Track Of The Day: Grizzly Coast – ‘Forever’

A thoughtful, anti-romance anthem for those struggling to end an unhealthy relationship; Grizzly Coast has shared her latest single, ‘Forever’. Full of luscious guitars and dreamy vocals, the Toronto-based songwriter has crafted a sad, but ultimately uplifting listen.

“We’re doomed, but I want you in my room” sings Grizzly Coast (aka Alannah Kavanagh), revealing both a strength and a vulnerability that underscores the majority of her songwriting. From ‘Half Light Boy’ to ‘High-Functioning’, Grizzly Coast’s hyper-awareness of herself and her subjects – relationships, self autonomy, and struggling with OCD – give her songs a poignant, intensely relatable quality.

If you’ve ever felt lonely, but lethargic at the same time when it comes to a past relationship, Grizzly Coast’s ‘Forever’ is a must listen. Click play below, and follow Grizzly Coast on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Mentrix – ‘Nature’

A commanding, cinematic, altruistic sound; Iranian singer & composer Mentrix has shared her latest single, ‘Nature’. The track is lifted from her debut album, My Enemy, My Love, which is set for release via her own (female-led) record label, House of Strength, on 3rd April.

Born in Iran but now based in Berlin, Mentrix (aka Samar Rad) blends her experiences of eastern and western culture, along with traditional Sufi instrumentation to create her beguiling, bold soundscapes. Her extensive travels and multiple influences – from Latin and French Literature, to The Qu’ran and traditional Persian poetry – give her music a diverse and fascinating edge.

‘Nature’ is accompanied by a stunning music video, directed by Gilles Estéve and set in the Iranian desert of Kavir-e-Lut. The visuals are as captivating as the sounds they’re paired with, including the beats of the hand-played daf drums – an ancient traditional frame drum native to Iran.

Mentrix explains the meanings associated with this particular instrument: “In Sufism, the daf is a calling for the soul to awaken. It makes that big sound because it’s empty, and its emptiness means two things: on the lower level someone who is empty and has nothing to offer makes a lot of noise. On a higher level, when you are truly empty of the world the entire universe can resonate within you. It’s the dark side and the bright side of the moon in one instrument.”

The duality in Mentrix’s music is what makes her art so compelling. Watch the video for ‘Nature’ below, and follow Mentrix on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: BABii – ‘Beast’

In her new dreamy electro single ‘Beast’, Margate-based artist and producer BABii arranges a harmonious meeting spot where stretched synths and longing lyrics dance in the air. With a tasteful distance between sounds, BABii’s production footprint is minimalistic and distinctive – painting a rather vast soundscape within a lo-fi/bedroom-pop context.

Creating the ideal quirky bedroom palette, and then expanding upon that so elegantly seems quite natural to BABii as she resembles experimental artists like FKA Twigs and Clairo. Her eerie bass that tiptoes beneath the mix sets the temperature in which the emotionally icy song sits. Building from the song’s start, the instruments seem to slowly gather and linger to then hit hard as ever in BABii’s in-your-face chorus. Polyrhythmic relationships between the song’s vocal melodies and instrumentals make for a fascinating and emotive evolution of the ‘Beast’. This bubbling sonic space mirrors the yearning feelings BABii suggests in her lyrics discussing distance and its push and pull side effects.

Being in “the belly of the beast” is emotionally confrontational and cathartic as BABii’s ‘Beast’ unravels and brings light to its true narrative. 

 

iii, the upcoming new EP from BABii, is out 27th March. Catch her live this week:

4th March – London, Lafayette supporting Grouplove
5th March – Newcastle, Cobalt

Jillian Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Photo Credit: Daisy Warne and Gus Sharpe

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Track Of The Day: MAITA – ‘A Beast’

A poignant, under-stated guitar ode to the difficulty and desperation that comes with heartbreak; Portland-based MAITA has shared their latest single, ‘A Beast’. Taken from their upcoming album Best Wishes, set for release on 3rd April via Kill Rock Stars, the track is a relatable, melancholy-tinged exploration of being able to forgive, but not forget.

Speaking about the track’s premise, songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler explains: “’A Beast’ [is] a musing on the pain that one person is capable of causing another, and the endless potential for forgiveness that exists within that space. That forgiveness always comes with a price, however: the memory of it that we carry beneath our skin, as does the abused dog that flinches when you lift a hand to pet it.”

MAITA’s willingness to confront emotional uncertainty is what makes ‘A Beast’ such a compelling listen. The accompanying video also reflects the pain and isolation that underscores the track. Maria offers her thoughts on the setting for the visuals: “It was inspired by [the place] where I wrote the song, which was at an old studio apartment in Portland. Though spacious for a studio, [it] had the potential to feel claustrophobic and lonely at the same time, transforming into a hot-bed for creative angst and pining. I wanted the video to take place in a similar setting: an empty apartment to serve as a backdrop for the many stages of waiting- – the tenderness, the frustration, the desperation.”

We’re big fans of MAITA’s tenderly frustrated sounds. Watch the video for ‘A Beast’ below, and follow MAITA on Spotify and Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Ingrid-Renan

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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