PLAYLIST: October 2023

The Get In Her Ears team have put together another eclectic mix of indie & alternative tunes, grunge and shoegaze anthems, post punk and Riot Grrrl bangers, alt-pop and experimental electronic sounds for your listening pleasure. Take some time to scroll through our track choices below, and make sure you press play on the playlist at the end of this post.

Follow GIHE on Spotify to hear all of our previous playlists too.

 

deep tan – ‘xenomorph queen’
Having been a big fan of deep tan for a few years now, I’m excited to see that – following last year’s diamond horsetail EP – they’re back with a brand new single, and new line-up, ahead of their live shows supporting QOTSA on tour next month. Reflecting on themes of matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, ‘xenomorph queen’ oozes all the discordant immersive allure that we’ve come to know and love from the trio. Instantly captivating the senses with its mystical ethereal majesty, it showcases deep tan’s ability to create their own truly unique brand of other-worldly angular post-punk. Watch the video for ‘xenomorph queen’ here.
(Mari Lane – Managing Editor)

Fräulein – ‘The Last Drop’
Is it even a GIHE playlist if we don’t include a track by Fräulein? (No, it’s not). Joni & Karston have shared this excellent single via Submarine Cat, which Joni says is inspired by the “manic uncertainty, the confusing, exasperating and self-destructive patterns that you can fall into after the end of a relationship”.
(Kate Crudgington – Features Editor)

Grrrl Gang – ‘Cool Girl’
Indonesian riot grrrl group Grrrl Gang have been a rising force in the Southeast Asian music scene since their formation in 2016, and are now commencing their world takeover with the recent release of their debut album. Having been featured in the likes of NME and Spin, with the album, Grrrl Gang showcase their ability to fuse together their empowering riotous punk energy with a poignant raw honesty and relatable fizzing emotion. Uplifting and cathartic in equal measure. Spunky, the debut album from Grrrl Gang, is out now via Trapped Animal, and via legendary label Kill Rock Stars in the US. (ML)

HotWax – ‘High Tea’
Another anthem from GIHE faves HotWax, taken from their recently released EP, Invite Me, Kindly. Vocalist Tallulah explains: “‘High Tea’ is about two people in your life who are very close to you but don’t mix well, leaving you in the middle feeling torn. It’s a conversation that has gone on for too long, you have to spit out your doubt and let your bad feelings leave you. It’s a song for people to let go and be free.” (KC)

LipGloss – ‘Anna (Walks Along The Street)’
Recorded at Start Together Studios with GIHE fave Rocky O’Reilly, ‘Anna (Walks Along The Street)’ is the new single from Belfast band LipGloss. Oozing a sparkling dark majesty, and building with a scuzzy anthemic splendour, it reflects on the band’s own personal experiences of growing up in Northern Ireland with a raw impassioned energy; reverb strewn riffs colliding perfectly with the immense soaring vocals. I can’t wait to hear more from this lot! (ML)

Dermabrasion – ‘Halberdier’
**NEW FAVOURITE BAND ALERT**
I love this ominous cacophony of industrial-tinged post punk from Toronto-based duo Dermabrasion. Taken from their upcoming debut album, Pain Behaviour, which is set for release on 26th January 2024 via Hand Drawn Dracula, the track is a heavy, brooding gothic anthem that rumbles with discontent. Perfect listening for Halloween (or anytime of the year tbh). (KC)

Slothrust – ‘Pony’
I’m not sure I’ve talked enough about my obsession with Slothrust on GIHE yet, but – having been a fan for a few years – seeing them live in New York last year just completely took my breath away. I was totally captivated by their scuzzy, raw emotion and the utterly immersive, no-frills charisma of front-person Leah Wellbaum. They’ve just released a new EP, I Promise, which includes this fiercely seductive cover of Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’, along with three other versions of the track, my favourite being the extended version: 15 minutes of pure swirling joy. With a couple of wonderful new original tracks too (plus a magical cover of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’), the EP showcases all there is to love about Slothrust. (ML)

Chelsea Wolfe – ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’
A potent blend of shadowy industrial sounds and her trademark captivating vocals, Chelsea Wolfe’s latest single is accompanied by the news that she’ll be releasing her seventh album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, via Loma Vista on 9th February 2024. ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’ is a heavy rumination on trusting your inner voice and following your own intuition. Wolfe is “bathing in the blood of who [she] used to be” – cleansed and cutting as ever. (KC)

Vyva Melinkolya & Midwife – ‘Doomer GF Song’
I’ve made no secret of my admiration for the sounds that Vyva Melinkolya & Midwife make together, and this track is another perfect example of the unique symbiotic musical relationship they share. ‘Doomer GF Song’ – what a title, and what a sound. (KC)

Atka – ‘Eye In The Sky’
Set to release her debut EP next month, London-based, Brandenburg-born artist Atka creates captivating cinematic soundscapes. This first taster of the EP, ‘Eye In The Sky’ shimmers with a dark, haunting energy, reflecting on the social construction of identity. A stirring offering showcasing the beguiling majesty of this innovative artist. The Eye Against The Ashen Sky, the upcoming debut EP from Atka, is out on 3rd November. Catch Atka live in London on 7th November at Studio 9294. (ML)

body / negative – ‘persimmon’
An exquisitely gloomy piece of ambient shoegaze from body / negative, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Andy Schiaffino. ‘Persimmon’, is taken from their upcoming album, Everett, which is set for release on 8th December. The record is inspired by love, loss and grief, following the death of their Father, featuring contributions from Midwife and Amulets – two of my favourites. I can’t wait to hear it. (KC)

GENN – ‘The Sister Of’
Lifted from their debut album, unum, released via their own label Liminal Collective, this is another dynamic offering from Malta-via-Brighton art punks ĠENN. Their album is a cell-tingling listen, inspired by deep empathy and feelings of otherness. Read more about it and watch the stunning accompanying video for ‘The Sister Of’ on our website here. (KC)

070 – ‘Black Dress’
I am OBSESSED with this track from 070 Shake, which is equal parts moody and euphoric. She’s going to be releasing a new album soon and I cannot wait to hear it. (KC)

Coolgirl – ‘Druid’s Hood’
Another sensational electronic offering from GIHE fave Lizzie Fitzpatrick aka Coolgirl. Inspired by the sounds on vintage video games, ‘Druid’s Hood’ is taken from the Dublin-based artist and producer’s upcoming EP, Failed Reboot, which is set for release on 8th November via VETA Records. (KC)

Echo Juliet – ‘Life On Trains’
This is the latest single from Birmingham-based electronic musician Echo Juliet, taken from her debut 7 track mini-album, Abandon Reality, out now via her new label Invisible IDs. This track – written entirely on a train – is a hypnotic, electronic minimal groove. Speaking about the track, Echo Juliet explains: “I’ve spent a lot of time on the train for work and wanted to capture the feelings that gives me. The groove has a kind of rolling, perpetual forward motion but I was also feeling exhaustion, listlessness and a sense of inevitability that I tried to capture in the melody” Such a vibe! Read Echo Juliet’s Five Favourites feature on our website for more insight into her music. (Tash Walker – Digital Editor)

Janette King – ‘Nah Mek Me Fall’
An end-of summer track drawing On Janette King’s Caribbean roots, incorporating patois into her lyrics layered over those infectious beats, ‘Nah Mek Me Fall’ is perfect for this hazy October sun. A celebration of identity and a testament to the power of music in conveying the tangled journey of love and uncertainty. (TW)

