Track Of The Day: Slagheap – ‘Destination Boyfriend’

Following the vibrant energy of last year’s single ‘Caffeine’, having supporting the likes of Billy Nomates, Wet Leg and GIHE faves Big Joanie, and with acclaim from Radio X’s John Kennedy and BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, Bristol ‘do-it-for-yourself’ band Slagheap have now announced the release of their new EP, due out in August.

Taken from the EP, new single ‘Destination Boyfriend‘ is a joyously discordant yet euphoric celebration of femininity and feeling comfortable in your own skin, regardless of how far from the ‘norm’ you may stray. Reflecting on the different paths that bisexuality may take you on, it races with a scrappy, jangly energy as clashing beats sizzle alongside swirling, scuzzy hooks.

Creating a frenzied, shimmering cacophony, ‘Destination Boyfriend’ oozes a stark post-punk fuzz with the added quirky, playful spirit and tongue-in-cheek wit we’ve come to know and love from Slagheap. Of the track, the band have commented:

“From our first Barbie Jeep, the GPS was programmed for heteronormativity. As we journeyed through puberty our eyes began to wander from the set path. The pre-planned girls trip is appealing… But so is the sweet fruit on the lay-by.”

Set to be a queer girl summer anthem, ‘Destination Boyfriend’ is accompanied by a nostalgia-tinged, and typically fun-filled, new video. Produced by Bristol’s Clump Collective, and featuring some of the band’s own artwork, you can watch the wonderfully wacky visual here:

Appetites, the upcoming new EP from Slagheap, is set for release on 5th August. And we’re super excited to have Slagheap headlining for us at The Victoria in Dalston this coming Friday 24th June – it promises to be a super fun evening, with support from Nervous Twitch and The Famous Daxx. Get your tickets here!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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WATCH: Wyldest – ‘Abilene’

Wyldest, aka Zoe Mead, is a London-based singer-songwriter and producer. Having just announced the release of her new album, Feed The Flowers Nightmares, she has now also shared her disco-tinged second single, ‘Abilene‘. Following the release of her last album, 2021’s Monthly Friend, Zoe was burnt out creatively. She began collaborating with Luciano Rossi (Idlewild, Dama Scout), activating a new energy, and they went on to create what they jokingly call their “doom pop” record; the resulting songs are meticulously constructed, featuring variations on Wyldest’s ambient/dream-pop sound.

Playful and infectious, ‘Abilene’ is a song made to be performed to flashing disco lights. Hidden beneath the glow, is the tale of a sorrowful farewell to a close friend. Starting off with slow, dreamy vocals, and an electronic beat, it then blossoms into swirls of guitar, bringing us into the poignant emotional soundscape of the song (“Lessons you taught me, I’ll think of you Abilene”). 

This stirring latest offering from Wyldest brings out a more introspective side underneath the shimmering surface, blending happy and wistful memories into pure pop bliss. It’s a perfect indication of the different paths her upcoming album will take us on, whilst exploring the themes of regeneration and growth.

‘Abilene’ is accompanied by a heartfelt new video, featuring Get In Her Ears contributor Tutku Barbaros. Watch it below:

Feed The Flowers Nightmares, the upcoming new album from Wyldest, is set for release on 9th September via Hand In Hive.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

Photo Credit: Eva Bowen

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WATCH: Ailbhe Reddy – ‘A Mess’

A lighthearted reflection on an early, chaotic relationship, Irish-born, London-based alt-folk artist Ailbhe Reddy has shared her latest single ‘A Mess’. Full of energetic guitar riffs, relatable lyrics and Reddy’s clear vocals, the track is a buoyant rumination on the cyclical nature of bad habits and a lively effort to move past them.

Following on from her recent single ‘Inhaling’ and her tender, intuitive debut album Personal History (2020), on ‘A Mess’ Reddy continues to balance the bittersweet nature of romantic relationships with her earnest and relatable lyrics. “The song is about not feeling good enough in a relationship and examining old patterns and habits,” she explains. “It’s about feeling fed up of going around in circles, while focusing on a throw away comment.”

Whilst the repetition of the title lyric could sting if it was delivered differently, Reddy claims it as a lighthearted label, accepting that youth and inexperience are all part of the learning process when it comes to forming healthy relationships. This humour is reflected in the single’s accompanying video, which sees Reddy fishing and dressed up as a surgeon, trying to dissect the moment that led to the relationship being branded ‘A Mess’.

“The video was directed by Georgia Kelly of CLTV,” she explains (an Irish production company who have created for videos Fontaines D.C., Denise Chaila, Pillow Queens and Inhaler.) “I wanted to keep the playfulness of the music alive in the video and make sure it was tongue and cheek rather than very serious. Georgia came up with a few scenarios that were funny representations of feeling ‘not good enough’ and giving up.”

Ailbhe Reddy will be performing at Visions Festival and Latitude this summer, with more live dates due to be announced soon.

Watch the video for ‘A Mess’ below.

Follow Ailbhe Reddy on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Collective Dublin (CLTV)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Guest Blog: FES Break Down Their Top 5 Essential Pieces of Guitar Gear

Having just released their debut album, With Regards From Home, Leeds-Peterborough band FES have previously received acclaim from the likes of Guitar World, BBC 6 Music and Noizze, and have also wowed crowds at festivals such as Portals Festival and Bad Pond, and supporting LA duo Standards on tour.

Reflecting on themes of grief, loneliness and front-person Pollyanna Holland-Wing’s identity as a young queer woman, with the new album FES showcase their knack for delivering fuzzy, swirling riffs, creating quirky math-pop melodies with a catchy punk-pop energy. With its slick, scuzzy, emotion-rich anthems, With Regards From Home is sure to propel FES further into the stratosphere of music fans’ hearts.

To celebrate the release of the album, we spoke to Pollyanna about her love of her guitar equipment and the five favourite pieces she used on their 2017 single ‘Inside Out’. Read more below and watch a new, awesome ‘play along’ video of Pollyanna playing guitar to the track at the bottom of the feature…

For so many years I’ve always had to borrow equipment. It wasn’t until we started on ‘Inside Out’ that I started my own collection of equipment. It’s been a long journey getting our sound right and finding budget friendly equipment that still has a lot of oomph behind it, but I think I’ve nailed it now!

Marshall DLS 20
I really believe the amp is the most important part of my core guitar setup. I think you can plug a rubbish guitar into a great amp and you’ll be alright. But a great guitar into a crap amp will do you no favours. As well as sounding great, I needed an amp that was going to be slim and light to carry- my Marshall is just that! To help get my sound for ‘Inside Out’, on my amp I have the bass turned to 10 o clock, the mid at 12 and treble at about 1. I love a crisp clean sound from my amp that’ll rock a punch, but I believe it’s important to let the actual bass take charge of that low end. There’s no need to let our sound get muddy.

Stratocaster Guitar
I’ve always been a Tele girl for the most part and I think I even use one for the studio version of ‘Inside Out’. That middle pick-up sounds great on record, and I have no regrets! However, since then I’ve come to love the classic Strat. I can’t go back now! I love the total uniqueness and variety in tone. ‘Inside Out’ uses the middle pick-up which I find has the perfect balance in bass and treble alongside my amp. I think they’re quite complementary of each other. However, being in a three piece it’s imperative to still achieve those big sounds. The Strat definitely takes the cake over the Tele in this regard!

5 Ages Walrus Overdrive Pedal
Okay, so I believe I used the Fulltone OCD in the studio, but damn do I wish I used the ‘5 Ages’. This pedal just can’t be beaten in my eyes. I just love the versatility of it! It has five different types of overdrive which has been so handy when double tracking guitars in the studio. I used to swear by the Fulltone OCD but like many others, I fell out of love with the company and frankly the Ages does everything the OCD did but with so much more flavour. My personal favourite mode to use is the 3rd mode with the gain turned up to 12 o clock. I find that although I pretty much always have the overdrive switched on, I don’t like the sound to get too muddy. In ‘Inside Out’ there’s a lot of chord progressions and chord voicings that are important to not get drowned in overdrive. The major seven chords hold so much emotion in them, I can’t let them get lost.

MXR Micro Amp Pedal
This pedal is great! I don’t use it often but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as important as all my other equipment. I use it for the breakdown at 2:16 in ‘Inside Out’ to thicken out the sound. Like I mentioned earlier, being a three piece it’s important we sound as big as possible with the limited musicians in the band. Utilising pedals is our best bet at doing so. The MXR is straight to the point with one stomper and 1 big dial to control the gain. Bish bash bosh!

Walrus SLO
Gosh, this pedal is so dreamy! The thing I love about the Slo is the added low octave that it adds to reverb tails. This again comes in handy when wanting to create bigger sounds, but I find that it’s not too overbearing. Whilst some reverbs can sound like a huge cathedral, the Slo adds colour without losing itself in massive swirling worlds of reverb. I use this setting live just after the breakdown at 2:42 in ‘Inside Out’.

FES’ new album, With Regards From Home, is out now via Small Pond Records.

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