PREMIERE: Bellatrix – ‘Bad Love’

With previous support from the likes of Clash and Wonderland magazine, former beat-box world champion (what a feat!) and proudly queer artist Bellatrix has now announced the release of a new EP. Taken from the EP, today they have shared a brand new single.

Propelled by glitchy hooks and a gritty, sensuous energy, ‘Bad Love’ showcases Bellatrix’s sweeping, impassioned vocals whilst oozing shimmering, blissful vibes with shades of pop legend SOPHIE. A scuzzed-out slice of infectious electro-pop reflecting on self-discovery and emotional growth, it sparkles with a fierce empowering drive, instantly demanding multiple listens. Of the inspiration behind the track, Bellatrix explains:

“‘Bad Love’ is a realisation, and really I think it does what it says on the tin. I remember being sat in circle with my women’s group – a candle lit circle of 15 witches – and saying ‘I’ve realised that I’m in an abusive relationship, and at the moment I can’t see the way out…’ There was a calmness in finally being able to be completely honest with myself about my situation. I knew that the storm would have to come, but for the minute I could just look at things as they were, and see them. Wow what a mess I had found myself in.“

Listen to ‘Bad Love’, for the first time, here:


‘Bad Love’ is out tomorrow 1st July, And I Was An Aphid, the upcoming new EP from Bellatrix, is set for release later this year.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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PREMIERE: CRISP&CLASSY – ‘Boom Bay’

Feminist LGBTQIA+ electro-pop duo CRISP&CLASSY (aka producer Kat Knix and singer-songwriter Plushy) pride themselves on bringing sexual liberation and self-acceptance to the UK pop scene. Now, having captured our attention earlier this year with vibrant dance-floor anthem, ‘Basic‘ – a collaboration with GIHE fave Rookes – they have shared a brand new euphoric offering.

Oozing all the sumptuous summer vibes and colourful energy you could ever desire, ‘Boom Bay’ fuses together an eclectic palette of genres to create something wonderfully uplifting. Interweaving funk-fuelled Raggeton beats with synth-driven soundscapes as sensuous vocals exude an empowering lyricism, it’s impossible not to become utterly immersed in its blissful, sassy splendour and sparkling, soulful drive. Celebrating self-love and our connection with each other (“Self love is my husband / Confidence is my cousin”), ‘Boom Bay’ is the place to be: a sunny, sonic delight that will exhilarate and inspire; “a utopian luxury resort where everyone is welcome. Here you can be whoever you want to be; express yourself in any way you desire.” 

Treat your ears to ‘Boom Bay’, for the first time, here:

Find out more about CRISP&CLASSY and the new single in the interview below:

Hi, CRISP&CLASSY, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
We are a LGBTQ & Feminist musical love affair comprised of Scandinavian producer Kat Knix and Transylvanian songwriter Plushy. Our mission is breaking preconceptions and speaking about the unspoken. Our love for diversity and desire to break free is universal and gets translated through our iconic bops. CRISP&CLASSY is a spoiled and ignorant child; always in your face, screaming their lungs out to be heard. Because every day is riot day!

How did you initially decide to start creating music together?
Kat Knix was a proper indie rock chick in her teenage years back in Stockholm, while Plushy worshipped the pop divas and joined R’n’B dance classes in Transylvania. We met in London in 2013. Plushy was still a music student at that point and Kat was a part time DJ, so music made us bond. It was only after a few years of failing to write anything good together because of too many bottles of wine, when Kat asked Plushy to be her backing vocalist on her solo project. After performing together under Kat Knix, they eventually decided to officially unite their forces and create something never seen before. And CRISP&CLASSY was born. Mixing our music backgrounds, CRISP&CLASSY is a marriage between electronic synths, pop hooks, and dance and reggaeton beats. Both of us being ’90s kids, CRISP&CLASSY naturally carries a twisted ’90s sound, inspired by queens such as Janet Jackson and Madonna.

You’re about to release your euphoric new single ‘Boom Bay’. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired this track? Are there any particular themes running throughout it? 
The first idea for ‘Boom Bay’ came from Kat last Spring. Plushy was working out in Hackney Marshes and got sent a voice memo from Kat: “I made a beat and we should make it a song inspired by an ’80s aerobic tape with a matching video…” Eventually the concept kind of travelled from there to being an anthem of self love, and we started imagining this video where the water element in the production would be visually mirrored. We imagined it to be the perfect combination between Kat’s reggaeton beats and Plushy’s New York voguing chords over the chorus. ‘Boom Bay’ is a utopian luxury retreat in the CRISP&CLASSY world where everyone is welcome. Here we celebrate ourselves and one another. 

The track follows your epic collaboration with GIHE fave Rookes on vibrant single ‘Basic’ earlier this year – how did this collaboration come about? And how was it working with Rookes? 
Rookes pitched us the idea on a drunken night out and we simply had to join in! After several Zooms discussing the concept and Kat spending time on the production, we met up in the studio and recorded the lyrics that glued the track together, and eventually became the main concept! Rookes has taught us a lot. She is a veteran in the music industry and has not only mentored us, but also opened so many doors. Working with her was a lot of fun and we thank her for the love during our drunken wild Zoom meets! 

And you have a debut album set for release later this year, which is very exciting! Can you tell us any more about this? 
Fried Futuristic Electric guitars and Luxury Alien Spit in a glass by the beach – that’s all we have to say. You will be completely infatuated once you’ll be blessed with it! And a music video for ‘Boom Bay’ will be released along with the album, stay tuned!

How have you been connecting with your audience and other musicians during the pandemic?
Our community of amazing creative people in all areas has made us feel extremely loved. We were so lucky to shoot our ‘Boom Bay’ music video during the pandemic, and worked with incredibly talented people. So many musicians made a lot of music during the pandemic, and we’ve kept our people close. We’ve also started C&C TV on our YouTube channel, for our fans to still be able to escape to the CRISP&CLASSY world, as gigs have been out of the question for quite some time. On C&C TV we are completely letting go; ridiculing ourselves while celebrating our love for ’90s cooking shows and make-up tutorials. 

And has there been anything/anyone specific that has been inspiring you, or helping to motivate you, throughout these strange times? 
Creativity has been like therapy for us during the pandemic, and we’re so glad that we can always turn to each other for unlimited love and encouragement; especially during these hard times. Plushy was very happy Lady Gaga dropped an album during the pandemic. He is also continuously obsessed with Bree Runway who’s helped him make it through. Kat has become a true yogi, and the pandemic has made her realise she can’t live without gong baths! Hanging out with drag queen extraordinaires like Miss Dylan and Styled By Voodka has certainly lifted our spirits during the pandemic. And on the other hand, the pandemic has made us less distracted. As we both are restless souls and suffer from serious FOMO! 

Of course, we’re all missing live music at the moment, and understandably all have quite mixed feelings about the return of events. But do you have any tentative plans for any gigs coming up in the near future? 
We can’t wait to get back into gig life in the fall! London shows are coming up soon, so y’all better get ready!

And what can fans expect from your live show? 
The CRISP&CLASSY World is a safe haven, where you can be yourself and let your hair down, like treating yourself to a relaxing day at the beach. When the sun sets, you take your restless oozing body to a nearby bar. That’s where we will be, soothing your sunburn with our uplifting beats and nasty lyrics. And there you are; feeling yourself becoming one with the CRISP&CLASSY world, and you’ll never want to leave!

Finally, as we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out?
Our friend Arnie Wrong’s club nostalgia songs will put words on your heart ache, while getting you back on your feet and feel your most powerful ever! She just released her new tune ‘Strange Love’, defo a must listen!

Massive thanks to CRISP&CLASSY for answering our questions!

‘Boom Bay’ is out tomorrow 25th June. And it’ll be followed by an iconic music video directed and produced by BAFTA Awarded Scholars Leo Lebeau and James Bell, plus the release of CRISP&CLASSY’s debut album, Xtra Crispy, at the end of the summer.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Playlist: 50 Years Of Pride

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots which triggered the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement in the US and beyond. On the 28th June 1969, the bar’s patrons clashed with police officers in a raid that was not uncommon during that era. However, this time they’d had enough, this time the patrons fought back. Two people in particular made a significant impact that night but the history books often forget – two transgender women of colour named: Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

This night lit a match underneath the modern LGBTQ+ movement we see living on worldwide in Pride celebrations, protests and marches today. So much has happened in the last 50 years both in favour and against the LGBTQ+ communities; in my lifetime alone I’ve seen the World Health Organisation declassify same-sex attraction as a mental illness, I’ve seen Section 28 being repealed, and equal marriage being passed into law but I’ve also seen a significant increase in the levels of isolation and loneliness within the LGBTQ+ communities, and the number of homophobic, and especially transphobic, hate crimes more than doubling in the last 5 years.

50 years on from the Stonewall Riots we have seen progress, but we are not at the finish line yet! As trans activist Charlie Craggs said “trans women of colour need you to fight for them the way they fought for you 50 years ago, there is still more to be done, the battle is not over.”

Which is why at Pride this year as I march in the parade, I will be marching to celebrate everything we have achieved and I will be protesting for everything that is to come because our mantra is: we’re here, we’re queer and yes sometimes we’re afraid, but we are never ashamed because we are proud of who we are! – Tash Walker (Co-Founder of GIHE & Co-Chair for Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline)

To mark this momentous anniversary, Tash, Mari and Kate have put together some tunes to celebrate LGBTQ+ liberation, as we continue to push for progress. Read about our chosen tracks and have a listen below! 

Hercules & Love Affair – ‘Blind’
Taken from their self-titled album released in 2008, the same year I attended London Pride for the first time, this is without a doubt the theme tune to me fully embracing my sexuality, feeling proud of who I was and strong enough to come out happily in all aspects of my life. (Tash Walker)

Le Tigre – ‘Keep On Livin’
Pioneers of queer culture, Le Tigre’s ‘Keep On Livin’ remains a motivational anthem to anyone going through a hard time. Inspired by the feelings surrounding both ‘coming out’ as a survivor of sexual abuse, and coming out as gay, lesbian, bi or trans, it’s a pure cathartic release of emotion.
Mari Lane

Robyn – ‘Dancing On My Own’
Robyn is an outspoken ally for LGBTQ+ rights. I think it is important to recognise the role that allies play within LGBTQ+ history and the movement’s continued fight for equality.
TW

Lady Gaga – ‘Born This Way’
A dance-floor filling anthem that celebrates self-acceptance.
Kate Crudgington

RuPaul – ‘Sissy That Walk’
Pioneering drag queen RuPaul’s message of self love and motivation is encapsulated in this uplifting anthem, as she sings one of her classic mottos: “Unless they paying your bills, pay them bitches no mind.”
ML

Planningtorock – ‘Non Binary Femme’
This track summed up 2018 for me, a year that gave with free abundance in good music, in particular Planningtorock’s album Powerhouse. Any album that uses the language Non-Binary Femme in the title of the song is unarguably paving the way for not only a greater/better understanding of what these words and this sort of language means, but also for it to become a fully accepted part of everyday conversation.
TW

Princess Nokia – ‘Tom Boy’
Openly queer rapper and all round inspiration, Princess Nokia writes powerful, feminist anthems promoting self love and body positivity, refusing to fit into stereotypical gender norms.
ML 

Mykki Blanco (feat. Princess Nokia) – ‘Wish You Would’
This is a song from an artist who I feel needs no introduction, a queer pioneer who is doing amazing things for LGBTQ+ rights as well as being open about their positive HIV status. Mykki Blanco is an incredible artist and I love his music.
TW

Syd – ‘All About Me’
One of my favourite tracks from Syd who is openly LGBTQ+ and you may know from the excellent collective The Internet.
TW

Shura – ‘2shy’
I just love this track from London artist Shura, who has been consistently challenging stereotypes since she came out as a lesbian a couple of years ago and helping to “queer the mainstream”. Bring on the blurring of gender and sexuality in pop!
TW

Jackie Shane – ‘Any Other Way’
A pioneer for transgender rights in the late 60s, Jackie Shane lived her life as a woman in the spotlight, during a time when compassion and acceptance were not always reciprocated towards those who identified as trans.
KC

Cyndi Lauper – ‘True Colours’
An uplifting anthem often associated with the LGBTQ+ community, ‘True Colours’ openly asserts for us to love ourselves for who we are. Lauper has often dedicated the song to a friend of hers who died from HIV/AIDs, and has since co-founded the ‘True Colours’ fund – a non-profit that educates people on LGBTQ issues and helps to end homelessness for LGBTQ youth.
ML

King Princess – ‘1950’
Something that I am really proud of here in the UK is the latest generation of LGBTQ+ people, who continually amaze me with their openness and their acceptance of how others identify in their sexuality and gender identity, so different from when I was growing up. ‘1950’ by King Princess is an excellent example of the progression we have made throughout the last 60 years.
TW

Anna Calvi – ‘Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy’
Anna Calvi describes this track as being “beyond definition”, because queerness is beyond definition. Her whole Hunter album celebrates what it is to be queer in a wonderfully honest, binary-destroying way. Summing it up, she explains: “I want to go beyond gender. I don’t want to have to chose between the male and female in me.”
ML

Bang Bang Romeo – ‘Shame On You’
Fronted by loud and proud lesbian Stars, Bang Bang Romeo completely blew us away with their immense soulful power and compelling charisma when playing Cro Cro Land earlier this year.
ML

Dream Nails – ‘Deep Heat’
A hex on Donald Trump and the patriarchy in general, our fave DIY punks Dream Nails know how to boost up their community in times of need.
KC

The Menstrual Cramps – ‘The Smash’
Combining activism with musical prowess, and fully embracing queerness, The Menstrual Cramps provide a captivating, empowering force that we all need now more than ever.
ML

T-Bitch – ‘Dressing Up’
Southend riot grrrl punks T-Bitch celebrate all things trans, queer & glam!
KC

T-Bitch EP by T-Bitch

Queen Zee – ‘Boy’
One of the most relevant (and joyful) bands around at the moment. I’d put them on every playlist if it was up to me!
KC

Ezra Furman – ‘Suck The Blood From My Wound’
Openly bisexual and androgynous artist Ezra Furman’s latest album Transangelic Exodus really knocked my for six in its spine-tingling beauty and raw emotion. This track is particularly stirring, its concept serving as a metaphor for queer liberation and the defiance of the underdog.
ML

Grace Petrie – ‘Black Tie’
Addressing the damaging effects of enforced gender norms, this is an empowering and uplifting offering, addressing a younger self with reassuring lyrics such as “I swear there’ll come a day when you won’t worry what they say, on the labels, on the doors, you will figure out what’s yours.”
ML

Janelle Monae – ‘Pynk’
A brash celebration of creation. Self love. Sexuality. And p-ssy power!  Need I say more.
TW

Frank Ocean – ‘Chanel’
Such a great song. As you may or may not know, Frank Ocean came out back in 2012 to mixed but mainly positive responses.
TW

Queen – ‘Love Of My Life’
Just a heartbreaking love song written by the legendary Freddie Mercury. Once, when asked about his sexuality, Mercury replied with “I’m gay as a daffodil, my dear!”. A brave statement to make back in 1974.
ML 

Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy’
This track was released in 1984 at the height of the AIDS crisis by openly gay Bronski Beat, ‘Smalltown Boy’ is a heartbreaking story given an empowering beat.
TW

Anthony & The Johnsons – ‘For Today I Am A Boy’
A stirring and powerful ode to the journey of transitioning, a simply exquisite creation.
ML

Have a listen to, and follow, our 50 Years Of Pride playlist, here:

 

Tash Walker / @maudeandtrevor
Mari Lane / @marimindles
Kate Crudgington / @kcbobcut

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