Rubie – ‘Sicily’
This was my track of the show for our October Soho Radio show. It comes from Rubie, who describes herself as a songstress, producer, multi-instrumentalist and unbridled trans voice from south London. I first encountered Rubie as a member of Jenny Moore’s Mystic Business and of course the fantastic F*Choir. But this is Rubie in her solo iteration here, fresh off her new EP release, Whatever Cage – totally mesmerising. Rubie will be opening for Living Body on 2nd November at New Cross Inn, and playing an in-store lunchtime gig at Dash the Henge on 4th Novemeber, which will also go out live on Resonance FM, all ahead of the EP launch party on 30th November at Walthamstow Trades Hall – see you there! (TW)

Caleb Nichols – ‘Demon Twink’
California-based poet and musician Caleb Nichols creates beautifully poignant indie-pop ballads with a lilting heartfelt energy reminiscent of the stirring offerings of Elliott Smith. I was lucky enough to catch Caleb live at The Cavendish Arms this Spring and am very much looking forward to having them play for us at Matchstick Piehouse on 1st December, along with adults and Gay Skeleton Club. Grab a ticket here. Their latest album, Let’s Look Back, is out now via Kill Rock Stars. (ML)

ME REX – ‘Jawbone’
Having just released their debut album, ME REX continue to win my heart with each new offering, and latest single ‘Jawbone’ is no different. I just can’t get enough of the swirling emotion oozing from their stirring lyrical storytelling with their trademark glistening musicality and impassioned energy. Giant Elk, the debut album from ME REX, is out now via Big Scary Monsters. (ML)

Francis of Delirium – ‘First Touch’
Produced by Catherine Marks and released via Dalliance Recordings, this truly dreamy track is all about those initially heady moments of love or lust. Francis of Delirium will be playing a headline show at the Lexington in London on 15th November. (TW)

Coco – ‘Mythological Man’
Formed in 2019, LA trio Coco have just announced the release of their second album. Out first taster of the album is ‘Mythological Man’; a reflection on common ‘masculine’ archetypes, it offers a blissful dose of lilting indie-pop. Rippling with luscious hooks and the honey-sweet vocals of Maia Friedman, it’s a dreamy soundscape, oozing subtle playful wit -visualised perfectly in the accompanying self-directed video. Simply titled 2, the upcoming second album from Coco, is set for release on 1st March 2024 via First City Artists. (ML)

Maple Glider – ‘Don’t Kiss Me’
Australian artist Tori Zietsch aka Maple Glider has just released her brand new album, I Get Into Trouble. Offering a poignant reflection on her Christian upbringing, reflecting on themes of shame, consent and sexuality, it’s a truly stirring collection of starkly honest, yet delicately beautiful, compositions. Flowing with a glistening musicality as the heartfelt crystalline splendour of Zietsch’s vocals ripples with raw emotion, the album showcases her ability to reflect on potentially difficult subject matter with an immersive cathartic grace and shimmering majestic allure. Read our recent interview with Maple Glider here. (ML)

Sheherazaad – ‘Mashoor’
The debut single from New York based artist Sheherazaad, ‘Mashoor’ reflects on her South Asian sonic lineage; drawing on themes of displacement and nostalgia with a contemporary, genre-defying spirit. Exuding an exquisite rippling allure, Sherherazaad’s sumptuous vocals flow throughout, allowing ‘Mashoor’ to immerse you in its soaring, spellbinding beauty on first listen. Watch the stirring accompanying video for ‘Mashoor’ here. (ML)

Gazelle Twin – ‘Fear Keeps Us Alive’
This Gazelle Twin track, taken from her recently released fourth album Black Dog, spotlights once again what an instinctive, shape-shifting artist she is. Released via one of my favourite labels INVADA Records, this single and her new record are partially inspired by her childhood experiences with the paranormal, which makes for perfect listening this October. (KC)

Hilary Woods – ‘Burial Rites’
Following on from her poignant rumination ‘Where The Bough Has Broken’ – an atmospheric ode to communal growth and memory – Irish artist Hilary Woods has returned with another hypnotic instrumental titled ‘Burial Rites’. Lifted from her upcoming album, Acts Of Light, which is set for release on 3rd November via Sacred Bones, the track is a magnetic, gloomy cogitation inspired by the Gaelic Celtic ritual of Keening; a traditional form of vocal lament when mourning for the dead. (KC)

 

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NEW TRACK: Chelsea Wolfe – ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’

A potent blend of shadowy industrial sounds and her trademark captivating vocals, Chelsea Wolfe has shared her latest single ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’. Taken from her newly announced seventh album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, which is set for release via Loma Vista on 9th February 2024, the track is a heavy rumination on trusting your inner voice and following your own intuition.

