Introducing Interview: Pelowska

Having released their poignant debut EP END/START earlier this year, Edinburgh duo Aneshka Pelowska and Dave Tynan – aka PELOWSKA – create stirring, trip-hop inspired soundscapes rooted in experiences of trauma. Ruminating on personal themes of abuse and the feelings of both depression and empowerment that can follow, it offers a beautifully honest and deeply moving collection. As a swirling, brooding emotion ripples alongside glitchy, immersive sonic cacophonies with shades of the likes of Portishead or Massive Attack, it showcases PELOWSKA’s ability to create exquisite sparkling reflections on life’s – all too often tumultuous – journey.

We caught up with Aneshka to talk about the influences behind the EP, the immense power of PELOWSKA’s live shows and the importance of communities lifting each other up. Have a read and make sure you check out END/START wherever you get your new music now.

Hi PELOWSKA! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you doing today?
Great, thanks! Still riding the waves of excitement after our EP launch last month. It’s that surreal high that hits you when something you’ve poured so much heart into finally lands, and lands beautifully. I keep replaying the crowd singing “we are not enough – we are more than enough.” Ohhh yes. Magic.

Are you able to tell us a bit about how you both met, and what initially inspired you to start creating music?
I wrote my first song when I was six — the lyrics were hilariously cheesy (as expected), but the melody… Honestly, I still might use it one day. Growing up in Poland, I fronted a metal band, hitting the high notes and growling the low ones. Over the years I moved through bands across different genres, always searching for the sound that matched the storm that was going on in my soul. The real turning point was for me was learning how to write, record, produce and mix my own music. That opened everything up. PELOWSKA as it is now really came from that lifelong pull to create something emotional and honest – for both Dave and I. We’d been friends for years before we ever made music together, which makes the whole journey feel even more natural and grounded.

I love the fierce trip-hop inspired power and soaring, captivating emotion of your songs, but who would you consider to be your main musical influences? 
Thank you! My roots are in the darker, heavier side of the ‘90s – Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Type O Negative and so on… When it comes to metal bands, Paradise Lost or After Forever amongst others. These days I soak in lots of music, especially Temples, Phantogram, So Below, Ila Brugal, SBTRKT, Trentemøller and so on… A big fan of Roniit too. If something carries weight, minor-sounding beauty or previously unheard sounds, genre doesn’t matter, I’m in.

You’ve just released your fantastic debut EP END / START – congratulations! It’s said to be a poignant reflection on trauma and connection, but are you able to tell us a bit more about it and the main themes running through the collection?
Everything that had fallen apart before this EP came to life. I escaped a cycle of abuse that left me homeless, lost in trauma, and confronting the raw reality of depression and PTSD. It is the way of dealing with enmeshment, and coming out on the other side. Finding oneself.Fighting for oneself in the midst of manipulation and gaslighting, and the strength in learning to protect one’s boundaries. This work touches on the presence of elements of nature – especially the power of water; fire – that, although potentially dangerous – gave me safety and motivation; and earth, the grounding, beautiful eyes of connection with people who supported me through the pain. Although difficult and tough, that experience was the transformation I needed in order to rip my sense of identity off my past, and find a new meaning and an idea for myself. Redefine what it meant to be me. The elements were the guide on my journey. They gave me strength and brought me back under the wings of the benevolent Universe. Finding myself through nature wasn’t just about calm or serenity in the traditional sense, it was aboutintentionally seeking out and harnessing the elemental forces around me. I felt the overwhelming power of sea and oceans in my veins, fires were burning my soul and shedding the old layers of my identity with painful speed. The earth was full of charged particles travelling through my body and giving me strength and confidence in order to fight for my survival. Nature didn’t just comfort me, it transformed me. It made me into a witch, and became my compass. That transformation echoes through the sound and spirit of the EP. We chose a raw, alternative path – one that steps away from polished perfection and instead embraces struggle, emotion, and human complexity. But just as much, it’s about connection; connection to the listener on the other end, someone who might need music that purges, that purifies, that empowers. Tracks to accompany your anger, your courage, your healing, and to help you reconnect with nature, and in turn, with yourself. This EP is a document of survival, and transformation. A journey through chaos, and a homecoming to oneself. May it help you move through your own fire, and come out stronger on the other side.

