LISTEN: Bleach Lab – ‘Real Thing’

Fusing hope and hesitation with heart-wrenching ease, Bleach Lab’s latest single ‘Real Thing’ is a dream-pop delight. Following on from their debut EP A Calm Sense of Surrounding, the South-London based indie group’s latest track shows Bleach Lab at what they do best: endearing, emotional indie with a hint of electronica.

Like candy that can kill, there’s a sweet sadness to ‘Real Thing.’ “It’s about wanting to find a more meaningful and lasting connection with someone,” explains vocalist Jenna Kyle. “I had been processing a lot of issues over the last couple of years to do with previous relationships and personal development, and I had finally reached a place where I felt I was in the right state of mind to be open to looking for something new.”

Saturated with the shoegazy sounds like Slowdive and Mazzy Star, it’s no surprise that the single was produced by alt-rock genius Stephen Street, who has produced tracks from The Smiths, Blur and The Cranberries in the past. The song’s acoustic guitars, soft electronic drumbeats and reverb depict the rectifying promise of budding romances. Kyle envelops her lyrics with longing as delicately as silk sits on skin: “I really wanna see you again / I wanna be more than friends,” which seems more like a prayer than a refrain.

Tender, touching and tactful, the new track emulates the melancholy melodies of Heaven or Las Vegas. If you find the slightly soul-crushing sounds of the Cocteau Twins comforting, Bleach Lab is the band for you.

Listen to ‘Real Thing’ below.

Follow Bleach Lab on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

Jay Mitra
@punkofcolour

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Track Of The Day: Beorma – ‘Her’

A bittersweet, sultry tune lamenting the pain and confusion that comes with heartache, Birmingham-based duo Beorma have shared their latest single ‘Her’. Mixing R&B and indie pop sensibilities with a Prince inspired guitar solo, the track is a smooth, melancholy-tinged reflection on absent love.

Formed of Tom and Ferns, Beorma performed separately in different bands before they began working together during lockdown in 2020. Sending ideas back and forth online, the duo’s collaboration led to the creation of their debut EP Virtual Emotionality, which they released at the end of January. Now, the pair have shared their new single ‘Her’ which captures the inner conflicts of desire and the need for distance when it comes to a breakup.

“’Her’ is probably our most soulful song,” Ferns explains. “I really wanted to just lay it bare on vocals and nothing too fancy, just more about trying to channel raw emotion. Prince is a huge inspiration to me so that’s kinda the vibe I was going for whilst still making it very Beorma emo through the lyrics. I think it’s a really relatable song, we’ve all been through some sort of heartache and it’s never easy, especially not when you’re the cause of it. ‘Her’ is essentially a soulful breakup.”

“‘Her’ is a song that felt like it took forever to finish,” Tom continues. “I had the core of it sorted and sent it to Ferns quite early on in Beorma days, but the structure just never felt right, then at some point Ferns suggested a Prince type guitar solo after the first chorus and it all just fell into place after we put the guitar in there and now it’s one of our favourite songs.”

Listen to ‘Her’ below

Follow Beorma on Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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INTERVIEW: JOON

Having survived a life-changing car accident, Maltese musician and producer, Yasmin Kuymizakis – aka JOON – decided that making music was a necessary part of recovery. Now, over ten years later, she has just released her debut album, Dream Again. Oozing a captivating energy, the collection offers an eclectic array of ethereal electro-focused soundscapes. With a shimmering majestic splendour and uplifting lilting melodies, each track glistens with its own immersive, euphoric grandeur.

We caught with JOON to find out more about the album, her inspirations and her founding of the Malta Sound Women Network…

Hi JOON, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
Hi! My actual name is Yasmin Kuymizakis, born in 1989 and I’m from the sunny island of Malta! I’ve been composing and producing music for the past ten years and am also a sonic artist and sound designer for film, video games, theatre and so on. I am a co-founder of the voluntary organisation Malta Sound Women Network.

What initially inspired you to start creating music?
I had been dreaming of creating since I was a teenager, but never had the courage to do so until I was involved in a bad car accident in my early 20s. That was a total wake up call for me! I changed my life around completely after that.

