Track Of The Day: The Magnettes – ‘American’

Having previously wowed us live at The Finsbury with the colourful charisma and intense energy of their performance, and with acclaim from the likes of Earmilk and The 405, Swedish duo Rebecka Digervall and Sanna Kalla – aka The Magnettes – have returned to our ears with a brand new single.

More mellow in sound than past offerings, ‘American’ builds on the band’s love-hate relationship with the country and all they’ve learnt from it. Oozing a sweeping emotion alongside instantly infectious glistening melodies and honey-sweet vocals, it builds to a soaring pop anthem. Whilst revealing a more reflective side to the duo, ‘American’ maintains all the sparkling, empowering energy that we’ve come to know and love.

Of the track, the band explain:

“We have a problem with America. Or maybe with ourselves. America is the things we love and the things we hate. Since we were babies it taught us what love was and how to live the dream, and like junkies we swallowed it in chunks. Dylan, Denny’s and Dawson’s Creek, the twists and turns of teenage drama, extra salt, extra sugar. We viewed the world through that filter and plastered American Romance on our surroundings, until slowly but surely we realised what we already had was kind of OK too.”

 

Produced by Tomas Bäcklund Tuneström, ‘American’ is out now.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Annica Zion

 

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Track Of The Day: Fräulein – ‘Drag Behind’

Having only recently come across Fräulein, through seeing them perform a stripped back ‘live’ set for Hanni from ARXX’s Coming Out Staying In festival back in April, I’m already a big fan of the Bristol duo’s raw, visceral sound.

Oozing a captivating dark energy, ‘Drag Behind’ is propelled by the gritty power of Joni’s raw sweeping vocals, as abrasive, grunge-infused hooks steadily build an increasing tension with the help of Karsten’s immense beats. With shades of the mysterious allure of underrated ’90s band Slint, Fräulein have created a dark anthem seething with its own unique spellbinding majesty.

A new favourite for sure, in ‘normal’ times, I’d be booking Fräulein for a gig with us at The Finsbury as soon as possible, but for now I will have to settle for listening to ‘Drag Behind’ on repeat, and dreaming of the day I can witness their dark energy live in a room full of sweaty fans.

 

‘Drag Behind’ is out today via Bandcamp, with 100% of proceeds going to The Black Curriculum.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: @amiaocean

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Track Of The Day: Dehd – ‘Flood’

A captivating observation on the volatile nature of love; Dehd have shared their latest single, ‘Flood’. Lifted from their upcoming album Flower of Devotion, set for release via Fire Talk on 17th July, the track is a sultry blend of brooding bass lines, emotive vocals and melodic guitar riffs.

Based in Chicago, Dehd are formed of Emily Kempf (vocals/bass), Jason Balla (vocals/guitar), and Eric McGrady (drums). The trio explored how minimal they could make their sounds on previous album Water, but on Flower of Devotion they’ve leaned more towards the ethos of making something “that’s really powerful”, whether that’s minimalistic or not. This seems to be the case on ‘Flood’, which explores the strength and vulnerability that comes with opening yourself up to new love.

“Falling in love with someone is like becoming water” explains vocalist Kempf. “A flood is powerful, uncontrollable, devastating. Water can nourish or destroy.” These themes are reflected in the accompanying video to ‘Flood’, directed & choreographed by Kempf and Andrew Miller. The cinematic visuals show Kempf by the sea, adorned in a beautiful white dress and gracefully moving in and out of the water.

Watch the video for ‘Flood’ below and follow Dehd on Instagram & bandcamp for more updates.

Photo Credit: Alexa Viscius

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Dott – ‘Extra Introvert’

A tender, buoyant guitar tune that helps to playfully shake off feelings of social anxiety; Dott have shared their latest single, ‘Extra Introvert’. Self-described as a “sombre summer bop”, the track confronts the “Lockdown Anxiety” many of us have been dealing with during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Galway-based dream-poppers Dott were in the middle of recording their third album, the follow up to 2018’s Heart Swell, when the pandemic put an abrupt stop to proceedings. ‘Extra Introvert’ was recorded in a cottage in Leitrim with Frankie Pollard (Oh Boland) and mastered by Steve Fallone (The Breeders, Alvvays), and provides a breath of fresh air for anyone who’s been feeling apprehensive about re-joining their social circles.

The accompanying video features the band’s vocalist Anna using her smart phone to interact with friends again, and by “friends” we mean some very, very cute dogs. Most people have been extra reliant on their devices to help them socialise during the lockdown period, so the video is shot vertically and best appreciated on a phone screen. The visuals compliment the upbeat nature of the track perfectly, proving there’s still space for joy and distraction even when you’re not feeling your best.

Watch the video for ‘Extra Introvert’ below and follow Dott on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Kim McCafferty

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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