And how was the process of recording the EP for you? 
Cathartic. Screaming into a mic alone late at night. Recording an idea for ‘Venom’ straight into the project on my laptop on a plane to Turkey. Jamming new melodies straight into the tracks we worked on with Dave: I looped ‘You Said It’s Gone’ once he sent it over to me and simply stepped up to the mic, feeling into the music and going with the flow. ‘Calton Hill’ literally started as a phone recording of me playing around on a wee Juno synth in the countryside in the Scottish Borders one afternoon. That exact phone clip is still in the song, layered with other sounds I grabbed from lakes and forests in Poland in summer 2024. It was all about following intuition without overthinking for me. Letting feelings become sound… All that until it came to the mixing process in which we got really technical and did our best to fine-tune the mixes, training our ears and learning heaps in the meantime.

You recently played a special launch show at Leith Cricket Club – how was that for you, and what can fans expect from your live shows? 
It was electric, such a beautiful experience. Every headline show we’ve played so far was particularly full of love, but this one has been our best yet, and this is just the beginning! You ask what to expect in our shows? Raw energy, a bit of headbanging, emotional whiplash in the best way, and the occasional pep talk slipped between tracks. We like switching between soft vulnerability and big, feral power. Vocals are my joy so I go all in. Lately I’ve been having a blast playing synth and messing with its sounds in real time – you can never get it the exact same way twice and I love that! Dave’s guitar/bass brings both heaviness and melody in equal measures. His sense of humour is amazing – during one of the shows this year he spilled a whole pint of beer on his laptop, and didn’t even flinch upon noticing whilst people from the crowd rushed to help (that laptop is still fine, which I read as a clear sign from the Universe that we have its blessing to carry on!)

And has there been a specific show you’ve played that stands out as a highlight? 
Every show has its own flavour, so it’s hard to choose just one — especially when the most recent one is still buzzing in my body. But a real ‘pinch me’ moment was opening for the legendary Polish rock band Lady Pank. I grew up watching them as a kid, never imagining I’d one day be sharing a stage with them so it was a full-circle moment.

When you’re playing gigs are there any particular essentials that you like to have with you to keep you going?
Water and coffee – probably in the reverse order. Also recently I purchased my own smoke / haze machine for gigs so I’ve been having a lot of fun with that! I literally bring my own atmosphere to events.

Originally being from Poland, how would you say the music scene, and the experience of playing live music, differs here in the UK? 
On the mainland, being a musician often carries this sense of doing something almost magical – there’s a particular atmosphere at gigs, a kind of intensity and emotional involvement from the crowd that’s hard to describe unless you’ve lived it. In the UK, people approach music in a slightly different way – more technical, craft-focused. Audiences here really listen; they pay attention to your sound, your gear, precision. Both scenes have their strengths, and playing in both definitely shaped me.

As we’re an organisation with a focus on supporting new and marginalised artists, I just wondered how you feel the industry is for them at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the years in its treatment of female and queer artists?
Honestly, I’m not feeling particularly great about the state of the world and/or creative arts at this point in time. It’s quite hard to say something positive when I see so many people having it so damn hard. It’s tough out there. I’m grateful to know some truly badass female and queer music producers, engineers, and songwriters though. The sense of community is strong – we look out for each other, we lift each other up, and that gives me hope. There’s more and more of us, and I hope this trend continues. There’s progress, but also a long road ahead. I really hope the industry starts acting like it understands that.