We love your captivating, celestial soundscapes, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
There’s plenty! But I think the most obvious ones are: Grimes, Molly Nilsson and Karin Dreijer (Fever Ray, The Knife).

You have recently released your poignant new album, Dream Again, would you be able to tell us about the writing of this? Are there any themes running throughout it?
I wrote all these songs in different phases of my life in the past ten years, so there are a few different themes. However, I often write about love and letting go. Being the private person I am, I also write a lot of advice and words of encouragement that I feel I need to hear.

You grew up and are still based in Malta, how do you find the scene is for new artists there? Would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
We have a good healthy scene here, but yes it is hard to get noticed internationally.

Back in 2017, you founded the Maltese Sound Women’s Network with composer and academic Jess Rymer – would you be able to tell us a bit about this and what inspired the idea to start this network?
The Malta Sound Women Network is affiliated with the Yorkshire Sound Women Network. It aims to bring like-minded women together; to share knowledge and skills in music and sound technology, sonic arts, production, audio-electronics and anything to do with using kit to create sound. Jess and I decided to start this network because there was (and still is) a huge lack of women electronic artists in Malta, so we started connecting, supporting, mentoring, promoting and educating women and girls in electronic music and sound.

And how do you feel the music scene is for women and non-binary artists generally? Do you think things have improved much in terms of gender balance over the years?
I feel there is a lot more support and enthusiasm for women and non-binary artists these days. The situation has definitely improved, but it is still very much a male dominated scene.

Obviously it’s been quite a difficult couple of years for all musicians, but how have you been connecting with your audience and other musicians during the pandemic?
Funnily enough the pandemic was a bit of a blessing for me as I got the idea to contact Italians Do It Better (record label) and start JOON during lockdown. Like everyone else, I’ve been more online than ever before but that also helped me to connect with my audience in different parts of the world. It’s difficult for touring though. I would love to perform more now that my debut album is out, but it hasn’t been easy so far.

And has there been anything/anyone specific that has been inspiring you, or helping to motivate you, throughout these strange times?
My friend and collaborator Ian Schranz, aka Bark Bark Disco. He’s the best for motivation! Super positive all the time. Also, Megan Louise and Johnny Jewel from Italians Do It Better. They are so encouraging, passionate and hardworking. These three people inspire me a lot. I believe there’d be no JOON without them. 

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists that you’d recommend we check out?
A few would be: Discovery Zone, Orion and Number One Popstar.

Finally, what does the rest of 2021 have in store for JOON?
My plan is to perform as much as I can and write my next album. I am also starting to DJ – that’s super fun!

Dream Again, the debut album from JOON, is out now via Italians Do It Better.

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Track Of The Day: Taylor Blackwell – ‘B.S. poetry’

Having previously captured our attention as part of LA based the tenth (a band she co-founded with actor Harley Quinn Smith), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Blackwell has now announced her debut solo album – In Memory of Haroldine –, set for release in September.

The first taster of the upcoming album, new single ‘B.S. Poetry’ is inspired by a guy who wrote “shitty poems” about Blackwell. Propelled by lilting folk-strewn melodies and a quirky energy, it juxtaposes an uptempo shimmering musicality with an angsty lyrical reflection on the broken promises of early romance. Oozing twinkling accordion refrains alongside Blackwell’s honeyed vocals, it offers a playful, tongue-in-cheek commentary on patronising, full-of-BS men and the lies they spin to get what they want; a subtly empowering ‘FU’ to them and their meaningless words. A perfectly catchy, saccharine sweet sonic delight interwoven with the gritty, bitter angst of heartbreak.

‘B.S. Poetry’ is accompanied by an entertaining new video, depicting the story behind the song. Directed by Blackwell and Chase Cope, it also stars actors Dempsey Bryk, Bebe Wood, Nolan Gould, Brady Reiter and August Aiden Black. Watch it now:

In Memory of Haroldine, the upcoming debut solo album from Taylor Blackwell, is set for release in September, and is produced by Sharp/Shock’s Davey Warsop.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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