Introducing Interview: Chloe Foy

Following acclaim from the likes of BBC Introducing and BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, Manchester-based artist Chloe Foy has just released her enchanting new EP.

An introspective collection of reflective offerings, Callous Copper showcases Foy’s smooth, rich vocals and stirring heartfelt emotion alongside glistening sweeping string arrangements.

We caught up with Chloe to find out more…

Hi Chloe, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a singer-songwriter living in Manchester, originally from Gloucestershire, trying my best to do what I love.

How did you start creating music?
I had always been musical, and started off learning classical music, but then picked up a guitar when I was about 14, learnt a few basic chords and started to write my own songs. A lot was going on in my life then and it was my most instinctive form of expression.

Your new EP Callous Copper is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the album?
There’s not a lyrical theme as such, other than the fact my songs are all inspired by this weird thing we do called life. There’s themes of love and death and mental health too. Really, it was an opportunity for me to realise this idea of doing a record with a string quartet, which I had wanted to do for a while.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Laura Marling and Lucy Rose, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I think they are probably up there with some of the big ones, as well as Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
Manchester is great for live music. There’s usually something going on every day of the week that you can go to. These days I’m busier, so I don’t get to see as much as I’d like but I still try and see a fair amount.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Heartbreak.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
There are some great North West artists who I love – Caoilfhionn Rose, Katie Mac, Hannah Ashcroft, Lindsay Munroe – all amazing female artists making diverse and beautiful music.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
I think it’s tough. There’s an abundance of music out there so it’s hard to be heard above the noise. I think it’s easier than ever to get your music onto platforms like Spotify and start to make a few little waves, but to get further and make a sustainable living I think is tough without a strong team behind you.

Finally, what does the rest of 2020 have in store for Chloe Foy?
A headline tour with my string trio in March, to get out and play songs from my forthcoming EP, and hopefully some trips further afield, as well as some festival slots to be announced!

 

Callous Copper is out now. Catch Chloe Foy live at The Islington on 4th March via AntiFraglie.

 

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Introducing Interview: SUN

Following their visceral single ‘Higher Fire’, Franco-German brutal-pop outfit SUN have now announced the release of their debut EP.

With an intense, brooding sound that is uniquely theirs, SUN is the embodiment of founder and sole member Karoline Rose’s brutal pop aesthetic, creating utterly captivating, atmospheric soundscapes.

We caught up with Karoline to find out more…

Hi Karoline, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about SUN?
Hi Get In Her Ears! SUN is my music project. Live we play as a two-piece (I’m on guitar/bass and vocals and I have a mysterious drummer with me). Since I was a teenage metalhead in Germany I wanted to blend Pop and Metal with just a hint of Riot Grrrl. I came up with the term Brutal Pop. For years I was chasing after that Brutal Pop sound. I went from Church Choir to Death metal bands, then did Contemporary Theatre and Musicals as a performer. All in order to gain the skills to create the Sound and the Live show I had in mind since my childhood. SUN was born two years ago and SUN’s first EP Brutal Pop just came out in December. I feel so relieved that I finally have my very own musical language together and out in the world! 

How did you initially start creating music?
I would imitate my mom (who is a French chanson singer) as a toddler and go through some classical training on the piano as a child. When I was twelve I discovered Courtney Love and Tairrie B and from then on I knew I had to make heavy music. My American aunt would send me cool CD’s from oversees and I would analyse the song structure and the lyrics and create my own. I had my first band at 12 (they were between 18-25) and it all started then.

Your latest single ‘I Killed My Man’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the track?
‘I Killed My Man’ is a goodbye to a toxic relationship/ toxic relationships in general. Sometimes we mistake admiration for love and lose ourselves in the process. It can make us accept the unacceptable and it is very hard to get out of that kind of situation without casualties. I wanted to say goodbye to that relationship but also to all the toxicity in my life. I also wanted to say goodbye to someone I lost a long time ago.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Chelsea Wolfe all the way to Pink, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I think my top 3 would be Michael Jackson, Hole and Devin Townsend! It’s really representative of the mix I wanted to hear for so long: Groovy Pop, Indie Grunge (life through this era) and powerful yet original Metal.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
In Paris we have some really cool spots and cool bands. Local promoters like Hypergéante or Morsure organise great gigs at Olympic Café,  Espace B  or the amazing Bus Palladium. In my second hometown Karlsruhe (Germany) we have an amazing club called Substage. In both cases the local scene is very small and especially in France promoters and festivals prefer to welcome foreign bands than giving the locals a shot. That’s why I try to support locals as much as I can.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Our live performances are a Brutal Pop show. My background in Contemporary Theatre and Musicals helped us to make our shows more 360 degrees, not only – foot on wedge – rock n roll (even if there’s nothing wrong with that!). I wanted to be able to create a space in which I can let loose, run, jump, come from different angles without cables and surround my drummer like a wild lion playing with his prey. I would say that our live performances are pop shows but we headbang… a lot! 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I recommend my Parisien friends Toybloid (female fronted riot grrrl) as well as one of the craziest french bands ever, Igorrr!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It is difficult to get past the algorithm. if you don’t want to force your music on an audience that you’ve targeted and paid for you have less chances to be heard. . Things are chaotic right now and no one really knows what to do (labels, press etc) no one can be certain of any strategy, but maybe that is a good thing! Great music might take root in chaos and take off out of nowhere.

