ALBUM: Helen Love – ‘This Is My World’

After spending thirty years hidden behind a pair of shades, Welsh indie-pop legends Helen Love have released their most personal album to date. The band’s tenth LP, This Is My World is a reflective, intimate record that explores ageing, loss and front-person Helen Love’s childhood – a departure from their typically joyous odes to punkers and disco dollies.

Full disclosure: I’ve been obsessed with Helen Love for over half my life, so it feels pretty revelatory to hear such personal lyrics. ‘Seaside Town’ is a wistful take on life in a small town, while ‘Clearing Out Mum’s House’ deals with grief and the memories wrapped up in a place. 

This isn’t just Helen Love’s most open album, but it’s their most accessible too. The dizzying, “happy hardcore” beats they’re known for are turned down in favour of a punkier, more melodic and guitar-led sound. Songs like ‘Go-Kart’ are simple and stripped right down, so you can really focus on the vocal and lyrics. That said, the band prove they can still get the party started with the closing title track ‘This Is My World’ – a Pet Shop Boys-esque banger that really shines, combining an infectious ’80s-inspired groove with a poignant, introspective lyricism.

As Helen explains, “Getting older, life changes. Children grow up and leave home, loved ones pass away, friends move on. It’s easier to look back and harder to push forward…it’s not all bubblegum punk rock disco around my house anymore, but in truth, of course, it never was…”

By inviting the listener into their world with this punk-driven, powerful record, Helen Love are at their most relevant and relatable here. A fitting album for the post-lockdown era, it’s reassuring to know that even Ms Love’s life isn’t all Casio keyboards and confetti canons.


This Is My World, the upcoming album from Helen Love, is set for release on 28th January via Alcopop! Records.

Vic Conway
@thepicsofvic

killingfantasy6583Leave a comment

Track Of The Day: PRISMA – ‘I Never Wanted To Meet You’

A defiant slice of goth-tinged scandi-pop that champions the idea of forging your own path, Danish duo PRISMA have shared their latest single ‘I Never Wanted To Meet You’. Released via Luna Sky Recordings, the track is a stirring, defiant reaction to the criticism of others, full of motorik beats, mantra-like lyrics and an infectious rhythm.

Formed of sisters Frida and Sirid Møl Kristensen, PRISMA create sounds that are influenced by the likes of The Raveonettes, Vivian Girls, Trentemøller, The Cure and Susanne Sundfør. Together, they write songs about their own experiences, staying true to their sisterhood as they attempt to understand life’s bigger questions. New single ‘I Never Wanted To Meet You’ is a shining example of both, full of their tender harmonies and energetic beats, propelling the track forwards as the duo champion breaking free from the restraints of others and focusing on your own vision.

“I realized that having this person in my life wasn’t doing me any good,” says Sirid, explaining the context of the new single. “I needed to make a choice, focusing on what was best for me. I can’t have people around me that no longer contribute to my life.” The duo elaborate further on their new sounds: “There’s this new drive in us, we have this energy inside, and we need to get it out. It doesn’t have to be pretty, and we don’t have to make perfect takes. The important thing is to emphasize the nerve of the music – this specific energy.”

Listen to ‘I Never Wanted To Meet You’ below.

Follow PRISMA on Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Bobby Mandrup

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

WATCH: CMAT – ‘Lonely’

Flowing with her trademark camp melancholy, Irish pop sensation CMAT‘s latest single ‘Lonely’ is a relatable lament about isolation and disconnection. Taken from her upcoming album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, which is set for release through AWAL Recordings on 4th March, the track is a playful but poignant wish for company, delivered via CMAT’s witty lyrics and charming, country-tinged vocals.

“I started writing the song ‘Lonely’ in the Arndale food hall in Manchester when I was on my break from work,” CMAT explain about the track. “Anyone who has been there will know that it is as aesthetically unpleasant as it is bustling, at all hours of the day. There was something that always drew me to it though – people. I was very isolated during this period of my life and longed for a day when I could be sitting at a table of friends that I did not have. Instead, I found myself regularly sitting alone and watching strange families and friend groups, peering out from underneath a Taco Bell crunch wrap, for a false sense of comfort.

“It took me years to finish this song because I couldn’t figure out the point of it. Then the pandemic happened, and suddenly I realised that everybody was in the boat that I had been long accustomed to (my sea legs are beefy in this regard). I realised that the point of isolation is maybe to learn to cherish people more, and to not be so scared of them, or scared of how you are perceived by them. Ultimately though, I wrote this song to try and get Robbie Williams to notice me.”

Whether or not the ‘Rock DJ’ singer notices CMAT remains to be seen, but her heartfelt release is accompanied by another eye-catching video, shot and produced by Tiny Ark. The visuals show CMAT rollerskating her way through her emotions, proving once again she’s a multi-talented, musical prophet who effortlessly blends the silly and the sensitive sides of life together in her tunes.

Watch the video for ‘Lonely’ below.

 

Follow CMAT on bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify & Facebook 

Photo Credit: Sarah Doyle

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Queen Cult – ‘Calm’

Following acclaim from the likes of BBC Introducing for their debut single ‘Shindigger‘, and support for their resonant latest single ‘A Song About Consent’, Cheshire band Queen Cult have been fast making a name for themselves. Consisting of front person Maisie Johnson and bassist Leila Jacklin, as well as Brodie Carson on drums and Piers Jarvis on guitar, the band pride themselves on their LGBTQ+ identity and sharing their queer, politically-charged messages with the masses. Having now announced their debut EP, set for release at the end of this month, the band have now shared a brand new single.

Starting off perhaps more melodic than what we’ve come to expect from the band, ‘Calm‘ flows with luscious, heartfelt vocals before building to a sweeping, fiercely impassioned proclamation to stand up to the patriarchy. Oozing an emotion strewn, seething energy, it’s propelled by an immense angst-fuelled drive as fizzing riffs ripple with a swirling sense of urgency. Once again showcasing the Cheshire band’s knack for creating epic pop-rock anthems with a poignant sense of intent, ‘Calm’ cements Queen Cult’s place as definite ones to watch in 2022.

Focusing on women who so often seem to conform to patriarchal norms, the band explain the meaning behind the the track:

“We wanted to know why excuses are always made, why they give in and let go. This is our reminder, you have your own voice. You have your own rights. Don’t let someone shine brighter when you are the sun. Pick you.”

The debut EP from Queen Cult is set for release on 28th January. Catch them live throughout January and February, including dates supporting GIHE faves LibraLibra and ARXX! All info here and here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Debbie Ellis / A Supreme Shot

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment