single ‘Misery‘, Bristol-based pop rock outfit REWS have shared their latest track ‘Not Your Soldier’. Full of the band’s trademark gritty riffs, passionate vocals and pop rock energy, the new song is a cathartic anthem designed to empower listeners and encourage them to reject the expectations of others in order to live an authentic life.

Created and fronted by Northern Irish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Shauna Tohill, REWS have been busy recording new material after a string of live shows last year, including a support slot with Therapy?. Now, with the release of their new single, REWS are gearing up for a busy year, fueled by the determined spirit that underscores their new track.

“’Not Your Soldier’ is a song about taking control of your own life, rejecting the pressure to conform to others people’s expectations, and making choices that benefit our planet and every living being on it,” Tohill explains about the song. “In a world with so much uncertainty, its important to embrace our true selves and stand up for what we believe in, so I hope people feel empowered by this track!” Tohill has transformed her feelings of frustration and uncertainty into another vibrant pop rock anthem.

The single is also accompanied by a video, shot by Shona Cutt and edited by Tohill. The visuals feature the songwriter causing chaos in the kitchen, whipping up some seriously unappetizing treats whilst belting out the chorus to the new song.

Watch the video for ‘Not Your Soldier’ below.

Follow REWS on Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Shona Cutt

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Hannah Jadagu – ‘Aperture’

Blurring the lines between pop, shoegaze, hip hop and grunge, Texas-born, New York-based musician Hannah Jadagu‘s debut album Aperture is a bright, kaleidoscopic collection of heart-on-sleeve indie anthems. Released via Sub Pop, the record’s title – defined as both “an opening, hole or gap” and as the “space through which light passes in an optical or photographic instrument” – hints at the way the artist processes and filters her musings on family ties, personal growth and epiphanies about life, love and religion. The result is a shimmering collection of guitar-based tunes that reflect Jadagu’s vibrant talent as a songwriter.

The follow up to her 2021 EP, What Is Going On?, also released via Sub Pop, Jadagu’s debut full length is a real step up. Her simple but effective method of using Garageband iOS and her iPhone 7 to produce and record her five track EP in her bedroom, has been subbed in for time in a professional recording studio alongside French songwriter and producer Max Robert Baby. Whilst her environment and set up may have changed, the result remains the same: Aperture deftly captures Jadagu’s personal-yet-universal approach to songwriting; it just feels more polished and precise.

“Every track on this album, except for ‘Admit It’, was written first on guitar, which is an instrumental throughline,” Jadagu explains about the process. “The blanket of synths I use throughout helps me move between sensibilities. There’s rock Hannah, there’s hip-hop Hannah, and so on. I didn’t want any of the songs to sound too alike.” This desire to thread her collective influences and experiences together underscores Aperture.

From the tender, slow-building opener ‘Explanation’, to the combination of hip hop-inspired beats, ambient guitar tones and buzzier riffs that cut through on ‘Warning Sign’, right up to her buoyant ruminations on final track ‘Your Thoughts Are Ur Biggest Obstacle’, Jadagu’s charming vocals lead her navigation through genres and emotional learning curves. The songwriter’s self doubt melts away when it’s pushed through a vocoder on the latter, allowing listeners to drift off into the ether with her.

There are two tracks that stand out on the record: ‘What You Did’ and ‘Admit It’. The driving beats and jangly, reverb-laden riffs on the first are totally infectious, enhanced by Jadagu’s cutting lyrics and bittersweet vocal delivery. The latter is a hazy, humble ode to her older sister, who Jadagu refers to as “the blueprint”. She made the reluctant songwriter join the local children’s chorus when they were younger, an experience which Jadagu says she “hated”, but was core to her learning how to harmonize, as well as being able to recognise and write melody.

Reflections on her upbringing – which are also underscored by her relationship to, and growing distance from Christianity – permeate Aperture, simultaneously giving the record its intimate-yet-omnipresent feeling. Whether she’s working through feelings of frustration on ‘Say It Now’, or drifting away on a cloud of melancholic bedroom-pop on ‘Dreaming’, Jadagu’s shimmering guitar tones, catchy beats and emotive lyrics are the bittersweet soundtrack to growth in all its forms.

Follow Hannah Jadagu on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Sam Wilbert

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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