Finally, what does 2020 have in store for you?
SUN’s first EP Brutal Pop just came out in December 2019 and the second EP is already finished. It will come out in April 2020. In the meanwhile we will be touring Europe from January until April in a theatre play (‘Nous l’Europe’) in which I am an actress and SUN is the play’s music (for real! We play ‘Higher Fire’ and ‘I killed My Man’ amongst others). We will then go back to touring normally, and get our debut album ready!

Massive thanks to Karoline for answering our questions!

Brutal Pop, the debut EP from SUN is out now. Watch the new video for ‘I Killed My Man’ here:

 

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Introducing Interview: Sun Bloom

Having originally formed at college, London trio Sun Bloom have now shared their latest single ‘Take It Away’.

Filled with jangly melodies and the luscious swooning vocals of of front woman Viv Youel, it’s a sunny slice of dream-pop perfect for warming these dark winter days.

We caught up with Viv to find out more…

Hi Sun Bloom, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band?
 Hello! We make upbeat, no-frills guitar music. We come as a pack of four from London. Sometimes we play as a more compact duo for the smaller gigs. We’re all about getting the crowd flailing around sticky floored venues and enjoying live shows.    

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
 The two gals (Viv – guitar, Poppy – bass) met when we were 18 at college, and the guys (Troy – drums, Theo – guitar) met at Goldsmiths. Viv found drummer Troy after posting a Facebook advert… Essentially ordered him online!

Your new single ’Take It Away’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?
It’s about what happens to love when it becomes long distance; how it survives in strange ways; how memory can take on a life of its own, and persist despite time and distance. You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s actually super upbeat and cheerful!

You’ve been compared to the likes of Alvvays and Best Coast, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I love Anna Calvi – she is so deft with her guitar work, she’s completely in control of it and owns the instrument on stage; serious (long term) guitar goals there!! Then bands like La Luz, Surf Curse and The Drums.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
My area is mainly populated by OAPs, so not much of a scene. I see bands I love when I can though! 

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
 Drum beats to dance to, lyrics to yell along to, and hopefully some guitar parts to take you hair down for. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
 Gaygirl, Jelly Boy, Midnight Mouth, Lala Lala and Black Country New Road are a few of my current favourites. 

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
 There are a lot of ways to get noticed. It’s the early stages that are hard to get past: when you are trying to build a following, so don’t have many people to bring to shows, but the promoters won’t book you unless you do… 

Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for Sun Bloom?
We’re recording a vinyl of six tracks through indie label Dog Tunnel records. We’re very excited to do it analogue style, and have a really raw, energetic recording of us all playing live together in one room. Hopefully we’ll get some gigs in the bag too! 

Huge thanks to Sun Bloom for answering our questions! 

‘Take It Away’, taken from Sun Bloom’s debut EP of the same name, is out now.

 

 

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Introducing Interview: The Frampton Sisters

Hi, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band?
We are sisters from East Sussex that sing and play folky pop. We grew up on the Orkney Isles where we learned to read and write music, as every child on the island learns to play the fiddle, or some sort of instrument! Growing up here started our music interests, plus our parents were also both musical, so encouraged us a lot.

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
We have always played music together; starting in our family band when we were five and seven! When we moved South we started to take it more seriously, performing at various venues and events around the area.

Your new single ‘Birds Of A Feather’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?
The track is simply about everybody and everything; how when it comes down to it, we are all the same, and that we should accept everyone for who and what they are.

You’ve been compared to the likes of First Aid Fit and Lily & Madeleine, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
We enjoy all sorts of styles of music, but our influencers would start with Van Morrison, The Carpenters, Taylor Swift and Passenger. To name a few! 

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
There are many musical venues around us which support local musicians – encouraging them to perform their own material. We quite often watch other bands when we play at these venues. 

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
They can expect thought-provoking storytelling songs, close harmonies and some fun sisterly banter. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
A band called Infrared, who are also from East Sussex. They are just starting to make it on the music scene and are really great!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
As we have so much support from people in the area, we haven’t found gigs and performing difficult. We suppose it is hard to get noticed, but we are on our way, and we are happy to take it slow. 

Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for The Frampton Sisters?
Charlie has just started a degree in Performing Arts and Professional Dance, so she is super busy! And Freddie, having just had a baby, is also quite busy. But we are very much still focusing on songwriting and gigging, as that’s what we enjoy. We plan to release some new tracks in the coming months, which is exciting! 

Big thanks to The Frampton Sisters for answering our questions! 

‘Birds Of A Feather’ is out now via Dharma Records.

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