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Five Favourites: Like A Villain

Offering glistening electronics and a hypnotic, haunting grace, New York artist Holland Andrews – aka Like A Villain – creates poignant, ethereal soundscapes on her new album What Makes Vulnerability Good.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a new band/artist is by asking them what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Holland to talk about her ‘Five Favourites’ – five songs that have influenced her songwriting techniques, or that she simply loves listening to. Check out her choices below, and make sure you watch her latest video for ‘Daughters’ at the end of this post.

CupcakKe – ‘PetsMart’
I really like this song because the beat is sick. I strongly believe CupcakKe is one of the most creative, clever, and badass rappers of all time.

OOIOO – ‘UMO’
This song makes me feel good.

Jennifer Rush – ‘Power Of Love’
This is my favourite rendition of this song, mostly because of the intense synths and Jennifer’s vocal quality. Bless Celine Dion, though, she’s a shredder.

Arvo Pärt – ‘Fur Alina’
This is probably my favourite Arvo Pärd solo piano work. It’s just so subtle and emotional.

Claude Debussy (sung by Barbra Streisand from the album Classical Barbra) – ‘Beau Soir’
What better musical combination than Debussy and Streisand. I could listen to her sing in French all day.

Huge thanks to Like A Villain for sharing her ‘Five Favourites’ with us! Check out her new video for ‘Daughters’ below:

What Makes Vulnerability Good, the new album from Like A Villain, is out now via Accidental Records.

Photo Credit: Emily Krause

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019

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ALBUM: Gaptooth – ‘Sharp Minds, Raised Fists’

Gaptooth – singer, songwriter and producer Hannah Lucy – wears her influences on her sleeve (quite literally, if you check out the video for ‘Post-Patriarchy Disco’). And, like the feminist punk bands she loves, Sharp Minds, Raised Fists has purpose and a pure punk attitude. Yet the poppy synths, crunchy guitars and electro beats make it feel accessible, too.

And accessibility is everything when your message is so important. Gaptooth’s impassioned lyrics are a call to arms; a rallying cry against the patriarchy and capitalism. It’s hard not to get fired up by them. In ‘Red flags’, you feel and share her anger: “We wanna stay sexy and not get murdered,” she sings, “We’re still walking home with our keys in our fists.”

‘They Cut, We Bleed’ is peppered with samples from marches arranged by the feminist direct action group, Sisters Uncut. It feels ground-breaking and powerful. Meanwhile, ‘I Am Not My Productivity’ is an anti-capitalist anthem for anyone who feels like work is sucking the life out of them. And God, there’s a lot of us!

Sharp Minds, Raised Fists includes some more personal songs, too. ‘Mixtape Song’ and ‘Why I Left You Standing Outside Pizza Express’ offer an insight into both Hannah Lucy’s life and what it means to be a woman or non-binary person today.

This is an accomplished, important record. It sounds great; a real triumph of song-writing, performance and production. But more than that, it feels like Sharp Minds, Raised Fists could really inspire and empower people. It could soundtrack a movement.

You know the old adage about how everyone who attended the Sex Pistols gig at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester started a band? Similarly, perhaps this record will make people start a revolution.

Sharp Minds, Raised Fists is out 11th October. Pre-order on Bandcamp now.

Vic Conway

Photo Credit: Keira Anee Photography

September 22, 2019September 22, 2019

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Track Of The Day: Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something – ‘Keytar’

Having previously wowed us with their kaleidoscopic offerings, including EP Someone Else To Blame and the powerful hypnotic energy of singles ‘Helen Is A Reptile’ and ‘Find A Place’, GIHE fave Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something has now shared a brand new single.

Inspired by a frayed childhood and fractured memories, ‘Keytar (I Was Busy)’ oozes the distinctive soaring majesty of Jemma’s vocals and swirling, twinkling hooks, creating a colourful slice of psychedelia, filled with raw emotion and an energised electro twist. Of the track, Jemma expands:

“… my mum died when I had just turned 21 and this song tries to communicate across astral planes and ages, switching aspect between mother and child, present and past feelings, making sense of none of them and trying to hold on to it all.”

‘Keytar (I Was Busy)’ now comes complete with an accompanying trippy video of the band venturing through the Woolwich Tunnel. Of the video, Jemma explains:

“Made in collaboration with filmmaker Taylan Mutaf over the course of half a year and edited across continents the video itself serves as a nonsensical time-capsule, Taylan is traditionally a documentary maker so there is an irony that we have made a document to an imaginary time, in a mythical tunnel and shot with deliberate abstraction.”

Oh Really, What’s That Then? , the new album from Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something, is out 18th October via Trapped Animal Records and Cargo Records. Pre-order here. Catch Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something live at the launch party on 3rd October at Set, Dalston.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Suzi Corker

September 20, 2019September 21, 2019

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LISTEN: fluxx.world – ‘Like Me’

‘Like Me’ is the debut single from fluxx.world, aka Isaac and Sofia, formerly known as MOONOVERSUN. Already fans of their remix of Foxgluvv’s ‘Crush’, we’re loving fluxx.world’s creations and look forward to more where this came from with their upcoming EP set for release in September.

Speaking about their new track, the band explain:

“’Like Me’ is about the trials and tribulations of partying, conflicted minds, learning to enjoy our own company and not losing sight of what we want no matter who/what gets in the way. We want to create pop music that we can party and cry to, something that reflects every heightened emotion during a night out.”