Five Favourites: ARXX

It’s the day us at GIHE have been waiting for… It’s ARXX album release day! If you follow us in any way, you’ll know that the Brighton duo Hanni and Clara are one of our ultimate faves, and we’ve been totally in love with them ever since they first blew us away playing live for us at The Finsbury back in 2018. So, the release of brand new album Ride Or Die has been much anticipated and greeted with all the excitement of our inner teen fan grrls.

The album showcases all there is to love about this utterly unique duo, and their incredible ability to fuse genres into something that is completely their own. From the catchy, pop-fuelled singalong choruses of the likes of ‘Baby Uh Huh’ and title track ‘Ride Or Die’, to the gritty energy and fierce allure of ‘Iron Lung’, and the soaring, heartfelt raw emotion of ‘The Last Time’ and ‘Never Want To Go Back’, ARXX prove it remains impossible to pigeon hole them into any one category, whilst maintaining their infectious euphoric power with each and every offering. Listening to the album, a rollercoaster of feelings rushes through me, and I’m left crying tears of joy and pride. ARXX truly are one of the most exciting – and completely lovely – bands in the universe, and they continue to establish themselves as master creators of the freshest, most addictive and most empowering, indefinable life-affirming anthems, and I couldn’t be happier that they exist.

Anywayy, to celebrate the release of Ride Or Die, we caught up with Hanni and Clara about the five albums that have inspired them the most… Have a read, and watch the equestrian-themed video for the album’s title track at the bottom of this feature!

Clara:

P!NK – Funhouse
This is the first album that I knew inside out. I remember being in the airport and my Mum said I could pick a magazine, and I was looking at one with P!NK on the cover and then one with Taylor Swift. I went with P!NK and became fully (and I really mean fully ) obsessed for the next ten years. This album has the mix of rock vocals but great pop production and I couldn’t get enough of it. I listened in full multiple times a day. It’s the album where all the words are forever in my brain. I’ll always be a fan!

Haim – Days Are Gone
Haim are my all time favourite band and also our big bucket list band to support. I remember buying this album in HMV and then becoming completely obsessed with it. The way Danielle Haim plays and writes drum parts is unlike anyone I had heard before, with most of their beats not being straight. My favourite ever song is on this album – ‘My Song 5’. We went to go and see them play in the O2 last year and I have never felt joy like it. And then Taylor Swift came out and we lost our minds again. This will always be an album I go back to!


Hanni:

Tegan and Sara – The Con
Tegan and Sara are one of my all time favourite artists. The Con is one of the very first records that I fell in love with, and connected with emotionally. I’ve always been so inspired by their freedom to transcend genres and transition with each record. Their sound is constantly evolving and I find that so exciting. The Con is a stunning record, lyrically so captivating and interesting as a songwriter, and it just takes me back to a time where I was falling completely in love with music and the idea of being a musician myself. My favourite track is ‘Soil Soil’. 

Kate Nash – Made of Bricks
This album takes me back in so many ways. I remember I was working at my dad’s work one summer holidays, making teas for some pocket money, and on my lunch break I went to the local record store and spent my earnings on whatever new music I could get my hands on. I chose Made of Bricks and I spent the rest of that summer fully obsessed with this record. Kate Nash writes in such an unapologetically literal and obvious way on this record, it was like nothing I’d ever heard. Hearing that as a young person who wanted to write my own music was like being given the keys to the kingdom. I suddenly understood that all I had to do was write about the things that happened in my life, it was that simple. This record made songwriting feel accessible. After I bought and listened to Made of Bricks that day, I went home and wrote my first song. 


Both: 

Avril Lavigne – Let Go
This is our favourite album! It’s one of the greatest records ever written and you can’t convince us otherwise. There’s no weak songs on this record. It’s pure perfection. This record has been the soundtrack to our tour van since day one. Back then, Avril was the coolest thing in the world and made us dream of being rock chicks (lol). It would be our ultimate dream to see this record played live. If this band doesn’t pan out you’ll see us reform as an Avril tribute act!

Thanks so much to Clara and Hanni for sharing their Five Favourites with us! Watch the video for ‘Ride Of Die’ here:


Produced by Steve Ansell and mastered by Katie Tavini, Ride Or Die – the new album from ARXX – is out now via Submarine Cat Records. Order and find out about their upcoming tour dates here.

Photo Credit: Rosie Powell

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

Five Favourites: Electric Pets

Having previously received acclaim for catchy singles ‘Don’t Leave Me’ and ‘That Way‘ from the likes of BBC Introducing, Emma Buckley, Phil Wagg, Adam Grace and Pete Darrington – aka Electric Pets – have today released their second EP, Elephant. Showcasing front woman Emma’s raw, impassioned vocals and the band’s trademark gritty, scuzz-strewn musicality, it’s a collection of garage-infused rock anthems, all propelled by a fierce energy and empowering spirit.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Elephant, we caught up with Emma Buckley of Electric Pets to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. See below for her choice of her five favourite albums.

Lucia & The Best Boys – Cheap Talk
Lucia, now known as Lucia & The Best Boys have been on my radar since 2018. I came across ‘Summertime’ on a playlist and fell in love with their in your face, feel-good, indie-pop sound. Their discography combines big ’60s pop choruses with punk riffs. Lucia’s vocals have the perfect blend of sweetness and angst which sit perfectly on a bed of grunge guitars. I respect the bolshy synth work and fully support the themes of female empowerment. Oh, and of course I’ll never get tired of seeing a female front woman in an over-sized blazer playing the electric guitar!


Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam – I Had A Dream That You Were Mine 
It was actually Phil (lead guitarist in Electric Pets) who introduced me to this masterpiece. Leithauser, lead vocalist of The Walkman and Rostam, founding member of Vampire Weekend and in my opinion one of the greatest indie-rock producers of his generation. This collaboration features a variety of vintage production that inspired some of the influences of soul & early ‘rock n roll’ you hear in Electric Pets. It never conforms to the verse-chorus structure and doesn’t dwell on lyrical content. This album played a large part in my ability to trust the natural flow of a song’s narrative. It taught me not to get hung up on the story and appreciate a song in its entirety.

Bon Iver – 22, A Million
This album marked a shift in my appreciation for the art of production. As much as I’d been party to an indie-folk outfit, I’d never heard influences of hip-hop and electronic music fuse with folk in this way. Before this album, I was impressed mostly by a story and a hook but Bon Iver’s production transported me to different world. After getting over the initial meditative state I found myself in when listening, I naturally attempted to dissect the layers of instruments and their place in the ensemble. This album represents the power music has to shift a mental state for me. It’s obscure and none conventional but beautifully peaceful.

P!nk – I’m Not Dead
It wasn’t Pink’s recorded material that impressed me, but her spellbinding live performance. I was eleven when I received tickets to her Misunderztood tour as a birthday gift. I had a pre-conceived idea she was like any other female RnB/pop star but stood corrected. A singer, songwriter, performer, instrumentalist and true trailblazer. She had it all – a complete force of nature. She redefined the concept of a popstar and commanded the stage like a born rockstar. I made it my mission to go to as many of her tours as I could, which over the years have turned into acrobatic masterpieces. P!nk’s ability to combine show-stopping spectacles with simple, acoustic masterpieces are what make her truly unique. Off stage, she’s committed to her community and has inspired a generation to embrace themselves for exactly who they are – a message that shaped my youth and a baton I hope to carry for others.

Eminem – The Eminem Show
I’m not exaggerating when I say ten year old Emma lived for this album. It was the first time I truly understood the power of words when it came to expressing pain and evoking emotion through music. Most girls my age were busy dancing to the Spice Girls (which I was very much party to) but. in the comfort of my own room, I meticulously studied the lyrical genius that formed these troubled verses from Eminem. I think part of the excitement and charm was that I definitely shouldn’t have been exposed to such narrative at that young age but as my Dad always said –  “Emma, this is art and I won’t restrict access to art whatever your age… Just never tell your mother!”

Massive thanks to Emma for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Listen to current single ‘Show’ below:

Elephant, the brand new EP from Electric Pets, is out today via Reckless Yes. Buy/stream on Bandcamp now, and make sure you catch Electric Pets live at their first headline show on 18th November at West Hampstead Arts Club.

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment

FIVE FAVOURITES: Grace Savage

Grace Savage is a four-time UK beat-box champion turned electro-pop artist. With her ability to produce catchy beats and write witty relatable lyrical content, her live shows are an impressive spectacle; and her performance at Loud Women Festival last year made a mark in our musical memory. She’s set to release her new EP Cracks on 17th May and will pre-empt the launch with a headline show at Bermondsey Social Club on 15th May (tickets available here).

We caught up with Grace to ask her about her “Five Favourites” – five albums that have influenced her songwriting techniques. Check out her choices below, and make sure you listen to her single ‘Snowflake’ at the end of this post.

Amy Winehouse – Frank
I heard this album for the first time when I was 14, hanging out in my friend’s bedroom. I instantly fell in love and knew this woman was something special. The tone of her voice, the sensitivity and intelligence of the lyrics, the infectious melodies..I didn’t know much about music technically at the time, but I just felt the soul of this album to my core and I still listen to it today as much as I did back then.

I learned the song ‘Fuck Me Pumps’ on the guitar and it was the first song I ever sang in front of another human being. It was a producer who’d seen me beatbox in a talent competition, and then invited me to her studio; she asked me to sing something for her and I was absolutely terrified. I sang Amy’s song and she must’ve seen something in me because we then worked together as a songwriting partnership for four years. So this album will always have a special place in my heart.

P!nk – Can’t Take Me Home
I cannot even begin to explain the level of obsession I had with P!nk as a young girl. Posters on the bedroom wall, dyed my hair pink at 13, got my tongue pierced at 15, my email address for most of my teenage years was pink_b!tch@hotmail.com – it was a LOT. She was this bad ass lady with bright pink hair and so much attitude and I just wanted to be everything she was. She was a great role model for me as a young girl who didn’t fit in with the ”girly girls” and this album (although when I listen to it now sounds SO dated) was a big part of my teenage years. I’ve followed her career ever since and I’m seeing her live for the first time this summer….I think I might explode with nostalgia and happiness.

Nirvana – Nevermind
This album inspired me to learn the guitar. I went through the classic “grunge girl” stage for about a year (black nails, big nose ring, nirvana hoodies, eye liner, really bad skate boarding) and it was all heavily influenced by this album and Kurt Cobain’s genius. I was always such a hip hop head/r&b and pop music girl, but something about Nirvana really got me. The guitar riffs, the husky tone of his voice, the weird lyrics and the “don’t give a f***” attitude of the whole band was really refreshing against the shiny manufactured pop bands I was exposed to in the 90’s and early 00’s. This album introduced me to a different kind of music and really let me indulge my emo side.

Ms Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Ahhh it was so close between Lauryn and Missy Elliot because both had a huge impact on me growing up, but seeing as this is about ALBUMS and not ARTISTS… I had to choose this one. I remember I was about 14/15 and my mate said he bought this album and didn’t like it so he gave it to me to try. I’m so glad he did, because BOOYYY it is ICONIC! I fell in love with her voice watching Sister Act and I fell in love with this album the moment I heard it. Triple threat: singer, rapper, writer. There were really no other artists around like her at the time and her voice is unparalleled in my opinion. I still can’t think of anyone who sings, writes and raps as fluently and excellently as she does. She is one of a kind. I saw her perform the 20 year anniversary of this album in London last year and it was a beautiful experience.

BANKS – Goddess
This is the only “modern” album on my list but no less impactful and meaningful to my life. This is my break up album. I must have listened to it and cried to it and ran to it and danced to it and slept to it and then cried some more to it almost every day for about a year. When it came out, the production was like nothing I’d ever heard before and her lyrics and tone were so unique and dark and sexy, I was immediately like “WOAH” who is this girl? I’ve seen her live a few times now and she never fails to disappoint. ‘Waiting Game’ and ‘Brain’ still continue to be some of my favourite songs in existence – the slow driving kick drum, the long builds throughout the whole song, the deep driving synths and the tribal feel to her vocals drenched in reverb. Beaut. Thanks for getting me over the worst break up of my life. I owe you one BANKS!

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment