Track Of The Day: EFÉ -‘KIWI’

A laid back, breezy mix of dreamy vocals and hazy guitar riffs, Dublin based musician Anita Ikharo aka EFÉ has shared her latest single ‘KIWI’. Taken from her upcoming EP, VITAMIN-C, which is set for release in June, the track is a charming slice of indie pop that showcases the young artist’s ear for catchy melodies and sees her fully relaxing into her songwriting capabilities.

Co-produced with her best friend who.killed.romeo and mixed by Ben Baptie (Rex Orange County, Little Simz, Moses Sumney), ‘KIWI’ is EFÉ’s first new release since her 2020 self-made debut EP, What Should We Do This Summer?. Featuring singles ‘Garden’ and ‘Table For Two’, the record propelled EFÉ into the spotlights of the London and Miami music scenes, an experience that overwhelmed, but did not deter her from writing the songs for VITAMIN-C – with ‘KIWI’ being the first taste of what fans can expect from the record.

Accompanied by a music video which was conceptualised, directed and edited by EFÉ and her friends, the visuals reflect the artist’s fears about being unprepared and insecure in a situation she’s not entirely comfortable with. Full of bright colours and playful imagery, the footage beautifully underscores ‘KIWI’s buoyant sound.

“The video has a storyline of a girl who goes camping, she’s brought her laptop, fairy lights and cute magazines, but she can’t light a fire or even hunt for food,” EFÉ explains. “She is super scared cause she sees a bear but then she falls in love with the bear. It was definitely hard to make because it was very necessary that the right location was chosen as well as the right bear costume and right people to work with. I did cry a whole lot, scared nothing would come out right. I had so much fear around the video because of the huge pressure I put on myself to make it good. I also worked on some of the editing and colour grading so there was a lot I had creative control over. I think it was worth it in the end though and shows that hard work and the right people around can really pay off!”

Being around the right people has helped EFÉ blossom into the indie pop artist she is, something which was also aided by reading Rachel Chinouriri’s open letter to the music industry – in which she explained how she has been consistently and wrongly stereotyped as an R&B artist throughout her career – in January this year. Inspired by Rachel Chinouriri words, EFÉ simply wants to make her own music without the incorrect input of those who are clearly not listening to her music.

Listen to ‘Kiwi’ below.

Follow EFÉ on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Tik Tok

Photo Credit: Adam Kelleher

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Muna Ileiwat – ‘Stuck’

A delicate rumination on the way our self-perception changes over time, London-based musician Muna Ileiwat has shared her latest single ‘Stuck’. Previously releasing through her own record label Galang, which is dedicated to promoting women and non-binary musicians of colour, Muna’s latest offering is a gentle blend of tender vocals, atmospheric keys and soft beats, exploring shifting emotions and articulating a persistent feeling of uncertainty.

Inspired by her experiences of growing up in disparate cultures and spaces, Muna Ileiwat writes songs about love and displacement, looking for a sense of comfort and understanding through her nostalgic indie pop sounds. On ‘Stuck’ she moves through differing states of emotion in a soft, lullaby style, reflecting on the dual nature of trying to move forward whilst you are still struggling to accept what may have happened in the past.

“‘Stuck’ is a song of longing,” Muna explains. “It’s the intangible feeling of sadness and joy in the space between the certainty of the past, and the uncertainty of what is to come. It’s about forming close relationships that disperse and eventually break. It’s about returning to a place that no longer feels like your own.”

‘Stuck’ is the first taste of new music from Muna in 2022 and she will be releasing new songs throughout the year, as well as a debut EP this summer.

Listen to ‘Stuck’ below.

Follow Muna Ileiwat on Apple Music, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Abi Sinclair

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: My Idea – ‘Cry Mfer’

‘Cry Mfer’ is the title track from My Idea’s upcoming debut album. It’s melancholic with a nostalgia that simultaneously channels ’80s shoegaze and the perfect US alt-pop you’d find on ’90s teen TV soundtracks (and yes, fellow ’80s babies, I’m talking Dawson’s Creek). Yet the song’s glitchy, steadying beats give it a modern electronic twist that brings it right up to date.

The band, comprising of Palberta’s Lily Konigsberg and Water from Your Eyes’ Nate Amos, admit they were both spiralling when they made ‘Cry Mfer’; it’s a sort-of soundtrack to their collective breaking point. You can hear that sense of chaos in the bittersweet lyrics, and in the song’s urgency. However, Konigsberg’s sweet and spiky vocal that oozes atop the dreamy production still make ‘Cry Mfer’ feel like a polished pop gem.

By channelling their pain into pop perfection, My Idea has bring us a song that you can both sob and shimmy to. Now sober and – in Konigsberg’s words – “getting my life together”, the band’s future potential feels limitless. 

My Idea’s debut album, also entitled Cry Mfer, is set for release on 22nd April via Hardly Art.

Vic Conway
@thepicsofvic

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Track Of The Day: Peaness – ‘How I’m Feeling’

Having just announced the release of their debut album, and with acclaim from the likes of Marc Riley on BBC 6Music and Maximo Park’s Paul Smith, Chester trio Peaness have shared a new taster of what’s to come from the upcoming LP. 

Following their buoyant last single ‘What’s The Use?’, ‘How I’m Feeling‘ is propelled by a sunny, playful energy as it offers a reflection on the self-loathing and melancholy that can come from being stuck in an unfulfilling job, whilst offering a glistening sense of hope that, with a bit of determination, you can make a positive change. Oozing glossy, honey-sweet vocals and uplifting, jangling hooks, it’s a perfectly vibrant blast of shimmering punk-pop, set to cheer even the dreariest of January days.

Watch the quirky, cute new video for ‘How I’m Feeling’ here:

World Full Of Worry, the debut album from Peaness, is set for release on 6th May via the band’s own Totally Snick Records. Pre-order here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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