NEW TRACK: Nina Keith – ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’

A comforting, gentle reminder to let go of negativity and doubt, LA-based trans artist, producer and composer Nina Keith has shared her latest single, ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’. Featuring the vocals of indie pop artist Barrie and composer and musician Qur’an Shaheed, the track is a considered, delicate blend of lilting electronics, fragmented voices and crisp production, all of which melt together to create an exquisite, emotive listening experience.

Mixing classical, contemporary and experimental elements into her production, Keith’s skills as a multi-instrumentalist are all the more impressive when you take into consideration that she did not undertake any formal training. Born in Philadelphia, Keith took a DIY route into music, relying on her own ears, experiences of EMDR therapy and her musings on life, death and the afterlife in order to translate her feelings into sound. The result was her debut album, MARANASATI 19111, which she released in 2019, and now she is back with her new single ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’.

“Lately the more I wear the turmoil of my life on my sleeve the more often I find myself in conversations with strangers and loved ones that reach a similar end,” Keith explains about the context of her new track. “I can never be the one to tell someone to burn it down and start over. They see the ash stains on my shirt and ask to borrow a match so they can play with it, save it for later, but sometimes it’s like ‘girl, the house is already on fire, you can’t stay in there’. This song is sort of a small prayer in lieu of words I can never seem to speak in those moments. Divorce your husband, start an onlyfans, borrow friend’s hormones, take them for fun, sell your stuff, buy rare beanie babies with the money, whatever you have to do. There is only so much time left.”

This quiet urgency permeates ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’, which was written during a turbulent time when Keith was moving to Los Angeles. The song is accompanied by visuals that were created by Canadian artist Nik Arthur. They follow the movement of evaporating water droplets, which beautifully compliment the rippling, shimmering quality of Keith’s composition.

Listen below ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’ below.

Follow Nina Keith on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Photo Credit: Mad Bishop

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: ALT BLK ERA – ‘I’m Normally Like This’

Embracing the power of their individuality and refusing to let the opinions of others impact the way they express themselves, genre-defying sister duo ALT BLK ERA have shared their latest single ‘I’m Normally Like This’. Fuelled by their antagonistic and joyful spirit, the track is a cathartic rage-dance anthem that celebrates the freedom that comes with championing your own creativity in alternative music scenes and beyond.

Formed of sisters Nyrobi and Chaya, ALT BLK ERA create tenacious alternative anthems designed to showcase their vivid personalities. Inspired by the likes of Ho99o9, Nova Twins, Hacktivist, The Prodigy and Billie Eilish, they blur the boundaries of pop punk, nu-metal, rap and electronic music to form their riotous sounds. Refusing to be pigeonholed, the pair splice these genres together to explore and vent their frustrations about life, and new single ‘I’m Normally Like This’ does exactly that. “I don’t give a damn if you like it / I’m normally like this!” they chant, over a backdrop of jagged electronics and dense dance-inspired beats. Their defiant vocals hammer home the message that being yourself is the best way to push back against the haters and the gatekeepers.

ALT BLK ERA have a busy summer of live performances ahead of them. They’ll be playing Glastonbury Festival on the Shangri-La Truth Stage on 23rd June, plus the band will be playing as main support for our GIHE summer gig with STRAIGHT GIRL at The Shacklewell Arms on Friday 7th July! Grab a ticket on DICE now.

The band have also announced two headline shows in September. Full details below.

Listen to ‘I’m Normally Like This’ here:

ALT BLK ERA UK Tour Dates 2023
Jun 23: Glastonbury Festival (Shangri-La Truth Stage)
July 07: London, The Shacklewell Arms (GIHE show, supporting STRAIGHT GIRL)
Sep 13: London The Grace (Headline Show)
Sep 16: Nottingham Beta (Headline Show)

Follow ALT BLK ERA on bandcamp, Spotify, Tik Tok, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Touch Excellent – ‘Record’

A tenacious anthem that takes aim at the failures of the healthcare system when it comes to treating women, non-binary and transgender folks, Touch Excellent have shared their debut single ‘Record’. Fuelled by the Dublin-based band’s collective anger, the track is a brief but powerful blast of attention-grabbing pop punk noise.

Playfully self-describing themselves as “Ireland’s most transgender band (surely)”, Touch Excellent create raw, frenzied, politically-driven cacophonies that are designed to dismantle the systems that oppress us. Together, Lenny (vocals/bass), Ló (rhythm guitar/vocals) and Amber (drums) transform their feelings of hopelessness and injustice into loud, cathartic, catchy anthems that address the issues facing young people today.

Their debut single ‘Record’ is inspired by the band members own experiences with the medical system, the recent Cervical Check scandal in Ireland, and the ongoing fight for reproductive rights around the world. The song is laced with medical imagery and descriptions of procedures that will be familiar to many women, and the band hope the track will offer a moment for rage, respite and relief in spite of these stressful moments.

Describing themselves as “a band for people who care about the issues and love a good live gig,” 2023 looks set to be an exciting year for Touch Excellent. The four piece played a show at Anseo on Camden Street in Ireland last night (May 25th) to celebrate the release of their debut single ‘Record’, and they will be releasing more material later in the year.

Listen to ‘Record’ below.

Follow Touch Excellent on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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WATCH: jellyskin – ‘I Was The First Tetrapod’

Following on from their eccentric rave anthem ‘Bringer Of Brine‘ released at the end of April, electronic Leeds-based duo jellyskin have shared their latest single ‘I Was The First Tetrapod’. Accompanied by a quirky new video, the track is lifted from their upcoming debut album, In Brine, which is set for release on 9th June via Wrong Speed Records.

Formed of Will Ainsley and Zia Larty-Healy, jellyskin have spent the past four years meticulously writing and recording their debut record between Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Palamos and Berlin. The pair invited Berlin-based producer Lewis D-t to co-produce, mix and master In Brine, and to “finesse the tracks into fat-free hunks of ecstasy and sonic exploration”. The result of this collaboration is a record that brims with a palpable sense of urgency and euphoria, with narrative themes that range from intense longing and desire, to misadventure by the sea and aquatic apparitions.

It’s the latter of these elements that the band explore on ‘I Was The First Tetrapod’. Through their pulsating beats, eclectic synth sounds and bizarre narratives, jellyskin playfully examine would the world might look like through the fresh eyes of a new life form. The track’s accompanying video, directed by Richard Ainsley, is an extrapolation on this idea.

Following high-profile UK festival slots and shows alongside The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Warmduscher, Sea Power, Moonlandingz and The KVB, and with their debut album on the horizon, 2023 looks set to be an exciting year for jellyskin.

Watch the visuals for ‘I Was The First Tetrapod’ below.

jellyskin’s upcoming debut album In Brine is available to pre-order via bandcamp now

Follow jellyskin on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Misha Warren

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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