ALBUM: Belako – ‘Render Me Numb, Trivial Violence’

A “head twisting mix” of punk, techno, indie, & electro, Spanish band Belako have shared their third album Render Me Numb, Trivial Violence via Primavera Sound’s label El Segell. The group were already well versed in fusing different genres and their talent for doing so has thrived on this record.

Upbeat cacophony ‘Maskenfreiheit’ kicks things off in trademark Belako style, with a manic mix of electronics, guitar riffs and lush vocals. There’s no time to catch your breath as ‘Lungs’ immediately follows, still bursting with the same organised musical chaos.

‘Two Faced Simulation’ impresses with its gritty bass lines, restless guitar riffs and heavier vocal delivery, whilst following track ‘Over The Edge’ keeps up the momentum with sharp, persistent percussion and more driving bass lines. ‘Nice Church’ is a joyful tune, combining both buoyant and dense synths with watery-fx vocals and more powerful percussion. Even when they sing of losing emotional focus on ‘Stumble’, Belako keep everything together musically. ‘Stumble II’ is equally as well constructed, with gentle keys tripping over more lush vocals.

The stripped back, hazy ‘Strangers In A Box’ follows, before brief instrumental ‘Render Arp’ leads in to title track ‘Render Me Numb’, which is permeated by forceful beats. The uplifting party-style synths on ‘The Fiend Thinker’ will get listeners feet moving, whilst the happily named ‘Something To Adore (Arinau)’ rolls out in the same passionate vein.

Penultimate track ‘Hegodun Baleak II’ meanders musically for five minutes, before the brief ‘Maskenfreiheit II’ bookends this fusion of manic indie and alternative sounds. With Render Me Numb, Trivial Violence, Belako have shown their skill for creating carnivalesque, yet ornate and considered music.

Render Me Numb, Trivial Violence is available now. Follow Belako on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

EP: After London – ‘After London’

If you’re looking for a slice of anthemic, alternative indie-rock, look no further than After London. The five-piece have released their eponymous debut EP, and it’s a record that shows they’re well-rehearsed, wickedly talented and ready for bigger things.

‘Bitter Man’ kicks things off with sardonic yet sublime vocals that recollect a blur of sexist poison and disappointment. Following track ‘Dreams’ flickers with the energy of over-active pupils during a case of REM sleep, and fans of London-rockers Anteros will approve of this indie tune.

On the penultimate ‘Highlife’, vocalist Francesca sings “you don’t like the taste of my despair” – but it’s hard to imagine anyone not savouring the sweet qualities of her voice, even if they do lament the sourness of dejection. The opening lyric on final track ‘Waiting For You’ feels particularly poignant – “Silence says more than what you think / it colours things that you can’t see” – and paves the way for an anthemic four minutes of taut percussion and melodic guitars.

Listen to After London’s EP in full on Spotify, and head down to their launch party at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on 7th February to hear the record live. (RSVP here).

Follow After London on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

Interview: Pale Honey

Gothenburg alternative duo Pale Honey returned to London on Tuesday night to play a free gig at Old Blue Last in celebration of the release of their second album, Devotion, and they disarmed the crowd with their modest, melodic sounds.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tuva (vocals/guitar) and Nelly (drums) backstage before the show, where we sat down to talk about devoted fans, their favourite tracks from their new record, and highlights from their current European tour…

How are you feeling about tonight’s gig?

Nelly: I think there’s going to be lots of people.

Tuva: Me too, I hope so.

Nelly: We have some friends coming and some people we’ve emailed with for a very long time who we’ll meet for the very first time – so that’s exciting!

Tuva: And a guy who came to see us in Malmo in Sweden last Friday, who actually lives here in London, but he didn’t know we were playing this gig so he flew all the way out to see us!

That’s true dedication. You’ve just played shows in Iceland & Sweden. What were the highlights from these gigs?

N: I liked all the drinks that we got – well – that I took…

‘Got’, ‘took’, ‘stole’ – I mean, what’s the difference?

N: Yeah, it doesn’t matter. ‘Tomato – Tomahto’ (laughs). I’m surprised that so many people came to the shows actually.

T: I think the highlights have been that people are singing along to the songs when we’re playing and some people even play air drums!

N: Yeah! here was one lady standing in the front row playing air drums and I was like “you go girl! I see you!”

That’s a genuine level of fandom! You recently released your second album Devotion. Can you tell us how it differs from your 2015 self-titled debut record?

N: Our debut album had songs on that we wrote when we’d just met, so there’s some really old songs and lyrics on them. We didn’t really have the courage back then to change anything. We didn’t want to change or touch anything.

T: We got signed on that album based on those songs, so we thought we couldn’t change them because this is what fans and our label like, you know?

N: So second time around, we just tried and re-tried things and we had a lot more courage, and we were a bit more spontaneous. I’d be like “Okay, I have an idea, it might be good, it might be bad – but lets try it anyway.”

Do you have a favourite track on the record? If so, why?

T: The fourth song ‘The Heaviest Of Storms’. It was very easy to write the song, it just came out…

N: Because you’re a genius…

T: It just felt so natural, and it’s also very fun to play live.

N: It’s not so good for my right arm when we play live though. I’m so small and fragile, I get tired easily. Mine is ‘Why Do I Always Feel This Way’. It’s quite an old release, but I remember listening to the demo and I could barely hear what Tuva was singing. I wasn’t sure if it was in Swedish or English, but I remember hearing it and thinking (sighs). My boyfriend was like “What song is that? Is it a famous song?” and I was like “Shut up! This is work!”

I also remember when we were recording it we tried to sing it in a different key and it changed the whole song. I was like “this is wrong, it sounds like a Disney song!” So we changed it back and I was happy again.

Great choices, my favourite is ‘Get These Things Out Of My Head’ by the way…

I’ve noticed there’s quite a lot of electronic/indie music coming out of Gothenburg and Sweden in general – including ShitKid. Would you say Gothenburg in particular is a hub for new music and musicians?

N: I think people are very welcome to play new music live there. Even as kids growing up, they were always like “If you want to play here when you turn 18, you can play at our place”. It’s always been a music city, lots of indie and metal kids.

It’s such a cool name for a city too, it sounds like it’s something out of a comic book. As a female-focused new music blog, we’re always keen to know what new music our favourite artists have been listening to. Any bands/artists you can recommend?

N: We always recommend Shitkid, so it’s good that you’ve already mentioned her. She’s very eccentric. She spilled blood on my drums, destroyed some things, but she was great to see live! Pink Milk are another Swedish band we like. They opened a couple of shows for us. They actually live near me, but I’ve never seen them out. I was like “What do you guys do?” and they were like “We just sit at home”…

Hibernating between shows?

T: Kind of like us really…

N: True. I just watch Netflix all day and pretend to be a musician sometimes.

If you had to describe your music in three words, what would they be?

N: Fun?

T: Minimalistic?

N: “Minimalistic”, really?

T: Yes…

N: There you go: Fun, Minimalistic, Yes! – actually, I would say we are more dynamic than minimalistic… so “Fun, Dynamic, Yes!”

Perfect choices. Finally, what does 2018 hold for Pale Honey?

T: Everything. We really hope for more recording and definitely some more shows here in the UK.

N: We’ve played here too many times to not have a full tour in the UK now!

Huge thanks to Tuva & Nelly for answering my questions. Follow Pale Honey on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

ALBUM: Space Captain – ‘All Flowers In Time’

Brooklyn-based band Space Captain have released their eagerly anticipated full length album All Flowers In Time via Tru Thoughts Recordings, and it’s a patient, well-produced, retrospective joy of a record. Influenced by the likes of Thundercat, Amy Winehouse & Bon Iver, the album is an eclectic mix of jazzy trumpet outros, sax solos, and acoustic “e-bow” guitars – blended together by warm, laid back melodies.

Opener ‘Side Eye’ blazes with smooth vocals, gentle guitar and subtle electronics that create a pleasant, hazy atmosphere. It flows in to ‘Blue’ with it’s sweet R&B vibes, which are effortlessly extended on brief interlude ‘Daybreak’. Third track ‘Sycamore’ is a clear highlight, with its wonderfully laid-back, eclectic summer sound. Vocalist Maralisa’s talent is displayed with ease and elegance here and it’s hard not to be swept away by the sax solos and simmering percussion. ‘Loveline / The Drive Home’ brings you back down to earth with it’s easy samba-inspired beats.

‘Cells’ is a dreamy two minutes of nostalgia – “new things with him are like old things with you / but loved like older things I used to do” – whilst ‘Hollow’ unlike it’s name, is full of emotion and drips with melancholy, melodic magic. The band have dubbed penultimate track ‘Hours’ as the “country hit on the album”, but that’s too simplistic a label. It’s another emotionally charged offering from vocalist Maralisa and proves the multi-instrumental sensitivities of the band are finely tuned.

‘Flood’ closes the record with more of Space Captain’s trademark relaxed beats and guitar-led melodies. All Flowers In Time is proof of the band’s “unique musical chemistry”, and you’ll be swept away on nostalgic waves each time you listen. Grab your copy of the album here and follow Space Captain on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Patricia Lopez

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment