NEW TRACK: Vivienne Cure – ‘Barricade’

A commanding, heavy lament to resisting self-sabotage, Vivienne Cure has shared her latest single ‘Barricade’. Full of ominous riffs, thundering beats and her potent vocals, the London-based musician and visual artist traces over feelings of rage and regret on her new offering.

Previously supported by the likes of Kerrang! and CLASH, Vivienne Cure finds refuge in the realms of doom, metal and industrial music, as well as alternative Gothic art spheres. She uses her sound to exorcise personal demons, break free from negative thought patterns and ultimately to connect with others.

“My collection of musical works lay at the centre of a vortex of swirling fragments of deeply personal memories, driven by my inner war and reaction to society’s underlying sadness,” she explains. These forces propel Cure into action, as she explores the macabre and the meaningful in both her aesthetic and her sound.

New single ‘Barricade’ flows in this dark vein. Cure’s plaintive cries are imbued with a sense of power and self autonomy. Grinding riffs and brooding beats swirl around her, as she vehemently grasps for control amongst the chaos. ‘Barricade’ is accompanied by a new set of visuals, which show Cure and her bandmates immersing themselves in their performance.

Vivienne Cure will be playing a London headline show at The Black Heart in Camden on Wednesday 22nd November. Support comes from Jo-Jo And The Teeth and industrial rock four piece DROWND. Tickets are available here.

Watch the video for ‘Barricade’ below.

Follow Vivienne Cure on Spotify, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with Mykki Blanco (18.09.23)

Tash and Kate were back on Soho Radio’s airwaves playing loads of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ artists! Mari offered some of her “musical musings” too. Artists featured on the eclectic playlist included Tirzah, Coolgirl, Maria Uzor, O Hell, CLT DRP, Divorce, English Teacher, Brenda and Touch Excellent.

Tash also caught up with queer pioneer and innovative artist Mykki Blanco to talk about their upcoming EP, Postcards From Italia, which is set for release via Transgressive Records on 22nd September. Fresh from celebrating Copenhagen Pride, Mykki spoke to Tash about the context of their new record, how the music industry has changed over the last decade, their queer inspirations and more.

Listen back to the show below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio this Thursday 21st September, LIVE in the studio covering the Morning Glory show from 9am-12pm. Make sure you tune in via www.sohoradiolondon.com

Tracklist
Sinead O’Connor – Mandinka
Tirzah – F22
Maria Uzor – Sometimes They Look At You
O Hell – hard times
Coolgirl – High Altar
CLT DRP – I See My Body Through You
Say She She – Astral Plane
Brenda – Microscopic Babe
shaene – june
Whitelands – The Prophet and I
English Teacher – The World’s Biggest Paving Slab
Separatr – Deadstock
Divorce – Scratch Your Metal
Maria BC – Amber
Ideal Host – The Resolution
NESS NÖST – MAID 4 U
Gabriella Cohen – Clever Cheese
Mykki Blanco – Holidays in the Sun
**Interview with Mykki Blanco**
ZHU, Devault – Take My Soul
Touch Excellent – Couch Song
Becca Mancari – Over and Over
Louisa Rowley – Love Me For All of My Flaws
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps

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ALBUM: Hot Milk – ‘A Call To The Void’

The fragility of existence is nowhere more apparent than “l’appel du vide” – A Call To The Void – the brain’s impulse to throw yourself into the darkness. For Hot Milk, particularly co-vocalist/guitarist Han Mee, the pressure to deliver their debut record left them feeling incredibly lost. From extended plays Are you Feeling Alive? (2019) to I Just Wanna Know What Happens When I’m Dead (2021), to The King and Queen of Gasoline (2022), the Mancunians could always rely on their do-it-yourself ethos and work ethic, but now… nothing. Just anxiety, doubt, desperation and overwhelming sadness…

Fuck it! Hot Milk just needed to be their authentic and unapologetic selves – even in their darkest headspace – and so they embraced the void. Do or Die! “Am I the darkness?” Mee sings during the synth-heavy introduction to their debut; eleven tracks written from the heart, welcoming you to their ‘Horror Show’. From the moment their industrial lead single rumbles obnoxious feedback (“Am I a human earthquake?”), to its infectious “fuck you” chorus, the tone has been set for the rest of the record; anthemic mosh-inducing catharsis.

Flirting with synth-pop, ‘Bloodstream’ flows with emotion; an ode to unhealthy adoration, injected with the dynamic dual storytelling of Mee and co-vocalist/guitarist Jim Shaw: “Now you’re living in my bloodstream!” Ladies and gentlemen, ‘Party On My Deathbed’ is cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder on the dancefloor; an electric fusion of dirty guitar riffs, and even dirtier screams. And none of Hot Milk’s trademark wit is lost on ‘Alice Cooper’s Pool House’, featuring the shock rock legend himself!

Following the overwhelming catchiness of ‘Zoned Out’, the duo stage-dive headfirst into the abyss with thunderous basslines and theatrical anger on ‘Over Your Dead Body’: “Unholy, you’re problematic / All this shit, so operatic / I know, this might be overdramatic / But I think that I’ve had it / So it’s time to go manic!” ‘Migraine’ is another standout track, exploring various soundscapes, and showcasing Hot Milk’s genre-defying sound as it ebbs and flows like a Bring Me the Horizon headache.

If any track defines A Call to the Void, it’s ‘Breathing Underwater’; an emotional heart breaker embodying Mee’s darkness. “We needed to write this song as a cry to the outside world”; an introspection of the suffocating anxiety and depression below the surface. Julian Comeau of Loveless introduces a new voice to the dynamic duo for ‘Amphetamine’, whilst crushing closer, ‘Forget Me Not’ – the last song written for the record – explores life’s fragility through synth-driven melodies: “So into the void I go / I surrender to all my beliefs / Where you go I can’t follow / Got to let you rest in peace.”

By staying unapologetically true to themselves, thriving in the musical chaos they have created, Hot Milk have delivered a debut that excels in abnormality. Genre is a lie. This is not a pop-punk/alt- pop/emo record. It’s a fucking Hot Milk record!

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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ALBUM: Saint Agnes – ‘Bloodsuckers’

Emerging from the shadows of East London to resurrect their psych-twinged, self-described “disgusting rock,” Saint Agnes have developed “this terrible thirst” for confrontation following the release of their 2021 horror-chic EP, Vampire. Seeking to empower “the defeated, the crushed” – and yet, the ones who won’t remain dead – the disquiet quartet’s sophomore LP mutation is an emotionally charged, skull-rattling hybrid of grunge, punk and industrial metal. Bloodsuckers is one part Dracula and one part Frankenstein’s monster; an infectious do-it-yourself scorcher for the daywalkers who refuse to burn and a defiant fuck you to the true bloodsucker, motherfuckers!

Opening with the titular, thrashing lead single ‘Bloodsuckers’, Kitty A. Austen’s introductory whisper is followed by anthemic vitriol; drummer Andrew Head handling his sticks like hatchets over guitarist Jon James Tufnell’s feverish amplification. “Bloodsuckers! Who the fuck are you?” Embracing herself as a villainous femme fatale on ‘Animal’ through thirsty lyrics (“I’m the worst of the worst / From death to birth / From cradle to hearse / Motherfucker I’m cursed!”), Austen invites her detractors to fight until the feedback fades out. Take a deep breath, because once the bridge leads into the skull-crushing breakdown during ‘I Mean Nothing To You’, you’ll realise Saint Agnes have “got no more fucks to give!”

Alternating between misfit melody and whiplash-inducing groove, ‘Outsider’ is Saint Agnes’ gothic anthem for “the strong and the strange / the losers, the weirdos, the freak superheroes!” Austen welcomes you home: “I hope it makes you feel less alone / We might be damaged but that doesn’t mean we’re worthless / We might be broken but that doesn’t mean we’re not whole.” Whilst seemingly fearless, ‘This Is Not The End’ offers a moment of vulnerability; a heartfelt eulogy to Austen’s late mother and an exploration of grief. The track’s Nine Inch Nails-esque composition showcases Austen’s dexterity as a vocalist, reflecting her still-raw emotions. “Creating this album gave me a reason to get to my feet at a time when I really wasn’t sure if I could. I’ve tried to put everything I’ve been feeling into it, all the pain, the rage, the grief, even the unexpected moments of beauty and belief,” she comments about the process.

Producer, audio engineer and frequent NIN collaborator Sean Beavan saturates ‘Follow You’ with distorted, yet controlled chaos, before Saint Agnes bring the punk-edge to ‘I Am’; demanding reckless abandon with propulsive rhythm and guttural vocalisation. ‘At War With Myself’ and ‘Middle Finger’ deconstruct scuzzy hardcore punk, leaving behind only doom-laden hooks and aberrant effects, before German trap metal agitator Mimi Barks delivers the final death growl during ‘Body Bag’. Closing with ‘Forever and Ever’, the Death or Glory Gang decimate the scene before dawn, sinking their fangs into personal trauma to deliver an uncomfortable, yet rewarding self-produced rager.

“Bloodsuckers forever, Saint Agnes forever.”

Listen to Bloodsuckers on Spotify

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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