Premiere: Chorusgirl – ‘Demon Baby’

Following 2015’s wonderful self-titled debut, GIHE faves Chorusgirl have now announced their long-awaited new album Shimmer And Spin, and we couldn’t be happier for them. Chronicling a tense year, created during a period of crippling anxiety and a relentless string of bad luck and bad news, the new album is the result of immense hard work and dedication from Silvi, Faith, Udo and Michael.

Taken from the album, the band have now shared brand new track ‘Demon Baby’. Inspired by those all too common feelings of anxiety and isolation, it’s the first song of the band’s to be released featuring Faith Taylor on lead vocals. As a massive fan of her other band Suggested Friends, it’s wonderful to hear Taylor’s distinctive, rich vocals shine through on this one, propelled by Chorusgirl’s trademark shimmering sounds.

A slight change in tone from the usually guitar-driven jangly indie of Chorusgirl, ‘Demon Baby’ combines that welcome scuzzy whirr of hooks with a backdrop of a glitchy, electronic soundscape, filled with sparkling effects and luscious cascading harmonies. As Taylor’s exquisite vocals float effortlessly along with a raw emotion, you could almost be transported to the soundtrack of an ’80s teen drama (which is never a bad thing!); though, alongside those fuzzy nostalgic vibes, it manages to retain Chorusgirl’s unique sense of dreamy, effervescent melancholy. A beautifully stirring and reflective offering, ‘Demon Baby’ still ultimately manages to uplift the spirit with the soaring, glistening haze that this band are consistently able to create.

Of the track, the band explain:

“It is about pathologising your own unhappiness when you lack genuine emotional support in your life. The song talks about running away, reinventing yourself, and policing your sense of discontent and isolation because you don’t think you deserve more.”

Listen to ‘Demon Baby’, for the first time here:

 

Shimmer And Spin, the new album from Chorusgirl, is out 16th November via Reckless Yes. Catch Chorusgirl live at their album launch show tonight (9th November) at The Victoria, and at the following dates:

16th November: Nottingham, Rough Trade
17th November: Sheffield, Audacious Art Experiment
18th November: Newcastle, Head of Steam
19th November: Glasgow, Broadcast
21st November: Oxford, Common Ground
22nd November: Bristol, Hydra Cafe
23rd November: Coventry, The Tin
11th January 2019: London, The Finsbury (for Get In Her Ears!)

Mari Lane
@marimindles

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Kiran Leonard – ‘Paralysed Force’

Following last year’s innovative Derevaun Seraun and its absolutely spellbinding predecessor Grapefruit, Manchester’s Kiran Leonard is back with news of an upcoming new album, Western Culture. 

Taken from the album, ‘Paralysed Force’ is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful creation. Perhaps more melodic in the conventional sense than some previous offerings, Leonard hasn’t lost any of the raw, soaring emotion and rich, intricate musicality I’ve come to know and love. I don’t like to focus on an artist’s age, but I feel like I’ve be a fan of Kiran Leonard forever, and yet he’s still just 22; from the frenzied intensity of ‘Pink Fruit’, to the sweeping, cinematic splendour of ‘Living With Your Ailments’, and now the impassioned majesty of ‘Paralysed Force’, he never fails to draw me in and create something truly epic. From first being blown away by him at Green Man Festival back in 2015, and then again at The Victoria and The 100 Club the following year, he continues to captivate with his  impressive sonic soundscapes.

Of this latest track, Leonard explains:

“‘Paralysed Force’ is about how insecurities you should settle within yourself often get transplanted onto other people you know. Projecting the question towards another allows you to shirk responsibility for your own wellbeing, but all this does is suspend the issue at hand, and prolong an inevitable falling back.”

The first album of Kiran Leonard’s to have been made in a professional studio, Western Culture is due for release 19th October via Moshi Moshi. Catch Kiran Leonard live at the following dates:

26th August – Leeds, This Must Be The Place
29th August – London, The Victoria
30th August – End of the Road Festival
8th September – Manchester, Partisan

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

LISTEN: Hanne Leland – ‘Stay’

Husky, melancholic vocals against a soft piano line form the foundations of Norwegian born singer-songwriter Hanne Leland’s latest single ‘Stay’.

So far within her musical journey, Hanne Leland has taken a daring leap from the world of country music to her own style of electro-pop in addition to being the support act for the legendary All Saints on their comeback tour. Produced by Jim Eliot – who was behind Ellie Goulding’s ‘Anything Could Happen’ – ‘Stay’ is a passionate plea to love. The emotion is strong within Leland’s soaring vocals, as a tinge of electronica underpins the poignant pop soundscape. Hanne Leland expands: “…the recording process was really emotional as the song is very personal to me”.

It is this raw expression that establishes Leland’s mark upon the pop scene and makes ‘Stay’ a track which deems us eager to hear more from the London-based singer.

 

Nicky Lee Delisle
@Nicky___Lee

Photo Credit: Mariann Vik

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment

LISTEN: Loveday – ‘Close’

‘Close’ is the debut single from seventeen year old Midlands-based singer Loveday.

The lo-fi distortion within the intro to ‘Close’ gently evokes chilled out summer days whilst the stripped back electronic sounds create the illusion of a warm, hazy atmosphere. Displaying her strong integrity as a songwriter within her confessional lyrics, Loveday’s velveteen vocals soar – “I won’t say that I need you / can’t say it if it’s not true.”  Loveday explains of the track:

“Its just like a mini-anthem to just being true to yourself, being unafraid to say how you really feel and to just let go a bit.”

‘Close’ showcases Loveday’s unique sound and how comfortable she is within her creative sphere. It’s a perfect summer single, marking this young artist out as a definite one to watch.

 

Nicky Lee-Delisle
@Nicky___Lee

Get In Her EarsLeave a comment