WATCH: Sheherazaad – ‘Mashoor’

Having grown in up in San Francisco in a second generation immigrant household, Brooklyn based artist Sheherazaad fuses influences from both Western classical and her own South Asian sonic lineage through her exquisite interwoven soundscapes.

Drawing on themes of displacement and nostalgia with a contemporary, genre-defying spirit, Sheherazaad’s debut single ‘Mashoor’ showcases her ability to blend a stirring alternative folk musicality with experimental techniques, exuding a contemporary, genre-defying spirit. With a spellbinding rippling allure, her sumptuous vocals flow throughout, allowing ‘Mashoor’ to immerse the listener in its soaring splendour on first listen.

‘Mashoor’ is accompanied by a moving video. Filmed throughout New York in extreme weather, it is a beautiful representation of worlds colliding; combining a South Asian immigrant story with America’s historical fabric. Watch now:

‘Mashoor’ is out now via Erased Tapes. It was recorded at The Glass Wall in Brooklyn, produced by Arooj Aftab, mixed by J. Valleau, and mastered by Heba Kadry. It features performances by Ria Modak on classical guitar, Gilbert Mansour on percussion, and additional vocal mixing by Runar Blesvik.

Photo Credit: Zayira Ray

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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NEW TRACK: body / negative ft. Midwife – ‘everett’

Following on from their recent release ‘persimmon‘ – an exquisite blend of ethereal guitar sounds and tender mellifluous vocals – multi-instrumentalist Andy Schiaffino aka body / negative has shared their latest single ‘everett’. The eponymous track from their upcoming album, which is set for release on 8th December via Track Number Records, ‘everett’ is a delicately distorted, glistening piece of ambient shoegaze, featuring “kindred collaborator” Madeline Johnston aka Midwife.

Mastered by Slowdive’s Simon Scott, body / negative’s third record Everett is a poetic rumination on love and loss, and how they deeply affect our interactions with the world. Dedicated to Schiaffino’s late mother and father, the album features contributions from Randall Taylor aka Amulets and Midwife, whose studio Schiaffino was initially supposed to occupy as a residency. Schiaffino’s plans changed imminently when their father was suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness, and as a result, most of the album was written and recorded while they looked after him in a hospice. This single ‘everett’ is one of the first tracks Schiaffino and Midwife worked on together, and it glimmers with bittersweet melancholy.

Underscored by a deep vulnerability and empathy, Everett is a remarkable effort from an artist in acute pain. By recording through a hand-held tape recorder and filtering their vocals through a landline-style microphone, they give the record a familiar, yet far-off feeling of transience and disconnected communication. Tracing over their grief with meticulous care and tranquility, body / negative lulls listeners into a state of bittersweet calm across each of Everett‘s eight tracks.

The new single is accompanied by a glitchy video which shows body / negative performing alongside Midwife, interspersed with images of the outside world. Watch the visuals for ‘everett’ below.

Follow body / negative on bandcamp, Spotify & Instagram

Photo Credit: Audrey Kemp

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: deep tan – ‘xenomorph queen’

Having been a big fan of London’s deep tan for a few years now, I’m excited to see that – following last year’s diamond horsetail EP – they’re back with a brand new single, and new line-up, ahead of their live shows supporting QOTSA on tour next month.

Reflecting on themes of matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, ‘xenomorph queen’ oozes all the discordant immersive allure that we’ve come to know and love from the trio. Instantly captivating the senses with its mystical ethereal majesty, it showcases deep tan’s ability to create their own truly unique brand of other-worldly angular post-punk.

Of the track, the band expand:

“‘xenomorph queen’ witnesses the real star of the alien franchise in a new context: in the throes of a lesbian romance. a sensual – but still punk – track about matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, this close encounter offers a new, intergalactic perspective on #hotmilfsinyourarea #xenomilf”

‘xenomorph queen’ is accompanied by an animated new video; in equal parts playful and enthralling. Watch it now:

‘xenomorph queen‘ is out now via Practise Music.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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PREMIERE: Problem Patterns – ‘Pity Bra’

GIHE favourites Problem Patterns will be sharing their debut album, Blouse Club, in less than 24 hours! To help celebrate the release, the Belfast-based Riot Grrrls have taken the pragmatic and very punk approach of sharing seven unreleased album tracks, each with individual DIY music videos, in advance of the album’s official release via Alcopop! Records tomorrow.

GIHE are honoured to be exclusively hosting the video for the delightfully named ‘Pity Bra‘, which features on the new record. Not defined by traditional band structures, Problem Patterns routinely switch up instruments and mic duties for their riotous songs, which always makes for a refreshing take on the subject they’re singing about. On ‘Pity Bra’, Alanah Smith takes the lead and tells the story of a very important night back in 2020, that strengthened the friendships and the creative foundations of Problem Patterns.

“This song is a true story and it explains itself,” explains Alanah about the track. “We went to Dublin to play a show for A Litany Of Failures, and the next day we all had a band trip to go see Sleater-Kinney. It was such a wonderful weekend, we ran into so many friends at that show. It was just a few weeks after that when we went into lockdown. That was the last trip we all had outside of Belfast for a really long time.

It is such a joyful memory for all of us. It was just this really lovely time where we went out for dinner with friends, played a show, saw one of our favourite bands – not a care in the world or any idea of what was about to come. I still remember the moment I was standing in that crowd and saw Ciara sneaking by me with the biggest grin on her face. Moments later Corin Tucker was holding our band shirt on stage. We absolutely do not advocate for throwing things at musicians, but in this case it gave us something funny to sing about later.

The song is sort of like an interlude on the album, the end of side A. It’s definitely the most gentle track and it’s very nostalgic for us. I thought the only possible video for it would be a montage of our time together so far. It’s a lot of spliced clips of things from our personal phones, as well as some behind the scenes moments filming live sessions, touring, music videos. There’s a few familiar faces in there. It’s all very sweet and sentimental.”

Fresh from supporting Dream Wife on their Irish tour dates and recently tipped as Ones To Watch by The Guardian, Problem Patterns also performed live on BBC 6Music and supported electro-punk icons Le Tigre on their Manchester and Glasgow tour dates earlier this year, as well as playing a standout set at Brighton’s Great Escape festival in May.

It’s been a joy to witness the Alana, Ciara, Bev and Beth’s hard work pay off over recent years, and we can’t wait to host the band live in London for the second time at their SOLD OUT headline show at the Sebright Arms in Hackney on Friday 17th November, supported by Fightmilk and Dogviolet (join the wait-list on DICE).

We wholeheartedly congratulate Problem Patterns on the release of their knockout debut album. Pre-order your copy of Blouse Club here. The band have shared the remaining 6 videos on other respected music publications, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for those too!

Watch the DIY video for ‘Pity Bra’ below.

Follow Problem Patterns on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Carrie Davenport

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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