Exploring the cyclical nature of healing, Wolfe’s new album is described as “a rebirth”, breaking the physical and emotional chains that prohibit this cathartic process. “It’s a record about the past self reaching out to the present self reaching out to the future self to summon change, growth, and guidance,” she explains in more detail. “It’s a story of freeing yourself from situations and patterns that are holding you back in order to become self-empowered. It’s an invitation to step into your authenticity.”

Written alongside her longtime collaborators multi-instrumentalist Ben Chisholm, drummer Jess Gowrie and guitarist Bryan Tulao, Wolfe has crafted a dynamic, genre-blending manifesto of self-autonomy across ten tracks, with latest single ‘Whispers in the Echo Chamber’ spotlighting this in all its glory. Finding strength and power in the calmness of a whisper, as ominous synths and metallic riffs swirl around her, Wolfe is “bathing in the blood” of who she used to be – emerging cleansed and cutting as ever.

The track is accompanied by a stunning monochrome video, directed by Geoge Gallardo Kattah and filmed in Colombia. Wolfe explains the concept behind the visuals: “This video feels like a love story between myself and my sleep paralysis entity, who, for the sake of this video, represents a calm inner voice cutting through mental chatter and anxiety to help guide me towards a more authentic path. From the inward to the outward, this entity shows me the expansiveness of new possibilities, if only I’ll take the first difficult steps.”

Chelsea Wolfe has also announced a London headline show at Heaven on Sunday 21st April 2024. Tickets are on sale now.

Watch the video for ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’ below.

Pre-order Chelsea Wolfe’s new album here

Follow Chelsea Wolfe on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook & Tik Tok

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Five Favourites: Erasers

Perth-based ‘dungeon synth’ duo Rebecca Orchard and Rupert Thomas – aka Erasers – have recently released their hypnotic new album, Constant Connection. Flowing with hauntingly captivating soundscapes evoking the raw beauty of their native landscape of Western Australia, the collection offers a truly unique and utterly immersive aural treat for the senses. Showcasing the ethereal splendour of Orchard’s vocals with a poignant, layered musicality, Erasers have created a truly stirring release.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of their new album, we caught up with Rebecca from Erasers to ask about their “Five Favourites” – five albums that have inspired them the most. Read about their choices and watch their beautiful new video for ‘A Breeze’ at the end of this article!

Pikelet – Self-Titled
I first heard Pikelet when I was around seventeen. Rupert and I spent a lot of our late teens making mixed tapes for each other, sharing favourite songs and curating playlists on cassette for drives in my first car – a 1970s Beetle. Pikelet definitely featured on one of these, because I’m sure Rupert introduced me to their music, always being ahead of the curve with artists coming out of Naarm/Melbourne. Rupert and I started playing music together in 2009 after Rupert recorded some demos in his bedroom and spent weeks convincing me to do vocals for it. As someone not trained in music-making, I took inspiration and courage from seeing Evelyn aka Pikelet perform as a solo artist – recording and releasing music. It was the first time I’d ever seen someone using a loop pedal and it blew my mind to see what they created with their voice, looper and a few instruments. All of Pikelet’s albums are iconic, releasing a steady stream over a decade or so, eventually parting ways with the persona Pikelet and releasing under their own name Evelyn Ida Morris. Sonically, their albums have been diverse, shapeshifting over the years, but always resonating with something deep in my being. Evelyn is not only a talented artist – their work in advocating for others and themself in the community is inspirational. We’ve been lucky enough to play some of our first ever shows with Pikelet when they toured Perth, as well as bringing them back over to Perth years later to play a show. I feel incredibly grateful and lucky to know, learn from and listen to Evelyn in whatever form their voice takes.


Love Of Diagrams – Mosaic
Name a more iconic trio! Post-punk from Naarm/Melbourne released in 2007. I can’t remember when I first heard this album but it was around the time I turned eighteen and could legally go and see live music. There’s so much I love about Love Of Diagrams – the interplay between vocalists, Monica’s captivating drumming, catchy melodies, juicy bass-lines and winding grooves. The lyrics in their songs remind me of art school. I remember being inspired by Antonia’s powerful vocal delivery – almost yelling or chanting, with that amazing reverby tone. I’m sure I took inspiration from this in how I use my voice and the repetition of words and phrases. This was from an era where anyone creative from Perth moved to Melbourne, which was seen as the ‘arts capital’ of Australia. I have strong memories of going to Amplifier Bar with Rupert and friends, the only place in Perth at the time that played more alternative music. The DJ played from upstairs on this platform, which you could access via a dodgy ladder that we would drunkenly climb to request ‘Pace Or The Patience’ by Love Of Diagrams so we could sing and dance to it obnoxiously on the dance-floor with our friends. We were so lucky to have formed Erasers around a time that Love Of Diagrams were touring, and got to play one of our first ever live gigs supporting them in Boorloo/Perth. Seeing them live, playing together in both cities and later inviting them back to Perth for a show was a musical highlight. Once again, all their albums are too good to miss and they are each amazing artists in their own right, whether playing in other music projects, being visual artists or writers.


Mei Saraswati – Hypermeditations
It’s so tough to pick one Mei Saraswati album to talk about, because they’re all so damn good in different ways! I’ve chosen this one because it was released in 2013, probably around the time I first saw Mei perform live. Mei is one of my favourite artists from Boorloo/Perth and, although she hasn’t released new music for a little while, hearing her bedroom recordings still gives me the shivers. Mei Saraswati effortlessly fuses soulful vocals, sounds and themes of the northern suburbs, sampling, field recordings, electronics, Eastern instrumentation and influences, spirituality, RnB, drifting somewhere between meditation and music to groove to. Mei produces everything herself and is not only an incredible musician, also a visual artist, exploring weaving and printmaking, while also being a mother. I always admired Mei’s humble nature, she is effortlessly herself – often hilarious in her down-to-earth stage banter and in the way she would casually release whole albums for free download. On Bandcamp she describes Hypermeditations as “many different windows of philosophies open all at once – like when you have a hundred tabs open and you keep opening more”. Each of her albums is like opening little windows into her world and discovering fascinating ponderings, thoughts and feelings. Her anti-capitalist attitude to creating and producing art is something I truly admire. We’ve been lucky to play many gigs together over the years, as well as an exhibition a few years back called Deep Heritage. It always blew my mind that more people hadn’t heard Mei’s music because it’s too good to have not reached the furthest corners of the globe. Highly recommend the deep dive into Mei’s back catalogue on Bandcamp, it will not disappoint!


Enya – Oceans
Rupert and I both had very different musical upbringings. Rupert was brought up listening to music like Joy Division, Brian Eno and recalls long road trips around Australia listening to Ministry of Sound annuals on CD – his dad in particular was an avid music-lover and listener. I have distinct memories of my parents having Enya and Sade on CD and the rest of my musical upbringing was mostly listening to commercial radio, until I reached my angsty – but formative – teen years. I can’t remember exactly which Enya CDs my parents had, but I remember listening on long drives to visit grandparents and selecting either this or Sade from the CDs and cassettes we owned. I can’t pinpoint what particular influence this has had on me, but I’m sure it soaked somewhere into my subconscious. I like the resonating, angelic vocals, whole albums based on environmental themes and the opening track just feels iconic if you grew up in the ’90s.


