WATCH: Ailbhe Reddy – ‘A Mess’

A lighthearted reflection on an early, chaotic relationship, Irish-born, London-based alt-folk artist Ailbhe Reddy has shared her latest single ‘A Mess’. Full of energetic guitar riffs, relatable lyrics and Reddy’s clear vocals, the track is a buoyant rumination on the cyclical nature of bad habits and a lively effort to move past them.

Following on from her recent single ‘Inhaling’ and her tender, intuitive debut album Personal History (2020), on ‘A Mess’ Reddy continues to balance the bittersweet nature of romantic relationships with her earnest and relatable lyrics. “The song is about not feeling good enough in a relationship and examining old patterns and habits,” she explains. “It’s about feeling fed up of going around in circles, while focusing on a throw away comment.”

Whilst the repetition of the title lyric could sting if it was delivered differently, Reddy claims it as a lighthearted label, accepting that youth and inexperience are all part of the learning process when it comes to forming healthy relationships. This humour is reflected in the single’s accompanying video, which sees Reddy fishing and dressed up as a surgeon, trying to dissect the moment that led to the relationship being branded ‘A Mess’.

“The video was directed by Georgia Kelly of CLTV,” she explains (an Irish production company who have created for videos Fontaines D.C., Denise Chaila, Pillow Queens and Inhaler.) “I wanted to keep the playfulness of the music alive in the video and make sure it was tongue and cheek rather than very serious. Georgia came up with a few scenarios that were funny representations of feeling ‘not good enough’ and giving up.”

Ailbhe Reddy will be performing at Visions Festival and Latitude this summer, with more live dates due to be announced soon.

Watch the video for ‘A Mess’ below.

Follow Ailbhe Reddy on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Collective Dublin (CLTV)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Horsegirl – ‘Versions Of Modern Performance’

With their debut album, Versions of Modern Performance, Horsegirl have translated the world of underground underage Chicago into 30 minutes of sludgy jubilation. Thudding drums, strangled guitar lines and catchy choruses: it’s a time-honoured formula, executed here with vigour and original flair.

The band produced this record as college freshmen and high school seniors and it is bursting with a fine balance of youthful exuberance and nuance beyond their years. Within a tight instrumental framework, the group explore a range of emphases and styles, from the more straightforward guitar pop of tunes like ‘Anti-Glory’ to textural instrumental interludes and the unusually weighted ‘Fall of Horsegirl’, in which the guitar foregrounds the vocal line.

The integrity of the artistic scene from which Horsegirl have emerged defines the sound, attitude and presentation of this music. The group are keen to champion the work of the network of fellow creatives too young to get into most concerts going on in Chicago and forced to organise shows and create among themselves. Their videos employ the talents of friends and peers who put their directorial and kitchen dancing skills to use in assertively homemade productions (check out the video for ‘Billy’). There is an infectious DIY enthusiasm in everything this band does, and this reverberates through Versions Of Modern Performance.

Undaunted by the transition from high school band to signees with heavyweight indie label Matador, the group have made a deliberate effort to remain faithful to the simple setup that has taken them this far. Describing this self-consciously as “the debut bare-bones album”, they bring the sound of their various basement rehearsal rooms to the studio. The choice of John Agnello as producer suits this aim to be true to the band’s roots, given that his CV, which includes Dinosaur Jr. and The Breeders, reads like a list of the influences you can hear working throughout the record.

Though this record takes many cues from the sound and approach of much of that American brand of alt rock that has been around since the mid-80s, the group make this sound their own. It feels like the natural outcome of three imaginative rock musicians playing in someone’s basement; an honest, instinctive debut free from contrived affectations.

Listen to Versions Of Modern Performance on bandcamp or Spotify

Follow Horsegirl on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Cheryl Dunn

Lloyd Bolton
@franklloydwleft
@lloyd_bolton

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LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio – 90s Bangerz 01.06.22

Tash & Kate were back in the Soho Radio studio playing loads of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ artists, with Mari offering some of her musical musings too.

Listen out for their 90s Bangerz section, where Tash remains committed to reviving the UK Garage scene, and Kate tries to deliver a cockney remix of Alanis Morissette’s classic anthem ‘You Oughta Know’…

Listen back below:

Tracklist
Maria Uzor – Donuts
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
Katy J Pearson – Alligator
VERO – She’s Scared Of Everything
Noga Erez – NAILS
Circe & Secret World Orchestra – It’s All Over
Porridge Radio – The Rip
SOAK – Swear Jar
Momma – Speeding 72
Horsegirl – Anti-Glory
L’Rain – Two Face
Celeste – Strange
Maria BC – The Only Thing
Hercules & Love Affair, ANOHNI – One
Sweet Female Attitude – Flowers
DJ Luck & MC Neat – A Little Bit Of Luck
The Cardigans – Lovefool
Hole – Awful
Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know
Bikini Kill – Rebel Girl
Nirvana – Lithium
JJ72 – October Swimmer
HAAi, Jon Hopkins – Baby We’re Ascending
Real Big Sky – Another Day
LibraLibra – Fancy Car
Cheerbleederz – Nail Biters
Ruby Gill – Public Panic Attacks
Miss Leading – Woke
Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love

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Track Of The Day: Real Big Sky – ‘Another Day’

A fluctuating, brooding guitar tune that swells with anticipation, Gothenburg four-piece Real Big Sky have shared their latest single ‘Another Day’. Taken from the band’s self-titled debut album which is set for release this summer, the track blurs powerful riffs with distant, elusive vocals to create a powerful four and a half minutes of swirling, enigmatic sound.

Originally created as a distraction for multi-instrumentalist Sara Kleppe (You Break, You Buy, Gold Baby) during the Covid-19 lockdowns here in the UK in 2020, Real Big Sky began life as a solo project which Kleppe worked on at home in her bedroom in Hackney. Making good use of her time during an unpredictable year, Kleppe picked up her old electric guitar and began working out songs and sounds that would eventually form the eight tracks on Real Big Sky’s album. Kleppe relocated back to her native Sweden in 2021, and now Real Big Sky have now blossomed into a full band, made up of her friends and family members.

With the help of friend & long-term collaborator Luca Romano – who also played drums and was on recording, mixing and production duties for the record – Real Big Sky’s sound is now fully fleshed and ready to be released into the world. The band’s previous singles ‘Long Lost’ and ‘Jess‘ were perfect introductions to their heavy, introspective noise, and their latest single ‘Another Day’ continues to flow in this vein.

“I wanted to experiment with introducing new elements to a song as it went along, but still try to keep it as coherent as possible,” explains Kleppe about the process of writing ‘Another Day’. “Changing dynamics throughout a song is something I try to give a lot of attention to, as well as trying to break free from the standard song structure.”

Listen to ‘Another Day’ below.

 

Follow Real Big Sky on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Johanna Kleppe

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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