Track Of The Day: Nuala Honan – ‘Head Undone’

‘Head Undone’ is the second single from Bristol-based, Australia-born, independent artist, Nuala Honan’s second album, which launches later this year. It marks a creative evolution for the former acoustic folk artist, and is an excellent representation of the dynamics and power punk sound of her new live band. 

With Nuala’s usual excellent storytelling, the song channels childhood memories associated with fears of going under anaesthetic, and triggered by a family trip to the Great Barrier Reef. 

Punk-metal guitars lead into a recreation of the anaesthetic, before the fast pace mirrors the chaos, as her fears run rampant.

The start-stop rhythm of the guitars is reminiscent of Nirvana whilst the bridge of the song slows to a dreamy pace, before creating a hazy, buzzing soundscape. Then the guitars seem take off like birds, a beautiful launch into a revived picking up of pace, before a cathartic solo leads to a climactic clash of drums and guitars brings the song to a satisfying end. Honan’s fears are brilliantly replayed in ‘Head Undone’ by her powerful voice, the energy of the thrashing guitars and drums, and the mystical vivid imagery of birds. 

If YOUR head is undone in these strange times, then the cathartic angst-driven beauty of this song is exactly what is needed!

Watch the homemade new video for ‘Head Undone’ now:

Listen to ‘Head Undone’ on Soundcloud and Spotify. And catch Nuala Honan live online for her single launch gig on 28th April – 7pm on Facebook Live, and 8pm on Instagram.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

Track Of The Day: Notelle – ‘Alive’

A dark, dense, atmospheric exploration of hysteria; Nashville-based artist Notelle has shared her latest single, ‘Alive’. Self-described as “nightmare pop”, Notelle blends hushed vocals, warped beats, and seething synth textures to create her claustrophobic new sounds.

Inspired by the likes of Nine Inch Nails and Billie Eilish, Notelle cherry picks elements of industrial, pop, and electronic music in order to create her own tracks. “Leave me here to sit in this darkness / and I’ll be just fine” she muses on ‘Alive’, over unnerving beats and interlacing electronics, before the manic, crashing percussion of the track’s outro acts as a cathartic, aural purge. Based on her own experiences of toxic relationships and gas-lighting, ‘Alive’ is Notelle’s most personal release to date.

She explains the premise of the track further: “There’s a point in hysteria where you begin to feel electrified. When you love someone who is pushing you to the brink of insanity, it has a way of making you feel more than you’ve ever felt prior. You experience every emotion, all at once, in such an alarming way, and I wanted to explore that in this track.”

“I’ve been in a situation before where someone was questioning my own perception of reality, telling me that my understanding of what was going on wasn’t accurate – lying to me, gaslighting me. It pushed me to an emotional breaking point that was totally new. It felt like I had shot-up adrenaline, and it was startling and liberating at the same time. Straddling the line between total madness and invigorating emotional depth, I realized that this was unbelievably toxic, yet I had never felt more alive.”

Listen to Notelle’s new track below, and follow her on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: @thederricklipschitz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

#ThrowbackThursday: GIHE w/ Nova Twins 05.07.18

Due to the current lockdown/coronavirus situation, we’re unable to make it in to the Hoxton Radio studio to broadcast our live new music show from 7-9pm for the foreseeable future. We have plenty of past shows to share with you though! We’re sharing previous recordings as #ThrowbackThursday sessions, so you can still enjoy 2 hours of new music, and chats with some of our favourite artists each week.

Today, we’ve picked our July 2018 show with Nova Twins. Georgia & Amy were due to headline Colours Hoxton tonight (23rd April) and we were meant to be in the crowd cheering them on, so we’re consoling ourselves by listening back to this interview. The girls talk about their experience of Festival Season 2018, and their unique outfits (spoiler: they went to Homebase for their ‘Lose Your Head’ boiler suits) Check out their debut album, Who Are The Girls, here.

Listen back to the show here:

Featured Artists
Hercules & The Love Affair
Foxtrott
Sara Wolf
Majken
TAYNE
Saint Sister
Ay Wing
Gaffa Tape Sandy
Ghost Of Christmas
Luna Neptune
Ms Mohammed
Skinny Girl Diet
Nova Twins
Calva Louise
Ohm Field
Handsome Eric
Eliza Shaddad
Chow Chow Mandy
Perfume Genius

Track Of The Day: Alice Bag – ‘Spark’

Having wowed us a couple of years back with her all-star anthem about the gender pay gap – ’77’, prolific punk legend Alice Bag is back with the announcement of a brand new album, and we could not be more excited.

Ahead of the album’s release, she has now shared lead single ‘Spark’. A song about acceptance and self-love, it’s propelled by gritty hooks and a punk-fuelled frenzied energy as the raw power of Bag’s vocals rage with a passion. Asserting “Hell no, I’m not dimming my spark!”, she oozes an uplifting burst of empowering strength in the face of adversity; a wonderfully vibrant and super catchy celebration of queer culture and the joy that comes with being able to express your true self.

Of the new video for ‘Spark’, which stars winner of Dragula Season 1 – Vander Von Odd, Bag explains:

I reached out to director Rudy Bleu Garcia, who along with Hex Ray Sanchez run Club SCUM, a favorite nightclub/performance space for queer punks in East LA. In the early days of SCUM, Rudy invited me to do a DJ set with Allison Wolfe. The turntables were in a tiny backstage area which also served as the queens’ dressing room. I literally bumped into Vander Von Odd in that little space and was immediately smitten by this beautiful, charming queen. I’m honored that Vander agreed to star in this music video. The queerest of the queer, Dragula season 1 winner, Vander truly embodies the message of the song. Except for the mouth breathing part, that’s just about me.”

Sister Dynamite, the upcoming new album from Alice Bag, is set for release 8th May via In The Red Records.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Denée Segall