Interview: Slowcoaches

Like us Get In Her Ears girls – and most women in music – Slowcoaches bassist & vocalist Heather Perkins is pretty fucking sick of the pervasive misogyny inherent in the music industry today. Fortunately, her band and her voice provide a much-needed antidote to all the patriarchal nonsense we’re forced to stomach. We caught up with Heather to talk about Slowcoaches’ 2018 recording and touring plans, shouting back against sexism on Twitter, being appreciative of your band mates, and taking time to recognise and deal with your own mental health issues effectively…

Hello Heather! It’s the start of a brand new yearand we’re keen to know what’s in store for Slowcoaches. Can you tell us what’s coming up for the band in 2018?

I’ve been mainly writing our second album, which will come out this year. I’ve moved out of London and I’m writing back in the town I grew up in which is weird but also really refreshing. Its given me a new place mentally and physically to write from, which is always interesting. We have a new track coming out in a couple of months which I’m really excited about. We’re also planning a huge tour in a huge country for later in the year, and I’m so damn excited but I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say about that right now.

That sounds exciting! We saw your tweets about Bono’s Rolling Stone interview at the end of 2017, in which he brands new music “girly” and says hip-hop is the only place in music where men can express “rage”. Where were you when you first read his comments?

I don’t know where I was when I read it, but that’s because I read so much shit like this all the time now that it kind of becomes an everyday occurrence. I genuinely couldn’t give a shit what Bono thinks, but the things he says have such reach and they shape the opinions of his already small-minded but huge audience. He reflects an opinion that poses a huge problem to women in the music industry and the world in general, that’s what’s so frustrating about it.

We also saw that you’d been tweeting about the first release on Slaves’ new label ‘Girl Fight Records’ too?

Yeah. This is the first time in a while that I’ve let something like this really piss me off actually. It took me a whole day to totally get my head around why I was so angry about it, and I realised there were so many layers to the whole thing that I found offensive – both as a woman and as a woman musician. I think this is why:

Slaves are a band with a lot of influence. Their opinions and endorsements affect the way their audience perceives music and more widely, the way they perceive the world. So, they’ve chosen to start releasing music under the label name ‘Girl Fight’. That’s the first kicker. The phrase ‘Girl Fight’ denotes pettiness, weakness and bitchiness. It has sexual and comical connotations. And more often that not a ‘girl fight’ involves two women fighting over a man. Those two words have layers of negative connotations that reach beyond simply pitching women as enemies of each other.

This is a problem then, when coupled with the fact that their first release is by an all-white, all-male band called ‘Lady Bird’ (check! Two more references to the female gender) – a song about a ‘traditional geezer’ who’s having a bad time in Wetherspoons which is something that we can apparently ‘all identify with’ (except for anyone who isn’t a traditional geezer – hell, I don’t even know what a ‘traditional geezer’ is.) So that alienates all us un-traditional, un-geezer types.

Congratulations Slaves! You’ve created the epitome of a ‘lads club’ right there. Everything about this label and this release screams ‘punk rock is a boys gang and you’re not invited.’

Denoting women as enemies of each other whilst promoting and supporting maleness in punk music is the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to all women, female-identifying and LGBTQ individuals who are making music of this genre. They are reinforcing the idea that rock music is a boys game. And their audience will believe them.

But notice how both label and band use words referencing the female gender: girl, lady, bird. Its like, adding insult to injury. Not only are women banned from engaging or identifying with the content, they are referenced with the intent to both sneer at them, belittle them and use them as a decoration, a name, an aesthetic reference.

It’s really disappointing to see a band with such a big fanbase belittle women’s efforts in punk.

What inspires you when you’re writing new songs?

It’s taken me a while to get in to the routine of writing. It’s fun and frustrating in equal measure. I get really angry at myself really quickly, especially if I don’t feel like I’ve got a great idea within the first 3 minutes. I’ve spent a lot of time training myself to persevere through those initial few minutes of total shit. It’s like doing warm up before you go for a run.

I’ve also been forcing myself to sit down and just write for an hour or something every day. It’s easier the more you do it. It also teaches you about the best way to write. Like, for you. A few weeks in, I realised I was writing songs that I thought other people would like. And it just wasn’t working. So now I’m writing songs for myself and its all flowing more easily.

In terms of what inspires me, it can be anything at all. I often think about the live show and how songs translate to be experienced on a stage. I guess that’s the place I often start from.

You toured the UK in 2017 and you’ll be back on the road in 2018 too. Can you talk to us about the positive and negatives aspects of being on tour?

Our last tour was amazing. It was a pretty long trip and I learned a huge amount about myself and what I’m capable of and what I’m not.

I suffer from severe anxiety and panic disorder as well as a few other weird things including DPD (Depersonalisation Derealisation Disorder) that can make touring quite tricky for me. I basically got back and finally admitted to myself that I just can’t do some things in the same way as some other people can. Admitting that was a bit of a relief and now I know that I need to be stricter with myself and look after myself a lot better when we go away. Otherwise I’m making my life a hundred times harder than it needs to be.

I definitely couldn’t get through touring without Sean and Oliver and our awesome little team. Doing something so challenging can be a real confidence boost, but next time I want to be able to really enjoy myself.

Here at Get In Her Ears, we’ve noticed that bands and artists have been much more open about their struggles with poor mental health this year. Have you noticed this too? Do you think this open attitude will continue to prevail in 2018?

I hope so. I think music is so inextricably linked to emotion that it’s a great place for people to start to explore and identify and swap experiences.

Do you have any advice for new bands or artists who are concerned about their mental health?

A few things I learned whilst on tour:

Try to be open and honest with your band mates and crew. Don’t bottle things up. It only increases tension and anxiety.

Being around someone with a mental health issue can be as challenging as having one. You’re not expected to provide solutions, but it can help you and others if you’re explicit about what you need at any time. If you want to be alone, say so. If you want someone to sit and just hold your hand, say so. If there’s nothing anyone can do at that moment, say so.

Challenging yourself is good, but be realistic about what you can and can’t do. It’s ok to say “I don’t want to”. Having a few ground rules when you’re on tour is important. It doesn’t make you any less punk.

Good advice. As a new music blog, we’re always keen to hear about other people’s favourite new bands & artists. Who are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve just been listening to a great record that came out this year called LA Women, by a New Orleans band called Patsy. Nice gritty upbeat, catchy garage punk.

Finally, if you had to describe Slowcoaches’ music in three words: what would they be?

Infectious, vital noise.

Huge thanks to Heather for taking the time to answer our questions. Make sure you’re following Slowcoaches on Facebook to keep up to date with all their new releases.

Photo Credit: Priti Shikotra

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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PLAYLIST: December 2017

The most wonderful time of the year is fast-approaching, and we’ve got no time to mess around (with the exception of the work Christmas party, those festive drinks tomorrow night, and that gig next week). Us Get In Her Ears grrrls have put together the best selection of treats since your Nan dished out the speciality Christmas-size box of biscuits. Lose yourself in the punk sass of Queen Zee, the important (and catchy) activism of Gaptooth & Sisters Uncut, the divine escapism of Black Gold Buffalo, the beautiful sounds of Amparo & Bjork and many, many more…

Queen Zee – ‘Idle Crown’
Hot on the heels of their last single ‘Fly The Pink Flag’, my absolute favourites Queen Zee have released brand new track ‘Idle Crown’; and it’s a riotous, hostile, smartly executed three and a half minutes of Marilyn Manson-esque garage punk. Released via the band’s own label (Sasstone Records), the Liverpool band have yet to record something I don’t instantly fall in love with. (Kate Crudgington)

Gaptooth (feat. Sisters Uncut) – ‘They Cut We Bleed’
 A tribute to, and raising money for, Feminist direct action group Sisters Uncut – a charity who protest the life-threatening cuts to services for domestic violence – Gaptooth’s ‘They Cut We Bleed’ rages against the government with a frenzied, impassioned energy and empowering force. With shades of the likes of Le Tigre or MEN, it oozes whirring beats, glitchy electronic melodies and colourful uplifting vibes; the perfect call to arms that we need now more than ever. As Gaptooth says: “All these sexist, racist cuts, we don’t need ’em”. Watch the powerful video for ‘They Cut We Bleed’, featuring Sisters Uncut, here. (Mari Lane)

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)

Anteros – ‘Love’
My eyes and ears are blossoming in to heart-shapes at the “effervescent pop” sounds on Anteros’ latest single ‘Love’. Produced by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J, Marika Hackman, Bloc Party), The London-based band channel Blondie and The Cardigans on their brand new ode to the all encompassing universal emotion. (KC)

Sonia Stein – ‘Do You Love Me?’
 ‘Do You Love Me?’, the new single from London based artist Sonia Stein, oozes gloriously sunny, uplifting ‘80s pop vibes, catchy hooks and rich luscious vocals. Of the track, Stein explains: “Do You Love Me is a song that is quite a bright and light approach to a feeling that’s a bit darker and heavier…” The track’s accompanied by a fantastic Vogue-inspired, pastel-filled video, which you should definitely feast your eyes on now. (ML)

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)

Black Gold Buffalo – ‘Pearls Deep’
If you’re in search of musical escapism, you’ll find it in Black Gold Buffalo’s latest track ‘Pearls Deep’. Written on a stormy night in a tower block somewhere near the A10, the East London band have said the single is about “wanting to escape a brooding mood in the city, to just get up and go somewhere and nowhere.” It’s the first single to be taken from the band’s long-awaited debut album, which is due to be released in March 2018. (KC)

Gold Baby – ‘Feed It!’
 In addition to featuring members of some of our favourite bands (like Long Teeth), newcomers Gold Baby create their own hugely infectious offerings. Filled with all the jangly melodies, sumptuous vocals and whirring scuzzy goodness you could ever desire, debut single ‘Feed It!’ is a sunny-sounding slice of indie-rock ruminating on the times in life where we feed it (“the little voice of misery”). A solid gold debut that leaves us eager for more. (ML)

Polo – ‘Gold Horizons’
 I was introduced to this track by Mari, so shout out to her for that. This has got to be the catchiest track of the year for me, which makes a change from my normal graveyard, self-deprecating morose electro. Press play for Polo. It’s worth it. (TW)

Björk – ‘The Gate’
One of my 2017 New Year’s Resolutions was to listen to more of Bjork’s music, so the release of her tenth studio album Utopia has arrived just in time for me to fulfil that promise. It’s a superbly produced, delicately sung, gem of an album that brought a tear to my eye on first listen. ‘The Gate’ is a particular favourite because it blends vulnerability and strength in a delightfully idiosyncratic way. (KC)

The Go! Team – ‘Mayday’ 
If you’re anything like me, and Thunder Lightening Strike provided the soundtrack to many a teenage night out, you’ll be as excited as I am to hear The Go! Team’s magnificent new single ‘Mayday’. A morse-code inspired, soul-infused belter of a track, it races with all the frenzied energy and playful joy that we’ve come to know and love from the band – an instant ear worm, and essential dance-inducing addition to any festive party playlist. (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 away. (TW)

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ALBUM: Bearcats – ‘No Friends’

Californian duo Bearcats have just released No Friends, their debut album of bass n drum sounds reflecting the ferociousness of their feminism and friendship in eight blistering tracks. It follows a couple of EP releases, split between US label Lost State and Frux Tapes in the UK, hearing them hone their sound and become a brilliant transatlantic addition to the growing movement of female-led punk-pop.

The album opens with ‘Sorry’, with hazy vocals over the sharp beat and warmly blended bass, the verse juxtaposes with the raw and over-lapped half-screamed half-shouted vocals of the breakneck chorus. This is a song weaving along the line of vulnerability and violence, circle pits to either side jostling the track between one state and the other.

The fuzzy loud-quiet dynamic, and layered vocals as opposed to harmonies, play throughout the album building a sound that comes across for the most part as being much bigger than a two-piece and nodding to others creating a full sound with a small line-up – the likes of Skinny Girl Diet, You Want Fox and Deap Vally.

Bearcats do bring in sparser moments across the record, gloriously so on ‘Okay’ where a simple drum line lets the bass hum through your veins, as the drawled vocal gives you the tough love of solidarity – “It’s hard to be a girl today, and it’s all okay” – as the melody blooms and backing vocals kick in and burn through you. A contender not just for album highlight, but as one of the tracks of the year too.


‘Sunday Boyfriend’ brings in the conversational-style call and response dance-floor bounce of The Shangri-Las and, as elsewhere, many of the lyrics reflect feminism, toxic masculinity and misogyny, as well as the phenomenal friendship at the heart of the band.

Mean Girls meets The Craft in ‘Girlcult’ as conforming for acceptance, and the rituals of female relationships bubble over surf punk rhythms. As “light as a feather, stiff as a board” is sung with increasing urgency, reflecting how thin the line between invite and threat can sometimes be, it implicitly brings to the fore the competition women are in with each other through the constructs around us.

The album closes with the deep buzz of the bass and the clashing of percussion of ‘Take Yr Time’, with more mixed vocals and loud-quiet fast-slow interplay. This track – and indeed the album – find strength in not being held together too tightly, nor too polished.

These songs have an urgency and immediacy about them which make for a self-assured debut of scuzzy garage pop bursting with the ethos of Riot Grrrl. If you’ve been digging Dream Wife, Skating Polly, Gurr or Dream Nails then Bearcats are a band you need to add to your playlist.

Bearcats’ No Friends is out now via Lost State Records and available now for download from Bandcamp.

Sarah Lay 
@sarahlay

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PLAYLIST: November 2017

Us Get In Her Ears girls have put our broomsticks back in our cupboards and cleared away October’s cobwebs in order to share some brand spanking new music with you this November. Check out the Spotify playlist below, and have a nose at the stuff we just can’t get out of our ears this month…

Fever High – ‘Good Advice’
Oozing an uplifting wit and sparkling, infectious melodies, this latest offering from Brooklyn’s Fever High will undoubtedly put a smile on your face. Featuring the unmistakable voice of non other than Jeff Goldblum spouting hilarious anecdotes about the bad advice he’s been given throughout his career, it’s a delightfully fizzy blast of electro pop. ‘Good Advice’ is taken from the band’s upcoming EP FHNY, out on 10th November. (Mari Lane)

Wy – ‘You + I’
The slow steady melancholia of this track drew me in, with lead singer Ebba’s alto rising up over the reverb-drenched guitars, it had me feeling all sad and wistful. (Tash Walker)

REWS – ‘Your Tears’
Shauna & Collette consistently dazzle me with the power of their fierce and defiant pop-rock tune, and ‘Your Tears’ is no exception. The pair co-wrote this anthem which refuses to acknowledge the ‘boy who cried’ wolf’ and it features on their debut album Pyro, released this Friday (Nov 3rd) via Marshall Records. (Kate Crudgington)

Miya Folick – ‘Give It To Me’
Since first hearing this track, I’ve been completely head over heels with this California artist who explains that she makes music “because forming thoughts into sounds blends emotional and rational thought in a way that turns me on.” I just love this song’s emotion-strewn power – how it builds in intensity and just totally captivates with its raw urgency and utterly beautiful, heart-wrenching passion. (Mari Lane)

Kllo – ‘Dissolve’
Just as the title implies this track gives you a big does of escapism, through its electronic sound scape and samples, with a gentle nod to UK garage.  **Bows head in appreciation** (Tash Walker)

Nova Twins – ‘Thelma & Louise’
I’m like a moth to a flame when it comes to defiant duos, and Nova Twins’ latest track ‘Thelma & Louise’ proves that double trouble is the best kind of trouble. Their devious bass lines and punk vocals will shake your bones, so make sure you grab a ticket to their headline show at Camden Assembly on November 30th. (Kate Crudgington)

Kid Cupid – ‘Easy’
Having already received support from the likes of BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, GIHE favourite Kid Cupid are back with a brand new single. Oozing euphoric layers of sound alongside Laura Shaw’s soulful vocals, ‘Easy’ is a truly blissful slice of electro-pop; a dreamy sonic delight. (Mari Lane)

Just Because – ‘All I Knew’
As I listen to this track I feel my whole body relax and dissolve into the beautiful samples, spacey vocals and slow gentle beats….just perfect, Just Because. (Tash Walker)

Pale Honey – ‘Get These Things Out of My Head’
If you blend the vocals of Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell and the Cardigans’ Nina Persson with clear electronics and hazy guitar riffs; you’ll end up with the sound of Gothenburg duo Pale Honey. They released their second album Devotion in October, and it’s a cool, understated, but intense new offering from the pair. Catch them live at Old Blue Last on November 7th. (Kate Crudgington)

King Henry (feat Rhye) – ‘Moment’
I absolutely love this, with the beautiful genderless vocals of Rhye, King Henry has released Moment off of his upcoming EP.  Perfectly nostalgic in its melting beauty. (Tash Walker)

Witch Fever – ‘Carpet Asphyxiation’
I’m a big fan of this Manchester based grunge-punk band. Describing themselves as “making noise with our big muffs”, this track oozes a raw, frenzied cacophony and raucous hooks, as the fist-clenching power of the wonderfully shrieking vocals makes for essential, riotous listening. (Mari Lane)

Queen Zee & The Sasstones – ‘Boy’
All I want to do is lay in a bath tub full of red wine and listen to Queen Zee & The Sasstones on repeat – watch the video to ‘Boy’ and that sentence will make sense. Download their latest EP, Eat My Sass, while you’re at it too. (Kate Crudgington)

Maya Songbird – ‘Regal Slut’
I was lucky enough to catch the San Francisco artist supporting Dream Nails at their EP launch last week, and it was one of the most wonderfully joyous, vibrant experiences. Creating her unique, ambient fusion of sounds whilst soulfully singing of sex, love and living regally during tough times, she is truly one of a kind. And, as we all joined in with the refrain of “Slut, Slut, Slut” to this one on Friday night, the room filled with all the empowering, positive vibes. (Mari Lane)

Yangze – ‘U & Me’
The debut single from Danish Yangze, I just love the way this track gently pads out of the speakers, pacing round and round you with its restrained electronic beats. (Tash Walker)

Jackie Shane – ‘Any Other Way’
A “pioneer of transgender rights born in a male body”, Jackie Shane has remained largely unknown outside of Toronto, where her career flourished in the 1960s. However, with Numero Group’s reissue of Any Other Way – the first approved collection of Ms. Shane’s work which features all six of her 45s & highlights from her 1967 live sessions at the Sapphire Tavern – I think that’s about to change. (Kate Crudgington)

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