Track Of The Day: Grizzly Coast – ‘Catch & Release’

Buoyant guitars riffs and feel-good melodies permeate ‘Catch & Release, the latest single from Grizzly Coast. Lifted from her upcoming EP, Party of One, which is set for release later this year, the track is an optimistic look at life without limits or setbacks.

Based in Toronto, Grizzly Coast (aka Alannah Kavanagh) originally began as an acoustic songwriter before fleshing out her sound with a full band under the new moniker. Her previous singles ‘Half Light Boy’, ‘High-Functioning’, and ‘Forever’ focus on the hyper-awareness she has of herself and her relationships, but on new track ‘Catch & Release’, Kavanagh seems to have come to terms with living life with a little less anxiety.

“Classic catch and release” she casually laments in the song’s chorus, over upbeat percussion and uplifting melodies. “A party of one has begun” she muses further, accepting that living life for yourself is not only completely acceptable; it’s also a complete joy. Listen to ‘Catch & Release’ below and follow Grizzly Coast on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

 

Photo Credit: Hailey Uens

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Mourn – ‘Call You Back’

An edgy, relatable exploration of the anxieties around answering the phone; MOURN have shared their latest single, ‘Call You Back’. Released via Captured Tracks, the band have managed to turn their feelings of unease into an instantly gratifying, cathartic guitar tune.

Boldly opening with the repeated lyric “I’d rather die”, the Catalan three-piece are quick to communicate their dread about a seemingly easy task, but then confess on a more personal note: “before letting you know how I feel about you.” MOURN are adept at tapping into universal insecurities, providing a personal angle, and deconstructing them through indie guitar hooks and powerful vocals.

Since the release of their 2019 album, Sorpresa Familia, MOURN have undergone a lineup change (drummer Antonio Postius left the band), and severed ties with their former Spanish label. It’s fair to say the band have done a lot of growing up, and this is reflected in their current single. “I admire you, and it’s hard to realise that you might be wrong” the band admit on ‘Call You Back’, rooting their lyricism in a more mature reality.

The accompanying video for ‘Call You Back’ was (ironically) shot on the band’s smart phones, as they were unable to create the music video they had planned due to Spain’s current lockdown. The result is an inventive, witty set of visuals that communicate the band’s desire to escape their anxieties. Watch the video below, and follow MOURN on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Cristian Colomer Cavallari

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Introducing Interview: Monks In The Wood

Having spent the last year changing their line-up and writing new songs, South London band Monks In The Wood create lyrically poignant offerings oozing a twinkling musicality and heartfelt raw emotion.

Reflecting on human behaviour and “all the sorts of crazy things human beings believe, prioritise and do”, new single ‘Patterns’ showcases the band’s majestic shimmering charm and powerful storytelling abilities.

We caught up with Charlotte Nordin, who has recently joined the band on keys and vocals, to find out more…

Hi Charlotte, welcome to Get In Her Ears! For those who don’t know, can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
Hi Mari! Thank you for having me! I’m a Stockholm-born musician and DJ living in London since 2016. I’ve been working full time in the music since I moved here and I love it! I recently started teaching music and art as well in schools around London, which is definitely an extension of my passion. Teaching is what I studied when I was in Stockholm. 

How did you initially decide to start creating music?
I learned very early on that I loved making music and writing songs. I used to tell my friends I couldn’t see them and instead stood by the stereo in my room, pressing record and play, and singing over tracks, haha! My dad was really into music as well and got me these eJay studio music sample PC games that I started to play around with in the late ’90s. It quickly evolved to getting Cubase, microphones and teaching myself how to play the keyboard and guitar. As an angry angst-ridden teenager I realised quickly that singing and making music was the only non-destructive thing that could make me feel better. And it has continued throughout my entire life. 

And how did you first get involved with Monks In The Wood?
After a couple years being a one woman musician in London I finally signed up to find other musicians online. Monks In The Wood popped up and they needed someone for keys and vocals, and I really liked their image and sound. After meeting them to jam a couple times in Peckham, I’ve been 100% on the Monks In The Wood train, haha. 

The band have been compared to the likes of The Shins and Local Natives, and we love the band’s twinkling dreamy vibes, but who would you personally cite as your main musical influences?
Well, we are five band members with pretty different musical influences to bring to the pot. My personal thought listening to the music when I joined was that it has major Kent-vibes. Kent is a famous Swedish alt-rock band with some shoegaze influences and that dreamy sound that Monks In The Wood also has. Since Kent is one of my own biggest music influences, it’s not strange that I felt at home in the Monks sound straight away. 

How do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Well, I don’t really know… It’s definitely both good and bad that social media and the online world provides easy access to be seen and also finding new music. I feel like it’s a big ocean of amazing talent out there and if you don’t stick your elbows out, be unique and keep on people’s radar, you drown in the noise of others. As a new upcoming band, it can be quite draining, but also exciting, since it’s easy to connect with new contacts. 

It’s that time of year when normally we’d be getting excited about the upcoming summer festivals… Sadly of course things are all a bit on hold at the moment. But what festivals would you normally be looking forward to?
Oh I love festivals! One of the best ones I’ve been to is Rock Werchter in Belgium. It’s well-structured, audience is mixed and it has a mix of music genres as well. I saw bands like Placebo, The Prodigy and Dave Matthews Band. The worst festival I’ve been to is Openair Frauenfeld, a hip hop festival in Switzerland. I came for Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill, but the festival goers were all under 16 years old and quite rude – it was a very weird vibe! I ended up barely going into the festival grounds at all. My all-time favourite festival is Open’er Festival in Gdynia, Poland. Such a friendly, well-arranged and mixed festival. I’ve been going five years in a row and am so sad I’m missing this year! 

And who will be the first band/artist you hope to see live when this is all over?
I’ve ticked off a lot of my favourites already, but I’m yet to see Bon Iver! I also want to see Danger Incorporated, Airiel, The Japanese House, Che Ecru, Dej Loaf and Roy Woods.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming new bands that you’d recommend we check out?
Definitely all of the bands and artists I name dropped in the previous question!

And what else does 2020 have in store for Monks In The Wood?
We are currently working on lots of new songs and are looking forward to recording them and doing lots of live gigs when bars and clubs re-open again!

Massive thanks to Charlotte for answering our questions!

 

‘Patterns’ is out now via Spinnup.

Photo Credit: Seb Higgins

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LISTEN: LIME – ‘Toad Men’

A witty commentary on the folks you might see on your cheap-and-cheerful package holiday, LIME have shared their latest track, ‘Toad Men’. Released today (1st May), the track was recorded during the current lockdown period, and any money raised from downloads & purchases of the accompanying zine will go straight to charity!

Coming together from across the UK, LIME are now based in Brighton, and the four-piece mix elements of psych, indie, and other genres to create their buoyant guitar tunes. Following on from previous single ‘Surf n Turf’, ‘Toad Men’ sees the group musing about the characters they’ve come across on their budget travels.

“Thomas cooked it, overbooked it this time” the band jest, with deadpan “oooh la las” and garage rock riffs underscoring their observations about “Mayfair cigarettes and eating fish and chips.” It’s easy to imagine you’re somewhere else when listening to the track, and that’s exactly the kind of escapism the band had in mind when they were writing it.

Listen to ‘Toad Men’ below and follow LIME on bandcamp & Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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