PLAYLIST: September 2018

Summer’s over and so is festival season, but fear not! Our brand new September playlist is here to to brighten up your day. This month is shaping up to be something special sound-wise, and we’re excited to share our track selections with you. Take some time to scroll through our words, and hit play on the Spotify link at the bottom of the page…

 

Noga Erez – ‘Cash Out’ (feat. SAMMUS)
The idiosyncratic voices of Tel Aviv’s Noga Erez and Philadelphia rapper SAMMUS combine in superb style on this new track, which is the perfect follow up to Erez’s previous knockout single ‘Bad Habits’. Together, the pair “call out the contradicting and chauvinistic pressures piled on women through consumerist society” with defiant, seething flair. I cannot stop listening to this total T.U.N.E. (Kate Crudgington)

Basement Revolver – ‘Heavy Eyes’
‘Heavy Eyes’ is the new single from Canadian indie-rock trio Basement Revolver taken from the debut album (also called Heavy Eyes) which was released in August via Fear of Missing Out Records. The track is about feeling tired and how hard life is when you’re in that tired state…PREACH. I love the track’s rhythmic percussion with those distant vocals pushing me into that hypnotic hazy state. (Tash Walker)

Twist Helix – ‘Graphite’
Taken from their upcoming debut album, Twist Helix’s new single ‘Graphite’ is a song about the artist feeling frustration as she cannot articulate an authentic vision of her city. A sweeping, cinematic offering, it juxtaposes dynamic, synth-heavy beats with a twinkling musicality and the soaring impassioned vocals of front woman Bea Garcia. Ouseburn, the upcoming album from Twist Helix, is out 5th October. (Mari Lane)

Fears – ‘Blood’
Flitting between Belfast and Dublin, Irish musician Fears (aka Constance Keane) creates sublime electronic-based soundscapes. I first heard ‘Blood’ on The Irish Jam, and I’ve been haunted by her melancholy soundscapes ever since. I’ll definitely be keeping tabs on this talented newcomer. (KC)

Ah! Kosmos – ‘Wide'(feat. Özgür Yılmaz)
Atmospheric guitar, captivating percussion and hypnotic vocals melt together on Ah! Kosmos’ new single. The track is taken from her upcoming second album Beautiful Swamp, which is set for release on October 5th via Compost Records. Born in Istanbul and now based in Berlin, Ah! Kosmos (aka Başak Günak) is a sound designer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. She sweeps listeners up in to a rapture with her intense soundscapes filled with rhythmic guitar melodies, and her collaboration with guitarist Özgür Yılmaz on ‘Wide’ is another stunning example of this. (KC)

Koschka – ‘The Flood’
The new single from Berlin-based Koschka, ‘The Flood’ oozes a sweeping grandeur and haunting, majestic power. Inspired by themes of ephemeral love, acceptance and regret, it flows with twinkling keys as the impressive range of Koschka’s resonating vocals soar across a luscious soundscape with an effervescent grace. Truly spellbinding. (ML)

Okay Kaya – ‘Habitual Love’
Okay Kaya who hails from Norway has only recently popped up on my radar, but I’m so glad she did. Currently in the process of releasing a series of loosely-connected, slightly disconcerting music videos for her album Both – manifesting themes such as love, voyeurism and trauma as another physical body. This is my favourite of the releases so far – ‘Habitual Love’ whose gentle beats and Sade like melodies take on a life of their own when you watch the video. However you consume this…it’s fantastic. (TW)

The Menstrual Cramps – ‘The Smash’
Raw, righteous, and a rallying cry against pervasive capitalist and patriarchal oppression: The Menstrual Cramps’ released their sophomore album Free Bleedin’ at the end of August, and it drips with irrepressible anarchy and wit. ‘The Smash’ is the second track on the record, calling for a political and personal revolution. The lyric “Theresa May don’t even masturbate” is a personal fave here. (KC)

Peach Club – ‘Boy In A Band’
A gritty, raging attack on those ‘boys in bands’ that we’ve all come across – those disgusting guys who use their self-proclaimed ‘fame’ to take advantage of young women – ‘Boy In A Band’ rages with a raw ferocity, thrashing hooks and driving beats, building with a frenzied energy to a riotous anthem, blasting into the ears with a racing sense of urgency. And rightly so. We need voices like Peach Club’s now more than ever; a voice that gives motivation and inspiration to girls and women to speak out and be heard in order to prevent the damaging actions of certain boys in bands continuing to be swept under the carpet within the music industry. And we cannot wait for Peach Club to headline our Blogtober event at The Finsbury on 12th October! (RSVP here) (ML)

Fightmilk – ‘Four Star Hotel’
Fightmilk have now signed to Reckless Yes and announced the release of their truly fantastic debut album Not With That Attitude (due November 2nd). Taken from the album, new single ‘Four Star Hotel’ is a scuzzy, sparkling anti-love song spiced with a tongue in cheek wit and refreshing cynicism. Another immensely catchy, instant smile-inducing slice of luscious punk-infused indie-pop at its finest. And we cannot wait for Fightmilk to play for us again at The Finsbury on 14th December! (RSVP here). (ML)

Dolls – ‘Sugar Free’
Prepare to have your bubble well and truly popped by the sound of DOLLS’ latest single ‘Sugar Free’. The London-based duo have delivered another catchy slice of grunge-pop glory, alongside the news they’ll be releasing their debut EP Pop The Bubble on September 21st. (KC)

Value Void – ‘Babeland’
I just think this is such a tune. ‘Babeland’ by London trio Value Void is taken from their upcoming debut album set for release on 26th October via Tough Love, which they’ve described as “a luxuriantly deep, shag pile-warm, analogue proto punk collection”. This particular song is about one night in a pub when everything looked grim except for two very attractive men kissing. I love the hazy dreamlike sound which for me was the perfect accompaniment to the hazy warmth of this London Summer. (TW)

Dott – ‘Wedding Song’
Taken from their recent album Heart Swell, Dott’s ‘Wedding Song’ is a poignant ode to love in all its forms, and a celebration of Ireland’s vote to legalise Same Sex Marriage in 2015. The Galway-based band will be headlining our first Get In Her Ears Night at The Five Bells on October 26th (RSVP here). (KC)

IDER – ‘Body Love’
I could listen to this song over and over and over. Such beautifully intricate harmonies, carefully weaved together over the course of ‘Body Love’, I’m left wrapped in the song’s self-affirming message each and every time. I’ve picked this track because I’m going to be seeing IDER play at The Village Underground on 2nd October, and I cannot wait. (TW)

Tirzah – ‘Gladly’
Beautifully understated, gently hypnotic and lyrically touching. I cannot get enough of Tirzah right now, and you know what, it’s not just this track…but the whole album Devotion. What can I say…I am hopelessly devoted. Cringe statements aside, please go listen if you haven’t already, your life will be better for it. (TW)

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Track Of The Day: Noga Erez – ‘Cash Out’ (feat. SAMMUS)

The idiosyncratic voices of Tel Aviv’s Noga Erez and Philadelphia rapper SAMMUS combine in superb style on ‘Cash Out’, the follow up to Noga Erez’s previous knockout single ‘Bad Habits’. Together, the pair “call out the contradicting and chauvinistic pressures piled on women through consumerist society” with defiant, seething flair.

Warped, stretched beats and sharply outspoken lyrics permeate the track, which tackles the toxic double standards women routinely face. Erez explains the track’s purpose further: “The intention is to list out things that can make you a successful woman, in the most twisted, chauvinistic way. What society’s version is contradicts itself (eat breakfast, not too much), and is derived from the image of well-being and wealth that is presented to us alongside commercials about food, food porn etc. It all sums up a person feeling that their mind is exploding from consuming everything that we are fed by society and advertising companies. The song is all from a woman’s perspective.”

It’s this distinct perspective that makes Erez’s new music so ear-catching. Both ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Cash Out’ mark a stylistic shift away from her highly acclaimed debut album Off The Radar (released via City Slang in 2017), proving that Erez is capable of dismantling her own sound as well as out-dated, patriarchal values. Her lyrical wit is complimented perfectly by SAMMUS’ razor sharp raps, making the context of the track ring out with powerful intensity. Listen to ‘Cash Out’ below and follow Noga Erez on Facebook for more updates.

Photo credit: Timo Kerber

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Noga Erez – ‘Bad Habits’

Tel Aviv renegade Noga Erez has 2018’s shortcomings in her interrogative spotlight in the video for brand new track ‘Bad Habits’. It’s a snarling tirade of anger spoken through gritted teeth, and it marks an exciting change in style since her 2017 debut album Off The Radar, released via City Slang.

“‘Bad Habits’ is written from a place where one feels they’ve lost all direction and meaning”, Erez explains. “2018, so far, feels to me like living in a place that continues to go down a sloppy road that leads to the loss of any core values that we have grown up with.” Erez exhibits an intense defiance in both her lyrics and her music. “I’m no-one / but who the fuck are you? / Huh?” she repeats, as the beats of her partner and co-writer Ori Rousso mutate into a gritty, truth-seeking anthem – culminating in Erez’s vicious “Fuck you!” at the close of the song.

Noga Erez is set to play an extensive amount of European Festivals this summer, so we recommend following her on Facebook to keep updated on dates and tickets.

Listen to ‘Bad Habits’ below.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Tracks Of The Year 2017

As Time Magazine recently called it, 2017 is the year of The Silence Breakers, and us Get In Her Ears girls are here to support the women who are making all the right kinds of noise.

It has been increasingly difficult to absorb and process daily news stories about women and girls who have been sexually assaulted and raped by powerful men who (wrongly) assumed they would get away with it. Women from all walks of life started to use the #MeToo campaign to document their experiences of sexual harassment and assault earlier this year, and since then perpetrators have been called out, shamed, and fired – though few have apologised for their actions.

Whilst we can’t seem to stem the flow of pain caused by stories of inherent societal sexism, or the tories’ budget cuts to vital women’s services here in the UK, we can provide some respite in the form of some of our favourite immensely talented, informed, brilliant female musicians. These are the women who rocked our world in 2017 – we’d be lost without their precious anthems. Take a look at our top tracks below…

The Nyx – ‘Fire Breathing Lady’
Exuding their intense, raucous energy The Nyx deliver immense, electrifying offerings. Fuelled by a seething passion, ‘Fire Breathing Lady’ hits you with its fierce, empowering force like nothing you’ve heard before. I’ve had this track on repeat throughout the year – its thrashing power having seen me through the trials and tribulations of 2017, and marking these exceptional women out as a real force to be reckoned with. So, turn up the riotous sound of ‘Fire Breathing Lady’ and celebrate your womanly powers in all their glory. (Mari Lane)

Nova Twins – ‘Mood Swings’
Driven by devious and distorted basslines, Nova Twins (aka Amy & Georgia) have unmatchable attitude and instinct for writing anarchic anthems, and ‘Mood Swings’ is a warped reflection of swift emotional shifts that will be buzzing around your brain long after it’s stopped playing.
(Kate Crudgington)

Sink Ya Teeth – ‘If You See Me’
‘If You See Me’ was the debut single from Sink Ya Teeth who signed to James Endeacott’s 1965 Records this year. The track is drenched in addictive beats and nods to post-punk royalty ESG. A particular highlight for me was watching Sink Ya Teeth perform this live at one of our Finsbury nights; catch them if you can, these guys are worth seeing live. (Tash Walker)

Lizzo – ‘Water Me’
I’ve been in love with (queen) Lizzo for some time… I was completely obsessed with the uplifting wit of her 2014 track ‘Batches And Cookies’. And I’ve been equally head over heels with this year’s ‘Water Me’. A super empowering anthem, it’s filled with immense hooks and the completely infectious, invigorating chorus as Lizzo repeats “I am my inspiration”. Lizzo explains of the track: “It’s about needing nourishment, it’s about being loved for who you are. We’re celebrating black beauty and the meaningful freedom of water.” So, nourish yourself, inspire yourself, and fall in love with Lizzo’s ‘Water Me’. (ML)

Smerz – ‘Because’
Low slung rhythms, crunching beats and those ever so distinctive vocals, Because in short is some of the best obscure techno-pop around. Copenhagen based duo delivering distorted electro tracks, a perfect mix of minimal futurism and experimental nostalgia. I’m so into this track, it makes me feel like I want to don a heavy orange bomber jacket, an East 17 style beanie and head down to some industrial rave in a warehouse and two-step the night. (TW)

Dream Wife – ‘Let’s Make Out’
It was difficult to choose a specific Dream Wife track this year, as both ‘Somebody’ and ‘Let’s Make Out’ were equally as catchy and important as each other. Whilst ‘Somebody’ addresses victim-blaming and the shame around sexual assault, ‘Let’s Make Out’ is a shamelessly confident anthem about acting on your own consensual desires. I was fortunate enough to be on set during the video shoot, and it was a real joy to watch the band and their friends dance around at fake prom, living their best lives. (KC)

Queen Zee – ‘Boy’
I’m hooked on Liverpool punk sass-perts Queen Zee. ‘Boy’ is the first track of theirs that reached my ears, and it’s an anthem for trans-gender rockers and their allies who refuse to be oppressed by transphobic or homophobic attitudes.(KC)

The Orielles – Sugar Tastes Like Salt
In case you haven’t noticed, The Orielles have had the title of my favourite band for a while now. I named them as Ones To Watch last year, and it seems they’ve lived up to that title – having wowed crowds at festivals this summer (including a wonderful set at Green Man), become a BBC 6 Music favourite and received acclaim from the likes of The Guardian , as well as many other esteemed publications.

Though I’m a fan of everything they have to offer, this year’s ‘Sugar Tastes Like Salt’ is a truly epic creation. Racing with pounding beats, scuzzy hooks, jangly melodies and woozy vocals, Sid, Esmé and Henry show they’re capable of greatness with this dreamy offering. At just over eight minutes long, it truly is an anthem in every sense of the word. An anthem heralding the arrival of The Orielles into the ears of masses. The band’s first release on Heavenly Recordings, ‘Sugar Tastes Like Salt’ is a magnificent, clattering cacophony; a frenzied fusion of sounds that takes you on a musical adventure into the minds of its creators. (ML)

Madame So – ‘Black Is Beautiful’
London-based promoters LOUD WOMEN released their first compilation CD this year (buy a copy here), and Madame So gifted them with this superb track. ‘Black Is Beautiful’ is a poignant song about race, identity, and doing things for yourself. Her lyrics and unique voice move me each time I listen (and I love her reference to The Cure). (KC)

Amparo – ‘Reset’
If I could…I would have chosen everything that Amparo has released this year, constantly creating such beautiful dreamy soundscapes but if forced (and I am being forced) I’d go with ‘Reset’. A firm favourite of mine taken from Amparo’s EP Isolated Islands which has a melodic-chill atmosphere created with the idea of being enjoyed whilst exploring the outdoors. Absolutely excellent listening. (TW)

 

Beckie Margaret – ‘At Home (Where I Write)’
Cool Thing Records introduced me to Beckie Margaret in late 2016, and I’ve been mesmerised by her ever since. She has such a pure, faultless voice and it was a pleasure to interview her before her debut London show at The Waiting Room in October of this year. This is her second single, following on from ‘Cars & Catacombs’ and it’s totally divine. (KC)

Noga Erez – ‘Dance While You Shoot’ 
A sheer force to be reckoned with, if ever there was one, Tel Aviv artist Noga Erez has blown me away with her immense arrival into our ears (and eyes at Visions Festival!) this year. An utterly compelling performer, she oozes an hypnotic elegance as she delivers the glitchy, sweeping cacophony of ‘Dance While You Shoot’. In this utterly infectious track, Erez combines a magnetising grace with with a fiery, frenzied power; cementing herself firmly as one of the most exciting artists around, and a simply stunning performer. (ML) 

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