And are there any other new bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment?
Her Picture are a cool Scottish band, music in the vein of Ethel Cain – my ears have heard ‘Muscle Memory’ plenty of times. Still Blank just released a brilliant self-titled album last month. And Mastaki is a producer who imho deserves far more attention.

Huge thanks to PELOWSKA for answering our questions!

You can listen to the poignant new EP END/START now and watch the video for recent single ‘Calton Hill’ here.

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INTERVIEW: Daffo

The songwriting project of Brooklyn-based, Philly-raised Gabi Gamberg, Daffo‘s debut album Where The Earth Bends was a definite highlight of 2025 for me, and it’s still pretty much on repeat since its release in September. Interweaving a scuzzy indie-pop musicality with a searing raw emotion and glistening heartfelt grace, it’s a deeply personal and beautifully resonant collection that showcases Gamberg’s unique gift for writing songs that really do feel like they reach out and gently caress how you’re feeling.

Since the album’s release, Gamberg has been relentlessly touring both Europe and the US, and only now just seems to be winding down. We were lucky enough to catch up with them to talk about the album, the DIY music community, Capitalism, pillow cases and more. Have a read, make sure you check out the exquisite sounds of of Where The Earth Bends (if – for some reason – you’ve missed it / been under a rock for the last six months), and also watch / listen to their poignant cover of Arthur Russell’s ‘I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face‘ which they shared earlier this month.

Hi Gabi! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you doing today?
Good! I’m glad to have have a day off of tour finally – I got to sleep my usual 12 hours, lol. 

Are you able to tell us a bit about what initially inspired you to start creating music?
I guess it was always in me. Maybe always around me. So, I was always drawn to it. Plus my parents said I had to take music lessons when I was like 6!

I love the raw stirring emotion and scuzzy musicality of your songs, but who would you consider to be your main musical influences?
Probably Elliott Smith is the big one. I also feel like Frankie Cosmos and Alex G were big ones for me.

Your debut album Where The Earth Bends came out last year –  it really is a beautiful collection from start to finish (and was one of our ‘Albums Of 2025’), big congratulations! It’s said to deal with emotions ranging from rage and shame, to self-acceptance and resolve – are you able to tell us a bit more about this and how your experiences inspired your writing?
Well, my writing has always been an outlet for me, so when I experience big emotions I usually feel like writing about them in order to process them fully. And that ultimately led to the songs on my record. 

And – tricky question (sorry!) –  do you have a favourite track on the album? (I think mine might be ‘Carrot Fingers’, though I love them all)
‘Carrot Fingers’ is definitely one of my favourites as well. But I think, right now, my favourite is still ‘Sideways’ – I just love the way it turned out and the song means a lot to me. 

How would you say the process of recording the album has differed from your previous releases?
I think I took more time making the songs – I was more intentional with everything. 

From a young age, it seems like you’ve been really involved in the DIY music community where you’ve lived, which is something close to our hearts at Get In Her Ears. Why do you think these close knit communities are so important for artists? And how has being a part of one helped you personally?
It really allows you the space to explore and grow as an artist. The art world can be a very competitive place, and the DIY scene really is very welcoming to everyone, so you have the space to mess up and learn.

We were lucky enough to catch you live at The Great Escape in Brighton earlier this year – such a great show! How was this experience for you? And how was your recent trip to the UK last month?
Festivals can be hard! You don’t have a sound check and it all goes by very quick. But you get to play to a diverse fan base, which is a great opportunity and ultimately very fun. The UK was great! I had good beer for the first time in my life.

And, when you’re out on tour, or playing gigs, are there any particular essentials that you like to have with you to keep you going?
I always need to have my own pillow case to keep me safe from all the detergent I’m allergic to, lol. Other than that, as long as I have some sort of simple snack like corn chips or carrots I’m good. 

Has there been a specific show you’ve played over the years that stands out as a particular highlight?
I think the release show I did at someone’s apartment was the best. It was packed out and the first time I’ve had people sing my lyrics with me. 

As we’re an organisation with a focus on supporting new and marginalised artists, I just wondered how you feel the industry is for them at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the years in its treatment of female and queer artists?
Well, Capitalism is rooted in racism and sexism. We live in a Capitalist society, so you tell me. Can we really have a capitalist music industry where we are all treated with the same respect…? Most artists don’t even earn a fraction of what we are owed. I don’t know, this is a very hard question, I could write a whole essay (but I won’t because i hate writing essays!). 

And are there any other bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment?
I’ve been loving earth 2 tiffany recently. I also love Superfan and Shmoo.

Huge thanks to Gabi for answering our questions! We can’t wait to hear more from them soon, and for now you can listen to Where The Earth Bends on repeat (like I do), and watch the new video for their poignant cover of Arthur Russell’s ‘I Couldn’t Say It To Your Face‘.

Photo Credit: Sam Penn

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Introducing Interview: Madison Cunningham

Having been included as a favourite by not just one, but two, other artists in their ‘Five Favourites’ features for us (Laura Reznek earlier this year, and Sarah Walk back in 2020), we’re so glad to have been introduced to LA artist Madison Cunningham and her swirling heartfelt creations. With the release of her third album, Ace, last month, she has continued to hone her sound; interweaving a lilting folk-tinged musicality with a soaring cinematic splendour and the captivating delicate crystalline grace of her rich vocals, it offers a stirring reflection on heartbreak and perseverance.

We caught up with Madison to find out more about the new album, collaborating with Fleet Foxes and her thoughts on the industry at the moment. Read below and make sure you check out the truly exquisite Ace if you’ve not already!

Hi Madison! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you doing today?
I’m feeling well and like I’ve had too much coffee today.

Are you able to tell us a bit about what initially inspired you to start creating music?
Watching my Dad and Grandma and their relationship to guitar was my initial introduction.

I love the raw stirring emotion and glistening musicality of your songs, but who would you consider to be your main musical influences?
Very hard to choose just a handful. The most expansive influences have to be: Juana Molina, Ry Cooder, Jon Brion, Bjork, and Joni Mitchell. 

Your new album Ace has just been released, which is super exciting! It’s said to be a really personal collection, reflecting on heartbreak – are you able to tell us a bit more about this and how your experiences inspired your writing?
Recently I’ve been inspired by passion. Specifically passions that are born out of heartbreak. The chefs, authors, and poets that were inspiring me while writing Ace really lit the way for how to talk about my own heartbreak. Essentially there are no rules to telling the truth. You just have to be willing to greet the consequences and understand that the ability to understand and tell your own story is the closest we get to liberation. 

And how would you say the process of recording the album has differed from your 2022 Grammy winning album, Revealer?
This process was much more free and clear. Oddly enough, I think that was the direct result of putting more rules in place. No vocal overdubs, no demos, and nothing that felt overly cool, for example. The emotion and first instinct had to be priority. It’s also worth mentioning I recorded with my touring band for the first time, aside from the one single I produced called ‘Subtitles’. 

You collaborated with Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes on the album track ‘Wake’ – are you able to tell us a bit about how this collaboration came about, and what the experience of working with him was like?
I met Robin backstage at our second to last Revealer show. I was so amazed he even wanted to be there. We kept in touch and I braved the ask after the ‘Wake’ harmony was written. Robin is the consummate professional in every way you can imagine. Prepared, kind, hard working, and wouldn’t let up until it was right. Didn’t think it was possible to walk away being a bigger fan. 

And you’ve recently been on tour with Mumford & Sons – how was this experience for you? 
I love those wild boys. Was blown away by their live show and their kindness. 

When you’re out on tour are there any particular essentials that you like to have with you to keep you going?
I have my headphones, spearmint tea, a good candle, books, and running shoes. 

And has there been a specific show you’ve played over the years that stands out as a particular highlight?
The release show we just played at Largo as a band was an all timer spiritual experience for me.