Pauline Anna Strom – Trans-Millenia Music
I bought this on vinyl for Rupert a few years ago after discovering it and completely falling in love with the often melty and warm, often weird and intriguing, otherworldly sounds. Recorded in the 1970s or ’80s, gaining popularity in recent years with its re-release, I love the blurring of lines between this new age synthesizer music, fusing with Pauline’s other interests of spirituality and healing practices. These were recorded in single takes, with synthesizer manuals being read out to Pauline before recording, as she was born blind. There’s something so magical and healing about the depths of these sounds – like little shooting stars out into the cosmos. What I find so inspiring is not only the music itself, which is like a journey through time and space, but the fact that she made these albums in isolation at home – in the company of her reptiles, using influences from her areas of interest and fusing them into the sounds to create a healing, therapeutic body of work. Diving deep into her senses and letting intuition guide her creativity; the type of authenticity I hope to have in my own music, creative practices and life itself.


Massive thanks to Rebecca from Erasers for sharing their five favourites with us! Watch the band’s latest video for ‘A Breeze’ below:

Photo credit: Karl Halliday

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Five Favourites: Tyler Holmes

I’ve only recently become acquainted with innovative artist Tyler Holmes, but I have fast fallen in love with their poignant, affecting and utterly unique sweeping electronic soundscapes. Holmes (They/Them) is a singer-songwriter, visual and performance artist who uses music as a therapeutic device. Coming from a turbulent and traumatic ‘cult-like’ early life, they have spent a lifetime crafting their own Black, Queer narrative by pushing the limits of their imagination, Holmes envisions themselves as the imaginary child of Björk and Tricky, using a surrealist lens on a wide variety of genres, often blending diaristic narratives with dark, dream-like whimsy. Autobiographical and absurd, their writing is alluring and uncomfortable. Both brutal and beautiful, bringing the audience into a shared space of healing and catharsis. They perform with a constantly changing electro-acoustic arrangement, always finding new ways to showcase an intimate horror.

Ahead of the release of their upcoming new album ‘Nightmare In Paradise’ via Ratskin Records next month, we spoke to Tyler about the five albums that mean the most to them. Check out their choices below, and watch their latest video for single ‘Nothing’ at the end of this article. You can also listen to their recent rendition of SOPHIE’s ‘BIPP’ over on bandcamp now.

Mariah Carey – Butterfly
Butterfly was a departure for Mariah. A record that embraced Hip Hop and Mariah as a sexual and sorrowful entity, which I have always related to. I have always been obsessed with Mariah and I’ve been singing her songs for as long as I can remember. This was the first album that I would listen to all the way through, over and over and over. There is a real variety to the record and I can now see this as the first in a series of emotional breakdown albums (this one even has a song called ‘Breakdown’ which is unbelievably beautiful and rich and has the amazing Bone Thugs N Harmony guesting). The through-line through this quite varied record is sadness, longing and identity struggle; all running themes in my life and music as well. My favourite track is ‘Outside’ – about being a weirdo, just singing the melody makes me cry.

The Knife – Silent Shout: An Audiovisual Experience – Live In Gothenburg
Reinvention is something that always turns me on. This album was the electronic equivalent to dying your hair black and doing acoustic renditions of your record. The Knife was this mysterious band back in the early internet days and Gothenburg showcased them reborn in a syrupy goth trance inducing void that was even more mysterious than they had been. It was as if they had this colourful image and they thought “let’s give them even less information and appear in a black abyss as ghostly floating lights…” The songs are darker, gothic, stark and beautiful. Dance music made for crying and being a freak to maybe more so than dancing. I love a singer who can be different characters and Karin plays a whole cast on this record and a cast of ghouls, sea monsters, aliens and demons. She is so otherworldly, possessed and perfect. My favourite track is ‘Kino’, which I covered a long time ago. They took an old track and brought it back through the Pet Cemetery. The mourning in that song will haunt me forever.

Tricky – Pre Millenium Tension
A theme of coming back darker, and more vulnerable emerges. While Tricky’s first record was murky and muddy,Pre Millennium is obsidian. A dark smoke filled room. I love how Tricky always has two singers of varying genders singing the same lyrics at the same time creating one genderless or many gendered being. The opening song ‘Vent’ talking about someone hiding their lover’s medicine to watch them suffer and need them speaks volumes about the album in front of the listener. Very much about codependency, dark urges, self destruction. The gnarling, repeating loops grind nightmares into your head like noogies. The reimagining of ‘Bad Dreams’ by Chill Rob G gives the song a chilling, fever dream realness that is necessary and sadly timeless.

Astrud Gilberto & Walter Wanderley –  A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness
I listened to this album on repeat while writing my new record. It’s vintage goth. Astrud Gilberto, best known for the timeless hit ‘The Girl From Ipanema’, is practically motionless. Her stoic and serious performance even over more dance oriented tracks like ‘Nega do Cabelo Duro’ really sets the tone without beating the listener over the head. There is a bittersweet breeze blowing through every song on an album that has some rather peppy tempos and almost chipper organ lines. The theme of the album is dark, not quite hopeless but almost. The opener ‘A Certain Smile’ sets the tone that, like love, peace of mind and temperament are cyclical. “That certain smile to haunt your heart again.” OUCH. ‘Smile’ is followed by ‘A Certain Sadness’ (JOKES!!!) that lays the cards on the table and directly discusses unrequited love, longing and depression. To me it is so interesting and inspiring to hear these jazz chords that have over time become associated with elevator music here set to such depressive and moody themes. Even the fast songs contain some really ‘ugly’ chords and organ solos that hint at a jazzy, almost punk antagonism that alongside the subject matter and vocal delivery make me really see Bossa Nova as a precursor to New Wave music (Bossa Nova means ‘New Trend’ or ‘New Wave’ after all.) ‘Tristeza’ and ‘So Nice’ are absolutely brilliant, tongue in cheek songs that in a heavy-lidded tone hint at a sunny life in a bitchy way that seem to me as sarcastic as they are dreamy.

Björk – Post
Choosing a Björk album to discuss is really difficult but this is probably the singular record that has influenced me the most. Eleven songs that are all different genres and on different planets. This record has such anger, such venom, such sadness and such spacious, calm, quietness. It is truly a rollercoaster masterpiece. It calls to mind Goldie Hawn’s famous line (from First Wives Club) about emotions “I’m an actress! I have all of them!” That’s what Björk showcases here; every emotion, texture, and sound in her body at the time and it is resplendent. ‘I Miss You’ is one of the best and most original takes on the standard longing pop song, with horn freak-outs, screaming, and a panic attack about “cuddles” for a bridge. The song sounds like a cartoon zoo where the animals train the humans just like the surrealist nightmare of a music video that is as amazing as the song. The album features one of my favourite songs ever; ‘Enjoy’, where mother weaves a bizarre love triangle over a beat made by one of her boyfriends at the time and one of my biggest inspirations: Tricky. The intimate tabloid lyrics are leaked over a beat that sounds like a jungle full of haunted wildlife that know your secrets and want to punish you with electrical torture. It’s one of the most titillating experiences you can have as a listener. An album that is full of so much motion and noise ends with the purely ambient ‘Headphones’. It’s built on barely there electronic bass notes and Miss Björk whispering about falling asleep to a transformative tape! I had this on cassette as a kid and it was a meta experience, this is one goal I have definitely taken from Mother. Her goal was to give others the same transcendental experience that music gave her, passing on the gift. Post is one of her greatest gifts.

Massive thanks to Tyler for sharing such beautiful words about their favourite albums!

Nightmare In Paradise, the upcoming album from Tyler Holmes, is set for release 26th March via Ratskin Records. Pre-order here. And watch the poignant video for ‘Nothing’ below:

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