WATCH: Schande – ‘Relevant Campaigns’

Having been a big fan of noise-pop-shoegaze-tinged legends Schande for a while now, with my love of them being revived when they charmed our ears playing our first gig back after covid in 2021, I’m super excited to hear that they’ll be releasing their new album in April this year, via Thurston and Eva Moore’s record label. And now, following last year’s scuzzy ’52 Hz’, they’ve shared a truly enchanting new single.

To be honest, I can’t seem to stop listening to ‘Relevant Campaigns‘ and crying. It’s a thing of pure beauty. Its twinkling grace. The whirring to-ing and fro-ing, like the constant rippling of the tide that keeps going even when everything else seems like it’s stopped. The shimmering hooks that rise and fall. Jen Chochinov’s whispering vocals fading in and out with an understated melancholy.

Written while Jen’s mother was terminally ill, it’s an exquisite rumination on the fragility of life and the strength of love. Of the track, she explains:

“It was a way to conjure love and healing and try to balance out my own fear and anxiety which felt all too consuming. After my mom passed away at the end of 2023, this song being released now feels like a gifted timely reminder to hold on to what was shared while navigating loss. ‘Relevant Campaigns’ is essentially about picking your battles, to really assess where your priorities and energies lay because time is such a finite resource. More to the point it’s about choosing love, hope, and resilience.”

‘Relevant Campaigns’ is accompanied by a really beautiful animated video. Co-created by Sarah Lippett and Duncan Barrett, it perfectly depicts the heartfelt sentiment of the track as the protagonist engages in a stirring silent dialogue with the moon. Watch it here:

Once Around, the upcoming new album from Schande, is set for release in April via The Daydream Library Series, the house record label of Thurston and Eva Moore’s Ecstatic Peace Library collective.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Heidi Weber

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Five Favourites: The Fauns

Following a decade-long hiatus, and having received acclaim from the likes of Steve Lamacq on BBC 6Music over the years, Bristol based shoegaze ensemble The Fauns have now returned to charm our ears, releasing their new album, How Lost, this month.

With original members, Alison Garner, Michael Savage and Guy Rhys Davies, reuniting for the album, How Lost showcases the sweeping ethereal soundscapes that we’ve come to know and love from the band, whilst dipping into newer, electro-driven sounds. Oozing a mystical allure, each track floats into the ears effortlessly as glistening instrumentals provide a backdrop for Garner’s exquisite emotion-rich vocals. I’ve had it on repeat since first hearing it, finding myself truly immersed in its captivating blissful haze.

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 How Lost, we caught up with Alison from the band to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. Read about her five favourite songs and watch the video for latest single ‘Shake Your Hair‘ below!

Kate Bush – ‘Wow’
Since the days of listening to her on cassette on repeat during family car trips to the caravan when I was little, Kate Bush has been a huge influence on me. It’s hard to chose one track, but ‘Wow’ – with its experimental vibes and Kate’s ever changing vocal style – made my tiny brain say exactly that. Her quirky vocals in this song made me start to experiment with my own. I realised it’s not about hitting the perfect note (try telling my childhood singing teacher that!), it’s about feeling, about expression, about finding your own voice, and about pushing boundaries. Bush’s influence guided me towards a more open-minded vocal style and remains a reminder of the beauty in embracing individuality, and to explore the limitless possibilities available to us when using the voice.

Caterina Valente – ‘The Breeze and I’
This one holds a special place – it was my Grandma’s favourite song, and damn she had good taste! Valente’s voice is nothing short of sublime; from soaring highs to velvety warm lows, it’s downright sexy and captivating. ‘The Breeze and I’ is a soothing yet dramatic lullaby, showcasing Valente’s impeccable vocal technique. Her ability to effortlessly navigate the song’s nuances inspired me to explore the full range of my own voice (if only I could match her prowess!). Every single syllable she weaves carries an emotional weight that’s beyond inspiring. This song stands as a timeless reminder of the enduring power and artistry of a beautiful voice.

Cocteau Twins – ‘Pitch The Baby’
The first time I heard Elizabeth Fraser’s dreamy vocals riding the waves of atmospheric soundscapes it was like stumbling upon a musical secret. The whole Cocteau Twins influence was eye-opening and gently nudged me towards a more ethereal vocal style. This track in particular made me re-think my voice as an instrument. The song is like a musical playground, and urged me to explore, experiment, and break free from conventional vocal norms. It’s still a reminder to get playful with my voice, embrace textures and layers, and craft intricate sonic landscapes that go beyond the expected.

PJ Harvey and Nick Cave – ‘Henry Lee’
Each utterance from the sexy mouths of Harvey and Cave in ‘Henry Lee’ is a punch to my gut, laden with raw, authentic emotion. It’s a storytelling masterpiece and you hang on their every word. The palpable chemistry between these two music gods sculpts a vocal landscape teeming with passion and sexual tension. It’s beguiling and intriguing, and an inspiration for my own performance. For me, this track serves as a reminder that it’s not enough to just sing, that you have to feel… And the incredible potency that passion, intensity, and expression have in crafting a sonic experience that will resonate with the listener.

Aldous Harding – ‘Imagining My Man’
This track is a masterclass in the power of restraint and deep simplicity. The haunting ache in Aldous’s voice, set against a stripped-down arrangement, is downright mesmerising. As a performer she’s unmatched — I’ve never witnessed someone captivate an audience like her. Aldous’ voice celebrates the strength found in subtlety, revealing the authentic beauty of a voice laid bare. Although my musical style in The Fauns is more often enveloped within a wall of sound, her influence echoes in my latest album, serving as a reminder that impactful moments in music often arise from the simple, genuine, well-delivered expression of a powerful lyric.

Massive thanks to Alison for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Watch the video for latest single ‘Shake Your Hair’ here:

How Lost, the new album from The Fauns, is out now via Invada.

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NEW TRACK: Whitelands ft. Dottie – ‘Tell Me About It’

A bittersweet rumination on the complexities of love, London-based Black British shoegaze band Whitelands have shared their latest single, ‘Tell Me About It’. Taken from their newly announced debut album, Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day, which is set for release on 23rd February via Sonic Cathedral, the track is an evocative, hazy musing on the way in which neurodivergent minds perceive love and heartbreak.

Proving to be one of our live highlights at last year’s Great Escape Festival, Whitelands have been busy crafting their intoxicating shoegaze sounds since they met at Decolonise Fest many years ago. Fusing together their eclectic personal music tastes, and bonding over a desire to shake up the predominantly white male shoegaze scene, the band routinely disarm listeners with their blend of noisy-yet-melodic riffs and effervescent vocals, finding the sweet spot between heavy and heavenly sound. Their latest single ‘Tell Me About It’, featuring label mate Dottie from deary, perfectly showcases these talents.

“It’s about being lost with the aspect of love,” explains Whitelands’ frontman and guitarist Etienne about the track. “It’s about dealing with break-ups, not in the sense of missing a relationship or a person, but the question of ‘am I doing this right?’ To me, it seems loving while being neurodivergent (ADHD) doesn’t follow a lot of the same rules, because I tend to fall in love with other neurodivergent people.” Through their use of drifting, dual vocals and ethereal guitar tones, the band beautifully capture these fogged thoughts and feelings of indecisiveness. This is also reflected in the track’s accompanying video, created by the psychedelic videographer Innerstrings.

Etienne offers more context about the band’s upcoming album too. The record takes its title from The Prophet, a philosophical book by Kahlil Gibran (1923). “The full quote is ‘the owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light’,” he explains. “I think it encapsulates the feeling of the album. A common theme running through the songs is lots of ‘I’, ‘you’, sense and emotion. Very physical and intimate settings. Lots of descriptors of light, celestial bodies, water, Biblical stuff, abstract stuff. I don’t really know why I write things the way I do, but I do tend to write emotions as anything other than what they actually are. I consume a lot of media. Video-games, music, news, paintings, manga, animations and film are my go-to, especially anime. There is this drive to want to understand and feel the whole weight of an expression. So, the songs are based on other songs, pictures, aesthetics, ‘vibes’, an emotion someone else felt. Fundamentally, you are what you eat.”

In the lead up to their album release, Whitelands will be playing a series of shows with shoegaze icons Slowdive throughout February, as well as a headline show at London’s Rough Trade East in March. Full dates and ticket info are listed below.

Watch the video for ‘Tell Me About It’ here:

Whitelands UK Tour Dates 2024
3rd February – Bedford – Esquires (with English Teacher)
16th February – Brighton – Dome (with Slowdive)
17th February – London – Eventim Apollo (with Slowdive)
18th February – Birmingham – O2 Institute (with Slowdive)
19th February – Norwich – UEA (with Slowdive)
21st February – Liverpool – O2 Academy (with Slowdive)
22nd February – Newcastle – NX (with Slowdive)
23rd February – Glasgow – Barrowland (with Slowdive)
24th February – Edinburgh – Liquid Room (with Slowdive)
26th February – Cardiff – University (with Slowdive)
27th February – Manchester – Academy (with Slowdive)
28th February – Nottingham – Rough Trade
4th March – Bristol – Rough Trade
5th March – London – Rough Trade East

Buy tickets to see Whitelands live here

Pre-order your copy of Whitelands’ debut album here

Follow Whitelands on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter (X) & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with Scrounge (08.01.24)

New Year, New Music! Tash and Kate were back on Soho Radio’s airwaves for Get In Her Ears first show of 2024, 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 Big Joanie, NewDad, Katy Kirby, Jaed, Cutty, Baby Rose, Vyva Melinkolya, Laura Misch, Roller Derby, Kllo, Liv Wynter, CHERYM, Riotmiloo…and more.

GIHE faves Lucy and Luke from South London duo Scrounge also came into the studio to chat about their recent performance at Third Man Records, the award-winning artwork on their debut album Sugar, Daddy, and their upcoming trip to New York to play New Colossus festival. They also recounted some of their highlights of 2023, including a whirlwind tour with tee-side noise punks Benefits, which involved a lot of long distance driving, and a lot of early starts.

Listen back to the show below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Monday 5th February from 12-2pm!
 Make sure you tune in via www.sohoradiolondon.com

Tracklist
Big Joanie – New Year
chlothegod ft. Baby Rose – Bless Your Heart pt. 2
Isaac Delusion, Olivia Merilahti – All day
NewDad – Nightmares
SPRINTS – Heavy
Thermal – 18
Laura Misch – Hide to Seek
Jaed – All Abandon
Cutty – Overdrive (Garage Mix)
Shygirl, Cosha – thicc
This Mortal Coil – Song To the Siren
Erika Severyns – Ireland
Softcult – Heaven
Vyva Melinkolya – Song About Staying
Chelsea Wolfe – Tunnel Lights
Scrounge – Corner Cutting Boredom
**Interview with Scrounge**
Liv Wynter – Violence
Riotmiloo – Define Normal
Kllo – Affection
Ghost Marrow – Might Of The Small
CHERYM – It’s Not Me It’s You
Bikini Kill – Rebel Girl
Katy Kirby – Hand To Hand
Roller Derby – Always on My Mind
Chappell Roan – Pink Pony Club
Mary J. Blige – Family Affair

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