LISTEN: pink suits – ‘Be Good To Yourself’

A distinctly pink suits take on the self care anthem, ‘Be Good To Yourself‘ combines the fierce drums, screaming guitars and passionate vocals the band are known for with an unmissable wholesome message. It’s easy to ignore empty platitudes telling you to live, laugh, love, but pink suits take a more insightful and defiant approach to self-care.

The track acknowledges how hard an instruction as simple as “be good to yourself” can be in a world where everyone is struggling for one reason or another with support increasingly difficult to access in the rare places it is available. A world where people feel more isolated than ever, despite the tools we have for connection, because of the dog-eat-dog nature of contemporary society; where you are made to feel guilty for not being on the grind every waking moment of your day; where the controlling elite profit when you feel bad about taking the time out to practice even the slightest moment of genuine self care (assuming, that is, you ever manage to practice genuine self-care, and not the self-care defined by capitalists involving spending money you don’t have on things that only really offer short time comforts). 

pink suits point directly at the cause of the problems likely to be weighing on you and make it impossible to argue with them when they tell you to find a way to be kind to yourself anyway. Every reference to the issues making self-care a struggle comes as a comfort. ‘Be Good To Yourself’ is a track designed to make you feel seen; the rage integral to pink suits’ energy echoes the frustration of self-care feeling so elusive. That energy makes you want to be good to yourself in spite of all the elements of the world around you seemingly designed to make you feel awful.

In a world that is cruel, and makes a particular target out of people who are already marginalised, this song redefines self-care as an act of rebellion and defiance. It hammers home how truly vital it is to ensure that, when there is no guarantee of compassion or kindness from anywhere else, you, at the very least, will be good to yourself.

‘Be Good To Yourself’ is taken from pink suits’ immense new album Dystopian Hellscape. Listen / buy on bandcamp now!

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

WATCH: Roller Derby – ‘Dreams’

‘Dreams’, the latest single from Hamburg-based Roller Derby, is a sparkling, ethereal song about the intensity of relationships. The track is a captivating blend of synth-pop, drawing inspiration from the genre’s early origins, while infusing splashes of a contemporary indie sound.

The track opens sparsely with a vocal line accompanied by a washy synth, until a stirring drum beat and warm synth bass line enters, giving the track a blissful foundation. The highlight musically comes as the swirling guitar licks ooze a captivating New Wave energy, bringing to mind Depeche Mode and The Cure, and giving the track a darker edge. 

Lush harmonies enter, accompanying the well-delivered vocals and melancholic melody as the song grows into something much larger, taking you on its journey, gradually introducing new elements and sounds in the textured and layered soundscape. A real pleasure for the ears; a testament to the slick production style of Moses Schneider. Building from melancholic to euphoric, the lush musicality mirrors the emotive theme of the reflective lyricism.

Since forming in 2020, Roller Derby have swiftly been making waves – having performed at festivals and prominent showcases such as SXSW and Reeperbahn Festival, as well as recently selling out a headline show for us at The Shacklewell Arms; continuing to captivate audiences with their unique blend of synth-pop and indie influences.

The accompanying music video, directed by Stephanie von Beauvais, perfectly visualises the ethereal atmosphere of the track with a trippy, psychedelic allure, vibrant colours and rippling imagery. Roller Derby are clearly a band who have a truly well thought-out vision and know what they want to achieve, and I look forward to hearing more from them throughout 2024.

Ella Patenall
@ella_patenall

Photo Credit: Johann Kressin

FIVE FAVOURITES: Kira McSpice

Finding strength in vulnerability is something that multi-instrumentalist Kira McSpice has been carefully leaning into, on both an artistic and personal level. Her beautifully titled new album, The Compartmentalization of Decay, is a poignant reflection on trauma and life after sexual assault, which she personifies through the natural protective and healing mechanisms of plants, in particular, the maple tree. Her exquisite voice and dynamic string arrangements make for striking and hypnotic listening.

Plant pathologist and biologist Alex L. Shigo writes: “Animals heal, but trees compartmentalize. They endure a lifetime of injury and infection by setting boundaries that resist the spread of the invading microorganisms.” Kira McSpice draws on this natural phenomenon on her latest record, slowly becoming more resilient in the process.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Kira to ask about her “Five Favourites” – five tracks that have inspired her songwriting techniques. Check out her choices below and scroll down to watch the video for Kira’s latest single ‘Knife like a Spile‘ at the end of this post…

 

1. Kate Bush – ‘Hello Earth’
Kate Bush is my very favorite. When I was 19 I got her album, The Kick Inside, on CD and drove around blasting it and trying to hit all the high notes. I can’t really explain how much her music means to me. She taught me how to sing. Before I found her I thought I was supposed to have this kind of low vocal fry thing going on with my voice but once I found her I realized I was supposed to go higher and weirder and it felt like I had discovered who I was. This song ‘Hello Earth’ makes me crazy. It’s part of her album, Hounds of Love, and within the album there’s this 7 song story about a person lost at sea. It’s such a beautiful concept and basically ‘Hello Earth’ is when she’s floating away and losing consciousness and becoming detached from the world. She’s drowning and there are these huge waves in the song that come over and over as she’s drifting farther away and it’s just so powerful and emotional.

2. Joanna Newsom – ‘Only Skin’
Probably the most beautiful song ever. Every time I hear it I discover something new. I feel like it’s one of those songs that will be with me all my life and mean different things to me as I get older. Sometimes when I need a good cry I’ll listen to it and when she gets to that part about 6 minutes in I let loose. It destroys me. I think it’s the melody that does it during that part. Her melodies and the instrumentation and the lyrics… I just love it all so much. Also these lyrics: “While down in the lowlands the crops are all coming; We have everything/ Life is thundering blissful towards death/ In a stampede of his fumbling green gentleness” those lyrics… are insane. Her lyrics changed the way I thought about lyrics. I really take them seriously because of her.

3. Elgar – ‘Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85’ (played by Jacqueline du Pré)
I started playing the cello when I was really young and Jacqueline du Pré was (and will forever be) my favorite cellist. Her performance of the Elgar cello concerto is her most famous and the concerto breaks my heart every time. When I was growing up, I would move around in a really dramatic way while playing the cello – she was famous for her dramatic movements and I thought that one day I’d be just like her. There was a movie about her and her sister called Hilary and Jackie, and in the movie she wears a shiny green dress while performing, so I wore a shiny green dress for my performance of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when I was 4. The way she plays the cello is unlike any other. Her performances were full of so much emotion and energy, so much drama and sadness. She taught me that emotion is essential in performance.

4. Stravinsky – ‘Firebird Suite’
I played Stravinsky for the first time in high school with the symphony I was in. It was insane. We ended up touring with it in Europe and got to play this piece every night. ‘The Firebird’ changed me and how I thought about orchestral music. I hadn’t been introduced to the cool composers yet and when I finally got to play him it was a door into a very exciting realm for me. It felt like my world had expanded/shifted, like I realized the symphony could be used in a crazy way. It was the beginning of my discovery of more modern composers and more experimental music. I’ll always remember playing the very beginning of the piece. It’s so brooding and evil sounding. I fell in love immediately and wanted to recreate that feeling in different ways. I think I like Stravinsky because he does a lot of weird stuff but it doesn’t feel distracting, it feels like it has a purpose.

5. Talk Talk – ‘New Grass’
I chose this song because I always come back to it. I think it left an impression on me because of how sad it feels while still also feeling hopeful. I’m always drawn to music like that. It’s also got this cyclical structure that goes on and on. I remember when I first heard it I was hypnotized and didn’t want it to stop. Didn’t want to leave the world it created. I also hear little secret sounds? Loops? Tremelo strings? going on underneath everything and I think that’s genius. Those details create such a wild landscape that the songs live in. There’s so much existing in it, making it feel so full but at the same time it feels spacious. I don’t know how they do it. I’m always striving for that I feel like. I want to produce a record that feels like that.

Thanks to Kira for sharing her favourites with us!

Watch the video for her single ‘Knife like a Spile’ below

Follow Kira McSpice on bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube, Facebook & Instagram

 

Photo Credit: David Weindorf

LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with BUKKY (29.04.24)

Tash and Kate were back on Soho Radio playing loads of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ artists. Mari offered some of her “musical musings” too. Artists featured on the eclectic playlist included BISHI, Fraulein, Romy, Planningtorock, Elsa Hewitt, ME REX, BCOS RSNS, Wisp, Glixen, Raelle, Amaroun, King Hannah and more.

Tash spoke to artist & activist Stav Bee about the upcoming Dyke March, which is returning to London for the first time since 2013. The march will take place on Saturday 22nd June. There will also be a fundraiser cabaret & party event at The Divine in East London on 11th May to help raise money for the march.

Nigerian/Irish artist BUKKY also came into the studio to chat about their brand new video for their track ‘Heartburn‘, what inspired their debut EP, Location 419, and how their sound and performance has developed over time as they have evolved on both a personal and a creative level.

Listen to the show below:

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Monday 27th May from 12-2pm
 Make sure you tune in via www.sohoradiolondon.com

Tracklist
BISHI – Let My Country Awake (Hannah Holland Remix)
John Glacier, Vegyn – In the Front
Chastity Belt – Laugh
Fraulein – Pruning
Venus In Noise – What I Want
Planningtorock, ionnalee – Planningtokeeptheinnocenceofsound
**Interview with Stav Bee about Dyke March**
Ladytron – Playgirl
Kynsy – Money
Wisp – Enough For You
Magic Island – My Body Lies
Pitou – Helium
BUKKY – Heartburn
**Interview with BUKKY**
Raelle – Falling
Amaroun – S.A.D
Wife Patrol – Equinox
Romy – Did I (Peaches Remix)
Elsa Hewitt – Legend
ME REX – Goodbye Forever
King Hannah – Davey Says
MOTHERCANYOUHEARME – Come Round
BCOS RSNS – Turn It Off
Glixen – Lust
Chelsea Wolfe – Tunnel Lights
Eville – Leech