LISTEN: ALT BLK ERA – ‘Misfits: SOLAR’

Combining jagged electronics and racing beats with their raging lyrics to create another alternative statement of self autonomy, genre-defying sister duo ALT BLK ERA have shared their latest single ‘Misfits: SOLAR’. Taken from their upcoming EP, Freak Show, which is set for release on 1st September, the track is a frenzied anthem fuelled by the band’s antagonistic, youthful spirit.

Formed of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, ALT BLK ERA create tenacious alternative tunes designed to showcase their vivid personalities. Inspired by the likes of Ho99o9, Nova Twins, Hacktivist, The Prodigy and Billie Eilish, they blur the boundaries of pop punk, nu-metal, rap and electronic music to form their riotous sounds.

Refusing to be pigeonholed, the pair explore and vent their frustrations about life through their music, with latest single ‘Misfits: SOLAR’ flowing in this vein. Unapologetic until the last breath, the track is a vehement warning to those who stand in ALT BLK ERA’s way: “If you treat us wrong / we won’t hold our tongues”. With their raucous dual vocals, the duo continue to reinforce their narrative of independence and celebrate their alternative outlook, pushing back against the haters and the gatekeepers.

ALT BLK ERA have a busy summer of live performances ahead of them. Fresh from playing Glastonbury Festival and supporting STRAIGHT GIRL for our GIHE July gig at The Shacklewell Arms (check out some amazing photos from the night here) they’ll be playing Reading & Leeds festivals at the end of August, as well as two headline shows in London and Nottingham in September. Full dates and details below.

Listen to ‘Misfits: SOLAR’ here:

ALT BLK ERA UK Tour Dates 2023
Aug 25th – Reading Festival
Aug 26th – Leeds Festival
Sep 13th – The Grace, London (Headline Show)
Sep 16th – Beta, Nottingham (Headline Show)

Follow ALT BLK ERA on bandcamp, Spotify, Tik Tok, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Fabrice Gagos

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Divide and Dissolve – ‘Systemic’

“If you can imagine something ending, then it can end,” offered Divide and Dissolve‘s saxophonist and guitarist Takiaya Reed during an interview with Get In Her Ears back in 2021. Visualising a world without injustice is at the core of what Divide and Dissolve do. Their uniquely heavy sound is designed to erode the foundations of colonialism and liberate the land for indigenous communities.

Since the release of their debut album, BASIC, in 2017, Reed and her bandmate percussionist Sylvie Nehill have been honing their unique form of gargantuan-yet-graceful noise in order to help cauterize the wounds of colonialism. Their 2018 album, Abomination, and third record Gas Lit (2021) continued this necessary aural purge. Now, the band have shared their fourth offering, Systemic, and it’s equally as commanding and as poignant as its predecessors.

Released via Invada Records and produced by Ruban Neilson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Systemic continues to push Divide and Dissolve’s essential, empowering message into the ether. Fuelled by Reed’s distinctive, doom-ridden saxophone sounds and Nehill’s phenomenal percussion, the nine tracks that make up Systemic seek to undermine the separateness that colonialism enforces, and instead, engage listeners from all walks of life, uniting them in a sometimes blissful, but more often blisteringly heavy cacophonies of resistance.

From atmospheric opener ‘Want’ and the beautifully dense sounds of ‘Blood Quantum’, through to the majestic closing track ‘Desire’, Systemic is permeated with an altruistic blend of both overwhelming fury and unyielding optimism. Whether listeners are being pummelled by the crushing beats and riffs on ‘Simulacra’, or being lulled by the striking, melancholic sax sounds on the intro to ‘Indignation’ – before being hit with an obliterating volume shift two minutes in – Divide and Dissolve’s dynamic instrumentals assault the senses and reflect the complexities of the emotions and concepts they’re inspired by, including the strength of non-verbal communication.

The only words on Systemic are uttered on ‘Kingdom Of Fear’ by Minori Sanchiz-Fung, who the band have worked with on their previous records. “I have pleaded / let me return these songs to the dirt / cognizant of the wound / that has yet to heal” the Venezulan artist quietly urges, articulating and acknowledging the dispossession that occurs in the aftermath of colonial violence. This message resonates deeper alongside the band’s sublime, drone-like score.

Changing the heavy music landscape one record at a time, the patience and empathy that underscores Divide and Dissolve’s sound inspires a deep sense of awe and respect. “The album is a prayer to our ancestors,” Reed offers about Systemic, and what an awe-inspiring ode it is.

Divide and Dissolve’s new album Systemic is available to buy here

Follow Divide and Dissolve on bandcamp, Instagram, Spotify, Twitter & Facebook

Photo Credit: Yatri Niehaus

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: ALT BLK ERA – ‘I’m Normally Like This’

Embracing the power of their individuality and refusing to let the opinions of others impact the way they express themselves, genre-defying sister duo ALT BLK ERA have shared their latest single ‘I’m Normally Like This’. Fuelled by their antagonistic and joyful spirit, the track is a cathartic rage-dance anthem that celebrates the freedom that comes with championing your own creativity in alternative music scenes and beyond.

Formed of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, ALT BLK ERA create tenacious alternative anthems designed to showcase their vivid personalities. Inspired by the likes of Ho99o9, Nova Twins, Hacktivist, The Prodigy and Billie Eilish, they blur the boundaries of pop punk, nu-metal, rap and electronic music to form their riotous sounds. Refusing to be pigeonholed, the pair splice these genres together to explore and vent their frustrations about life, and new single ‘I’m Normally Like This’ does exactly that. “I don’t give a damn if you like it / I’m normally like this!” they chant, over a backdrop of jagged electronics and dense dance-inspired beats. Their defiant vocals hammer home the message that being yourself is the best way to push back against the haters and the gatekeepers.

ALT BLK ERA have a busy summer of live performances ahead of them. They’ll be playing Glastonbury Festival on the Shangri-La Truth Stage on 23rd June, plus the band will be playing as main support for our GIHE summer gig with STRAIGHT GIRL at The Shacklewell Arms on Friday 7th July! Grab a ticket on DICE now.

The band have also announced two headline shows in September. Full details below.

Listen to ‘I’m Normally Like This’ here:

ALT BLK ERA UK Tour Dates 2023
Jun 23: Glastonbury Festival (Shangri-La Truth Stage)
July 07: London, The Shacklewell Arms (GIHE show, supporting STRAIGHT GIRL)
Sep 13: London The Grace (Headline Show)
Sep 16: Nottingham Beta (Headline Show)

Follow ALT BLK ERA on bandcamp, Spotify, Tik Tok, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: CLT DRP – ‘Nothing Clever, Just Feelings’

Following on from their visceral, incendiary anthem ‘New Boy‘, Brighton feminist art punks CLT DRP have shared their latest single ‘Nothing Clever, Just Feelings’. The title track from their upcoming second album, which is set for release on 8th September via Venn Records, ‘Nothing Clever, Just Feelings’ is a thumping, primal, tenacious offering that champions the immediacy and the transitory nature of thoughts and emotions.

CLT DRP blew us away when they performed at The Great Escape Festival earlier this year, with this new single providing one of many highlights during their set. Fuelled by Annie’s powerful, crystalline vocals, Daphne’s phenomenal percussion and Scott’s jagged guitar FX, ‘Nothing Clever, Just Feelings’ is a cathartic anthem that celebrates the act of feeling your emotions without over-analysing them. “I’m learning to manage my distractions / I’m getting better at talking less shit” Annie sings, her defiance and directness as intoxicating as the cacophony of potent noise behind her.

“This is the title track for a reason!” she explains about the single. “Desperation, anger, confusion—ALL the feelings. I think I spent a lot of time when I was younger trying to be clever about lyrics. I wanted to try and be witty or something ‘mature’. As a younger woman in the industry, I felt like I wasn’t going to be taken seriously writing the way I did. I quickly realised that the music I listen to the most is nothing like that, so why would I try and emulate something I don’t even listen to? The lyrics I connect with are always straight forward emotions or familiar scenarios that I can identify right away when I first hear a song. Being present in the lyrics and emotions are important to me as a lyricist. I want you in the car with your friends screaming the lyrics at full blast cursing your ex! That’s what this song is supposed to do.”

This desire for unfiltered self-expression permeates CLT DRP’s new album. Nothing Clever, Just Feelings touches on themes of queerness, heartbreak, new-found strength in vulnerability and gender fluidity, as well as new-found femininity in humour and the fear of being alone. We can’t wait to hear it!

Watch the accompanying video for ‘Nothing Clever, Just Feelings’ directed by Harry Steel (Haunted Mattress) below.

Follow CLT DRP on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Bridie Florence

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment