LISTEN: Cuntrie & Elsa Carmona – ‘Dear Sadness’

A sweetly sung, 80s inspired new tune; Cuntrie & Elsa Carmona have shared their first collaboration together, titled ‘Dear Sadness’. Accompanied by a video the pair co-directed, the track showcases Cuntrie & Carmona’s beautiful vocal ranges, and their ability to bring an eccentric lightness to a heavy subject.

Speaking about the track, Carmona explains: “Treating sadness as a friend was the inspiration for this song, and the polarity of that. I am a person who cries easily when I get too stressed, and that usually becomes my healing. We wanted to play with the idea of sadness being a Goddess that you pray to. Or turning sadness into a ritual as a way of gaining control. As a teen I actually had my own homemade Barbie voodoo doll…”

The pair’s playful and melancholic tendencies helped to shape ‘Dear Sadness’ into a bitter sweet music video, which Cuntrie says she’s very proud of: “I think we both have been dreaming about doing a video like this, and as soon as we started talking about it we just had to create it. It’s the perfect mixture between mystical, beautiful and silly. We filmed everything ourselves in a friend’s studio. The editing was my absolute favourite part to do.”

Watch the video for ‘Dear Sadness’ below, and follow Cuntrie & Elsa Carmona on Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Ebba G. Ågren

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: HMS Morris – ‘Poetry’

‘Poetry’, the new single from Welsh electronic-psych band HMS Morris, tackles the frequently written about subject of unrequited love in a uniquely refreshing way. The song reflects the sliding scale of madness that results from unreciprocated, obsessive love in quite a candid manner.

Beginning with some light-hearted, hypothetical quasi-stalking, singer Heledd Watkins then moves through self-criticism, recrimination, and finally a full-on banshee-wail of desperation. All the while, ’70s-esque guitar and layers of almost operatic backing vocals swell behind her, building and building to great effect. This talented group of musicians somehow manage to get the balance of retro psychedelia and forward-thinking electronics just right.

Structurally, the track was designed to be a ‘Bolero’ for the modern ages, packing the build-up of sound that ‘Bolero’ composer Maurice Ravel spent close to twenty minutes building, into a punchy four-and-a-half-minute single.

 

‘Poetry’ is out now on Cardiff based Bubblewrap records. The band were due to play a series of shows this summer, so keep an eye out for rescheduled dates.

Ellie Ball

 

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INTERVIEW: Amaroun

We were first introduced to the sultry beats of London-based artist Amaroun in 2017, and we’ve been following her ever since. Her personal, instinctive song-writing and her blurring of musical genres has kept us intrigued with each new release. Tash Walker caught up with Amaroun to ask about her latest single, how she’s coping during the current lockdown, and her cathartic song-writing process…

Hello Amaroun, it’s been awhile since we last caught up. How have you been?
I’ve actually been great considering the times we are in. Music is the ultimate escape and it’s been keeping me balanced and grateful just like it always does in hard times.

We’ve been fans of yours here at GIHE for a while now, and we’re loving your new sound! Can you tell us more about the music you’ve started releasing?
I’ve always written music that just follows my instincts and isn’t about over thinking, so I’m taking that attitude with my releases. This new sound is a new found confidence I have in trusting my own decisions, and putting loving what I do at the heart of the creative process.

You’re releasing a track a month this year. Three months in, how’s that going?
I love it! If I had it my way I’d release weekly. I love to capture the feelings of any given moment. Like a musical photograph. It’s an absolute buzz for me to make music and share it as the moment unfolds. It’s deeply cathartic.

We love your track ‘Perish’. Its stripped back style reminds me a bit of Tirzah. What would you say has been influencing this slightly different direction?
Along with trusting the sounds that a pouring out of me is a process of pure experimentation and feeling a vibe.

Your music is very personal, would you say the writing process is almost cathartic?
It it total catharsis. I write for fun, for therapy, for the people I love and it’s actually habitual now.

Can you tell us a bit more about the themes that we can hear in your music and what you draw from your own experiences?
My writing draws from my experiences of growing up in a fiercely religious environment where being queer was not acceptable, and explores the challenges I faced and continue to in establishing what it means to be an out queer black British Jamaican woman. I come from a long lineage of courageous women that have found ways to share their story and I feel very passionate about sharing mine.

Your releases so far have been picked up and played by Radio 1, 6 Music, and you’ve been to a countless number of festivals! How’s that been? Quite the whirlwind?
It’s exactly what brings me joy so it’s been great. I did have a break from the whirlwind over the past couple of years. I went through a process of hibernation and development to get where I am now, the team around me has changed, I have changed and so has the sound. I’m really glad to be back to releasing music, I played a my first sell out gig of the year back in February, and I can’t wait to perform some more once we are out of isolation.

Do you have any particular highlights so far?
My highlight will always be Glastonbury. The energy there is electric. Cant wait for it to make a come back in 2021, and I need to get back there!

We saw the raw version of your latest release ‘Rosey’ on your IGTV (which was beautiful). How did that moment come about?
I met one of my good friends Adam Cleaver (Dyvr) to do a collaboration and catch up. Boris Le Chaixe joined us, who I worked on ‘Rosey’ with. We ended up at Peckham Levels, it used to be a car park, the acoustics are unreal. My girlfriend found the perfect spot and started filming. Adam and I covered ‘Losing You’ by Solange, and Boris and I just felt the vibe and had to let ‘Rosey’ flow out too. The whole thing was really relaxed and natural, I love when things just fall in to place like that.

We’re really looking forward to hearing what’s to come, music is our survival at the moment. How you are feeling about the lockdown situation right now?
It feels music is more important now than ever. Music connects us, it’s how we communicate, it’s how we unite. People all across the music industry are being so heavily impacted, but it’s amazing to see how people are getting around these with live streams and sharing the music they’ve already made. It’s a really tough time for the industry, but seeing how people have responded as reminded me what I love about the spirit of musicians.

For me, it’s really fueled my writing. I’ve channeled all my anxieties and fears into creating, and with extra time on my hands I feel like I’ve been really productive. Being or feeling isolated in one form or another has often pushed me on to a path where I do my best writing. All this being said, my heart goes out to everyone affected by the global crisis. I really hope we can come together and overcome this tough time.

Thanks to Amaroun for answering our questions. Follow her on Spotify & Instagram for more updates.

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ALBUM: Mentrix – ‘My Enemy, My Love’

A commanding, altruistic collection of dynamic sounds; vocalist & composer Mentrix has shared her debut album, My Enemy, My Love, via her own label, House of Strength today (April 3rd). It’s a powerful exploration of resilience, independence, and what happens when women are caught between two cultures; each filled with their own flaws and freedoms.

Born in Iran but now based in Berlin, Mentrix (aka Samar Rad) blends her experiences of eastern and western culture, along with traditional Sufi instrumentation to create her beguiling, bold soundscapes. Her extensive travels and multiple influences – from Latin and French Literature, to The Qu’ran and traditional Persian poetry – give her music a diverse and fascinating edge.

One of the most striking elements on My Enemy, My Love, is the sound of the hand-played daf drum; an ancient, traditional frame drum native to Iran. In Sufism, Mentrix explains the instrument is both “a call for the soul to awaken”, and a sound that can communicate “emptiness” and desolation. As she poetically words it, “it’s the dark side and the bright side of the moon in one instrument.” This is personified on cinematic opening track ‘Nature’, and re-enforced with the lyric “We all have a nature that harms us / if we let it”. This duality – the battle between acceptance and choice – is seminal to Mentrix’s music, and it’s what makes her art so compelling.

‘Dreams’ is a beguiling lullaby, showcasing Mentrix’s agile vocal range and more of her instinct for altruistic percussion. The slow-burning, seven minute epic ‘Loyalty’ blazes with ominous electronics, before the intense ‘Longing’ breaks through like a powerful ray of light; inspired by a traditional Mooyeh mourning chant from Lorestan in Iran. Eerie synth textures, assertive lyrics, and marching percussion collide on ‘Walk’. “Trees give fruit / men seek truths / don’t you wonder why nothing changes?” Mentrix extrapolates, before commanding listeners with the instruction: “you need to walk / now, get up”. It’s stands out as one of the most rousing, powerful tracks on the record.

On the eponymous ‘My Enemy, My Love’, layered vocals and pummeling beats flood the track. The title is a reference to Mentrix’s contrasting feelings of being seen as an immigrant and a deserter, but also her love for the country she was born in, and its rich musical heritage. “I am forever attached to my birth place, and my identity and aspirations are very rooted in Iranian culture” Mentrix explains. “Since the West so often portrays Iran in a questionable way, I feel obliged to share its diverse and positive faces to the world.”

This diversity and positivity is felt during the gentle opening of penultimate track ‘Igneous Sun’, which then flows into the searching ‘If’. “If you were not standing in my way / where would I be standing right now?” muses Mentrix over atmospheric beats, and entrancing electronics. With such direct, and intense song-writing talent, it’s hard to imagine anyone blocking Mentrix’s path; but it’s reassuring to hear she challenges those who attempt it.

Multiple aspects of Mentrix’s My Enemy, My Love are rooted in self-autonomy, and the empowerment of women. Session musician Claire Bay plays the ney, while multi-award winning New-York-based mastering engineer Emily Lazar helped to create her vivid recordings. Even the name of Mentrix’s  label – House Of Strength –  is a reference to the “pits” where Iranian men would train to defend themselves against the Mongols. There was no equivalent place for women, and Mentrix is still struck by the need to “fight” this patriarchal structure. She does so by seeking out those who are also self-autonomous, and who are prepared to work alongside her to create her sound; and what a fluid, energetic, refreshing sound it is.

Listen to Mentrix’s debut album My Enemy, My Love on Spotify. Follow her on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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