As we’re an organisation with a focus on supporting new and marginalised artists, I just wondered how you feel the industry is for them at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the years in its treatment of female and queer artists?
I think we need to do better. I want more for artists and I imagine I always will, but I am thankful that at least we’re attempting to talk to each other, and that’s a start. 

And are there any other bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment?
Do check out Sam Weber, Anna Tivel, Mike Viola, and Dylan Rodruige. The best in the business.

Huge thanks to Madison for answering our questions! Listen to / order her exquisite new album here.

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Introducing Interview: Junk Whale

Having been big fans of Oxford’s grunge-pop faves Junk Whale since first hearing their 2022 debut (and fantastically named), Caught In The Act Of Looking Weird, we were super excited when they released a gorgeous new EP back in May. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been pretty much listening to See You Around, I guess? non-stop, unable to get enough of its scuzzy raw emotion and lilting indie-pop energy. Despite covering poignant themes such as grief and mental illness, the EP as a whole oozes an uplifting effervescent spirit, each track offering an instantly catchy jangly earworm (and not a repeating chorus in sight!). The band expand: “Lyrically, this might be our darkest release yet, written under the cloud of lockdown malaise and personal setbacks. But musically, it’s probably our most upbeat and energetic.”

To celebrate the EP’s release, and ahead of them playing live for us on 10th October at New River Studios supporting Belfast queer punks Strange New Places, we caught up with Junk Whale to find out more about the EP, their inspirations and the joy of playing gigs with plenty of non-men. Have a read, listen to the EP, and nab a ticket for 10th October now!


Hi Junk Whale! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you all doing today?
We’re doing great, excited to be asked to do this!

Are you able to tell us a bit about what initially inspired you to start creating music and how you all came together as a band?
Hannah and I (Josie) have known each other since we were teenagers and played in a band together before Junk Whale called Four Thousand Dollar Ham Napkin. After that, ended we decided to challenge ourselves by writing, recording and releasing a brand new song every week for a year. It was a mad thing to do, no one was forcing us to do it and pretty much no one listened to the results! But that project was the start of Junk Whale. We met Jenny and Ali through the Oxford music scene and as soon as the four of us were together it stopped being this silly little recording project and started feeling like a really special band that we were all creatively involved in.

I love your scuzzy, emotion-filled indie-pop songs – who or what generally inspires your distinctive sound? 
We all love bands who mix noisy guitars with melodic hooks, bands like Dinosaur Jr., Sunny Day Real Estate, Sleater-Kinney, so naturally we’ve taken a lot of inspiration from those types of bands. Also, we’ve been really inspired by the local Oxford DIY music scene and all the weird and wonderful bands we’ve seen or played gigs with here. When we were starting out, Smash Disco were putting on these great punk and hardcore shows, and we’ve all played in bands doing that kind of music, so I think that’s where some of the emotional intensity and the rougher edges of the music come from. And then there’s Divine Schism, who put on a ton of really varied shows, but especially the more indie-rock-type stuff that we naturally slot in with really comfortably. When there’s a good local scene it really pushes you creatively to try to keep up with your friends’ bands.

You’ve just released your awesome new EP See You Around, I Guess which you’ve described as, lyrically, your “darkest release yet” –  are you able to tell me a bit more about the writing of the album and the themes running through it?
A lot of the songs on the EP were written during lockdown, and as well as the obvious massive cloud of doom hanging over everything, we all had our own personal stuff going on that coloured the lyrics. Jenny, Hannah and I all contributed lyrics to the songs on this EP – we tend to write about topics that are personal to us, so grief, mental illness and friendship break-ups were some of the things we wrote about this time.

And how would you say the whole recording process has differed from your 2019 eponymous album and 2022’s amazingly named EP Caught In The Act Of Being Weird?
The recording process for both EPs was pretty similar, Ali did the bulk of the engineering himself and we recorded each instrument separately. The album was a little different, we smashed through the whole thing in a couple days, mostly recording live with our pal Luke to help us. I think that probably gave the album a slightly different energy – we played everything about twice as fast because we were all on an adrenaline/sugar rush -, but it has been nice to be able to take our time with these recordings. I think it especially shows in the arrangements on things like vocal harmonies, that’s something we really pride ourselves on. And we’re very lucky to have such a talented sound engineer like Ali in the band! Junk Whale recording mostly consists of consuming a frankly irresponsible amount of snacks and fizzy drinks. One of my favourite memories of recording the new EP was when Ali, Hannah and I took a break to play football in a field near where we were recording – Jenny filmed us playing and used it for the ‘Bleeding Out’ video.

You’ve played loads of great gigs over the years, including supporting DIY heroes Martha and recently playing with GIHE fave Ray Aggs, but is there a particular show that stands out as a highlight for you? 
A stand out show for me was with Doe and Milk Crimes in 2019. Doe were (and are still) a band I really looked up to and who influenced my songwriting immensely, so playing with them was kind of a dream come true. Turns out they’re absolutely lovely humans too – sometimes you should meet your heroes! It was an also an emotional night for me because I’d only recently come out as trans to my bandmates and a few other close friends, and it was the first time I’d worn femme clothes and presented myself in public as ‘not-a-man’, so it’ll always be a special one for me.

And, sadly I have yet to manage to see you live (!) – for others who’ve not had the chance, what can fans expect from your live shows?
We love to rock out – sometimes this means going too hard too early and leaving myself out of breath by about the third song! We just like having fun, playing the music we love with our pals, and hopefully that results in a good time for the audience. Also, expect endearingly awkward stage banter, we really haven’t mastered that yet.

When you’re out on the road / playing gigs, are there any particular essentials you like to have with you to keep you going?
On our recent weekender with Nathy SG, we mostly survived on protein bars, Candy Kittens and fizzy drinks in only weird flavours. Ali’s puzzle books, Hannah’s Star Trek eps and my enormous collection of car CDs kept us going too!

As we’re an organisation focused on supporting new music by people of marginalised genders, I just wanted to ask how you feel the industry is for these communities at the moment? Do you feel that much has changed over the years in its treatment of women and queer artists?
We’ve not really involved ourselves with the ‘industry’, whatever that means. We only want to play gigs with bands and promoters who share our values and support women and queer artists. I don’t remember the last time we played a gig where we were the only band featuring non-men. In fact, the last few gigs we’ve played we haven’t even been the only band with a non-cis member – I don’t know if this is a sign of progress in general or just a sign that we’re choosing the right gigs to play, and maybe we’re just lucky that Oxford has such a diverse and inclusive music scene, but I think it goes to show that you don’t have to settle for shitty treatment if you don’t want to.

And are there any other bands / artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment?
Top Shortage! They are one of the best bands in Oxford at the moment – they’re an amazing live band, especially their front-woman Noa who is just a mesmerising performer. They don’t have any recordings yet but hopefully some are on the way. And Leibniz from Brighton, they sound like all the grungey, heavy bands we loved when we were teenagers and they go HARD live. Also Fashion Tips from Newcastle & Leeds, who play very loud and danceable electro punk.

Finally, following your lovely EP, what does the rest of 2025 have in store for Junk Whale? 
We’re working on lots of new material and might even have some new recordings in the works. And we had so much fun on our weekend tour with Nathy SG and we’d love to do more gigging this year, there are so many places we haven’t played yet. Book us to play in your city!

Huge thanks to Junk Whale for answering our questions!

Make sure you check out Junk Whale’s gorgeous new EP, See You Around, I Guess? on bandcamp now, and also come along to catch their energetic and “endearingly awkward” live show supporting Belfast queer punks Strange New Places at New River Studios, along with Breakup Haircut, on 10th October. Tickets on Dice now!

Photo Credit: Ian Hanham

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