LISTEN: Harkin – ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’

Inspired by the chaos and the romanticism of a night out in a UK city, multi-talented musician Harkin has shared her latest single, ‘Nothing the Night Can’t Change’. The track is lifted from her debut self-titled album, which is set for release on 24th April via Hand Mirror.

The new single features Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa, and Bon Iver’s Jenn Wasner. Speaking about her collaborators, Harkin explains: “Jenn and Stella were both old tour friends of mine, but had never met before our recording session together. By the end of day one, they were finishing each other’s jokes. [They] are as good as it gets, and I’m hugely grateful.” Harkin’s talent for collaboration extends even further, as she co-founded the label she’ll be releasing her debut record on (Hand Mirror), with her partner; poet and live arts organiser Kate Leah Hewett.

“What we did by the light of the fridge cannot be undone” sings Harkin mid-way through on ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’, prompting a plethora of scandalous images for her listeners. “Anyone that’s been on a night out in Leeds, or any of those places [in the UK] knows all the switches get flipped after dark” Harkin says. She explores these moments over rolling guitar riffs, thudding percussion, and smooth vocals.

Harkin will tour across Europe over the next few months supporting both Sleater-Kinney & Torres. Listen to ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’ below, and follow Harkin on Facebook & Spotify.

Photo Credit: Tomm Roeschlein

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: MAITA – ‘Can’t Blame A Kid’

Stepping out from the shadows of a shy childhood, frontwoman Maria Maita-Keppeler works through her growing pains on ‘Can’t Blame A Kid’, the latest single from Oregon-based band MAITA. The track is lifted from the band’s debut album Best Wishes – a record so transformative that it brought Kill Rock Stars (‪Elliott Smith, ‪Sleater-Kinney, ‪Bikini Kill) label founder Slim Moon out of early retirement when he first heard it in 2018.

“She stole all the light from the room” sings Maria on the track, an apt lyric for Slim’s reaction after his wife Portia Sabin (who was running Kill Rock Stars at the time) first played it to him. Maria’s knack for tapping into feelings of introversion and uncertainty are what make ‘Blame A Kid’ such a compelling listen, so it’s easy to see why MAITA caught the attention of the intuitive label.

Maria explains the inspiration behind the song and the accompanying video: “‘Can’t Blame a Kid’ takes a stab at unpacking the insecurities that I’d built up from childhood, zeroing in on a particular relationship that bore a lot of weight on me throughout my adolescence…It really is fascinating, though unfortunate, that we are often at our most callous at the age when we are also the most fragile. The video was a lot of fun for me to make. I’d always wanted to make a finger-painting video…something that echoed the wild, colorful, cathartic nature of the song.”

Through strong vocals, indie guitar licks, and punk-tinged percussion, MAITA have created a reassuring, buoyant listen with their latest single. Watch the video for ‘Can’t Blame A Kid’ below, and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

Keep your eyes peeled for more info about the release of their debut LP, Best Wishes, in April 2020.

Photo Credit: Ingrid-Renan

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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PLAYLIST: June 2019

Whether you’re loving this “heatwave” or loathing the humidity; we’ve got some fresh new music on our June playlist to quench your listening thirst. Take some time to scroll through our words and make sure you hit play on the Spotify link at the bottom of the page…

Friedberg – ‘Go Wild’
Indie-pop quartet Friedberg have been on my radar since I played their desert-rock debut ‘BOOM’ earlier this year and I am just as into their latest offering. Scritchy synths and some classic reverb all mixed into ‘Go Wild’, which is out now via LGM Records. (Tash Walker)

The Paranoyds – ‘Girlfriend Degree’
I’m loving the slacker-grunge sound of ‘Girlfriend Degree’ from LA newcomers The Paranoyds. Speaking about the track, the band explain: “[it’s] a call to arms, a reminder to be a supremely self-loving woman, to just do you. It’s cool to be a girlfriend or wife or whatever, but there’s so much more to being a woman than that.” Couldn’t agree more girls! The band’s debut album Carnage Bargain is set for release on 13th September via Suicide Squeeze. Check out the accompanying video too. (Kate Crudgington)

Sleater Kinney – ‘Hurry On Home’
We cannot wait to see legends Sleater Kinney in February!! And this incredible latest single from the Olympia band fills us with excitement for their upcoming album The Center Won’t Hold, out in August. (Mari Lane)

Witching Waves – ‘Best Of Me’
The latest single from trio Witching Waves, ‘Best Of Me’ races with a jangly twang and punk-fuelled energy. Alongside fast-paced hooks and raw, impassioned vocals, I just can’t get enough of its visceral power. Witching Waves’ latest album Persistence is out now via Specialist Subject Records, and we cannot wait for them to headline for us at The Finsbury on 12th July, along with Milk Crimes, Finish Flag and Hubert’s Friend. (ML)

Scrounge – ‘Purpose’
Q. Will there ever be a day when us GIHEs girls don’t rave about the brilliance of South London duo Scrounge?
A. NO.
Their latest track ‘Purpose’ is equally as formidable as their previous singles and we urge you to see them live if you can. (KC)

ARXX – ‘Iron Lung’
Q. Will there ever be a day when us GIHEs girls don’t rave about the brilliance of Brighton duo ARXX?
A. NO.
We had such a laugh with Clara & Hannah on our radio show last week (listen back here) and they treated us to an exclusive acoustic version of ‘Iron Lung’, but we love it in it’s full fury too. (KC)

Nova Twins – ‘Devil’s Face’ 
Georgia & Amy never fail to fill my ears with cathartic, addictive, abrasive sounds and this latest single is no different. Their distorted bass lines and furious vocals make my heart swell, and I can’t wait to catch the duo live again at The Sebright Arms in September (get your ticket here). (KC)

Gaffa Tape Sandy – ‘So Dry’
Bury St. Edmunds band Gaffa Tape Sandy have now shared a new single taken from their upcoming EP Family Mammal. Propelled by an angst-driven scuzzy energy, ‘So Dry’ blasts out jangly melodies alongside luscious harmonies, creating a massively infectious summer delight, with a fierce, gritty edge. Of the track, the band explain: “We don’t really like arguing as a whole, but expressing yourself is very important, so we like to think of this song as us raising our voices anonymously at the people who make us mad as hell”.
Family Mammal is out 9th August via Alcopop! Records. (ML)

Show Boy – ‘Like That’
Following his last infectious offering ‘Video’, Show Boy’s latest single blends hyper-real production elements with introspective songwriting. An impassioned UK Garage-tinged pop anthem, ‘Like That’ perfectly juxtaposes catchy summer beats with heartfelt reflective lyricism, that will stick in your ears on first listen. Of the track, Show Boy explains: “It’s about the confusion and panic felt when you realise you have more affinity with a past snapshot of yourself than the person you currently are”.
Surreal, Show Boy’s upcoming EP, is set for release next month. (ML)

Haiku Salut – ‘Going Back’
Haiku Salut are an instrumental trio from the Derbyshire Dales, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Gemma Barkerwood, Sophie Barkerwood and Louise Croft. Between them, they play accordion; piano, glockenspiel, trumpet, guitar, ukulele, drums, and melodica. Their music is a truly delightful, immersive experience and their dreamy electronic soundscapes continue to distract me from whatever I’m doing. ‘Going Back’ is one of the double A-side singles taken from their forthcoming album The General due out on Secret Name 2nd August. (TW)

Sui Zhen – ‘Perfect Place’
Taken from her upcoming album Losing, Linda, ‘Perfect Place’ is the latest single from Melbourne-based artist Sui Zhen. Inspired by how we exist in the digital age, the track flows with glitchy, playful beats and twinkling, ‘80s-inspired hooks alongside Zhen’s quirky, honey-sweet vocals. An instantly infectious slice of sparkling alt-pop. Losing, Linda is out 27th September via Cascine. (ML)

Joviale – ‘Ride Away’
Influenced by the likes of Billie Holoday and Nina Simon, Joviale’s music inspires a dynamic mix of pleasure and pain. This is her second single, taken from her upcoming EP Crisis which is set for release on 6th of September via Blue Flowers. (KC)

Rachel Chinouriri – ‘Mama’s Boy’
Full of neo soul and heavy on the bass… this song just feels full of summer. (TW)

Jeannel – ‘Everything’s The Same’
Berlin based Jeannel has the most gentle haunting vocals filled with so much emotion. (TW)

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Introducing Interview: Kidsmoke

Having played at SXSW earlier this year, as well as receiving support from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit and BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, welsh band Kidsmoke have now shared infectious new single ‘She Takes You Under’. A dreamy and uplifting slice of shoegaze-tinged indie pop, it marks them out as definite ones to watch.

We caught up with Sophie from the band to find out more…

Hi Kidsmoke, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band?
Hey! Sophie here, I play lead guitar and sing backing vocals in Kidsmoke – thanks for having us.

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
Lance (lead vocals/guitar) and James (bass/vocals) met when they were four at primary school and have been in bands together since they were teenagers. I grew up not too far away from them, so when they were looking for a lead guitarist a few years ago, a mutual friend put me forward. A few months later, the drummer left to take on a new job and I drafted in Ash, who I met at uni and knew would be a perfect fit!

Your new single ’She Takes You Under’ is out very soon – can you tell us what it’s all about?
‘She Takes You Under’ is a dream-pop mini-epic and has been a live favourite of ours for a while now as it’s so much fun to play. It’s definitely influenced by an ’80s aesthetic, which you can hear in the jangly guitars, synths and rhythms. You can hear in it our love for groups like The Cure, Prefab Sprout and Wild Nothing. Lyrically, the song is about dealing with your demons in order to move forward; being at odds with yourself and being aware that issues need addressing, but feeling reluctant to go back down the rabbit hole.

 

You’ve been compared to the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and Sunflower Bean, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
There are a lot of influences between the four of us. We all have quite varied tastes but are ultimately just completely obsessed with music and are glued to Spotify 99% of the time. I’d say major influences on Kidsmoke would be The Beatles (which is where our love of vocal harmonies comes from), The Smiths, Kate Bush, David Bowie and Wilco. Songwriting is really important to us, hopefully you can hear that in our music, which means that we’re always trying to write something that would be interesting to us if we were listening as an outsider.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
We’re quite lucky to be pretty close to Manchester and Liverpool, which tend to be where touring bands go for the bigger venues. We are based in Wrexham, North Wales which is home to FOCUS Wales music festival and conference, which takes place every year in the town. We feel super proud to have FOCUS on our doorstep, they’re doing such great work with putting Welsh music on the map and it just keeps getting bigger and better. We recently joined them and several other Welsh bands to showcase at SXSW, which was an amazing experience!

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Loads of energy, some questionable dancing (from me…) and the happiest drummer you’ll ever see.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
We’d definitely recommend checking out Denuo, Seazoo, Enni The Little Brother, Baby Brave and if you haven’t already (you probably have) we’re all big fans of Boy Azooga. Personally, I’ve been digging out a load of old Sleater Kinney stuff in anticipation for their new album – can’t wait for that!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It’s certainly not easy, the industry isn’t in the same place as it was even a few years ago, but we believe in what we do and we have loads of fun doing it. It’s easy to get bogged down and frustrated about progress, but you just have to try and take the positives as they come. For example, we’re just adding the finishing touches to our debut album at the moment, which we’ve done pretty much independently because we figured that if we wanted it to happen then we could make it happen. Also, being part of Kidsmoke has meant that we’ve been to places and met people we never would have otherwise, so it’s worth the hard work for that alone.

Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for Kidsmoke?
We’re playing a special showcase for Big Indie’s Big Nights in London on 12th June, which we’re really excited for as we are releasing ‘She Takes You Under’ in conjunction with them. We’ll be doing a bunch of gigs over the summer and finalising the release details for our debut album. We’re so excited to release the album, it’s been a long road but we’ve had some great support along the way (thanks PRS Foundation, FOCUS Wales and Horizons Cymru) and we can’t wait to share it with everyone!

Massive thanks to Sophie for answering our questions!

‘She Takes You Under’ is out now via Big Indie Records. Catch Kidsmoke live at Two Tribes Brewery on 12th June.

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