New Track: Death Valley Girls – ‘Sunday’

Having been big fans of LA’s Death Valley Girls for a few years now, I’m super excited to hear that they will be announcing their new album at the end of next month. Our second taster from the upcoming release (following 2021’s ‘It’s All Really Kind Of Amazing’) comes in the form of truly dreamy new single, ‘Sunday‘.

Oozing a glistening, ethereal splendour, ‘Sunday’ offers a sweeping slice of anthemic, soul-strewn psych-rock. Building with a fizzing energy, it harks back to the psychedelic sounds of the ’70s California scene, whilst showcasing the bands’ ability to create something that is utterly unique. Reflecting on the process of addressing your pain and being honest with yourself, it’s a beautifully immersive trip into the cosmic world of Death Valley Girls; stepping away from some of their previous scuzz-filled post-punk offerings, but no less stirring. So, bathe in ‘Sunday’s blissful haze as Bonnie Bloomgarden’s distinctive impassioned vocals ripple throughout this uplifting shimmering soundscape.

Of the track, Bloomgarden expands:

“Recently I realized I have been numbing, medicating, intellectualizing, and avoiding my pain and feelings for most of my life. Over the past few years I learned you have to feel and move through your feelings or they get stuck, and then you become a vessel or container for all the feelings you are trying to avoid! If you acknowledge, feel, and process them, you get to release and move them out of you! This song is to honor that process! Feel your feelings, be so sad you wanna cry forever, and then move on, you gotta keep moving!”

‘Sunday’ is accompanied by a wonderfully trippy, animated, Alice-In-Wonderland-inspired video, directed by Arturo Baston. Watch here:

Islands In The Sky, the upcoming new album from Death Valley Girls, is set for release on 24th February via Suicide Squeeze Records – pre-order here. And catch Death Valley Girls live when they’re over in the UK next month – more info here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Neto Velasco

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Track Of The Day: VISCERENE – ‘Zeros and Ones’

An ominous reflection on the way that technology influences our behaviour, industrial/electronic duo VISCERENE have shared their debut single ‘Zeros and Ones’. With a sound reminiscent of Pretty Hate Machine-era Nine Inch Nails, the track is a brooding cacophony of chaotic synth textures and glitchy beats, exploring what happens to our thought processes when we spend too much time online.

Formed of Charlie Beddoes and John Briginshaw, VISCERENE is the sound of two experienced musicians navigating new sonic territory on their own terms. Briginshaw is a session drummer, who wanted to create music instead of just playing songs by other people. Beddoes is a bassist and vocalist who has played in many bands, including Rub Ultra, No Santa, and most recently fronted Rock In Your Pocket and Nasty Little Lonely. Now, the pair have combined their many talents to create visceral electronic noise under their new moniker.

“‘Zeros and Ones’ is about technological determinism,” Beddoes explains about their debut offering. “The lyrics refer to how human behaviour changes because of technology, and not always for the better!” The duo explore this element of the human psyche through Beddoes’ cutting lyrics and Briginshaw’s ordered yet erratic percussion.

As well as forming this new project, Beddoes has recently released her memoir, Overdriven, which is described as “the true story of a girl with a dirty bass sound and more ambition than sense”. Her book is full of fascinating anecdotes about the 80s and 90s rock scenes, as well as her own experiences of being a women in rock and alternative music spheres. You can buy a copy here.

Listen to ‘Zeros and Ones’ below.

Follow VISCERENE on bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook and Youtube

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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Track Of The Day: Maggie The Cat – ‘Donne Moi Ta Chose’

Dressed in a sultry and mysterious aesthetic, Maggie The Cat (who you may know as the vocalist of London legends Madonnatron), has released ‘Donne Moi Ta Chose’. Bubbling with darkness and intrigue, she brings her trademark enticing vocals to centre stage with a refreshing twist for this solo endeavour.  

Maggie The Cat embodies a vintage dream, calling back to synth pop heavies from the ‘80s, but with an accessible sound that lands in similar territory to Lana Del Rey and St. Vincent. ‘Donne Moi Ta Chose’ grounds itself with a steady retro drum beat while Maggie The Cat allows her voice to drench your attention, creating something truly captivating. The instrumentals then expand with simple, satisfying guitar riffs that bring a tenderness to the track’s overall mystery. 

The rich mix of this track allows for Maggie The Cat to take up space in both a gentle and intense way. Everything about ‘Donne Moi Ta Chose’ feels like a Gemini, serving us the best of both worlds. It demands our attention – “I’ll take anything you got” – with its relentless pulse into a goth-synth universe. As vocal layers build, criss-crossing with an immersive chaotic energy, Maggie The Cat creates an epic storm that we cannot turn away from; mystifying and beautiful.


Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

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Track Of The Day: Berries – ‘Sprial’

2022 has been a big year for BERRIES. With their fiery yet honest take on grunge, alt, and rock ‘n roll, the London-based trio have staked their claim in the country’s live scene, as well as receiving international acclaim supporting bands such as The Subways. Much to the pleasure of seasoned fans of distortion, as well as newly of-age gig rats still enthralled to legally order a pint.

Such widespread appreciation is a direct result of the youthful yet mature energy BERRIES brings to their music. A type of energy that comes fully to form through their lauded debut album How We Function. Now, in the midst of an exciting series of tour dates that will continue well into 2023, BERRIES have shared a new single from the LP, ‘Spiral‘.

Coming in as hot as it does intriguing with an ensnaring syncopated riff, ‘Spiral’ bounces between various band-driven calls and responses. Switching back and forth between 6/8 and 4/4 with jazz-era precision, the song feels frenetic but also contained for when the bridge comes in and provides the reminder that everyone’s gone through a spiral of their own. Of the track, vocalist Holly explains:

“‘Spiral’ is about how easily we share insignificant details about ourselves but struggle to open up about serious matters through fear of seeming weak or vulnerable. And how what we do share with people is often for the satisfaction and approval of others and not for ourselves.”

Another uplifting anthem oozing all the trademark scuzzy allure and whirring charm that we’ve come to know and love from BERRIES.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5uQQnQOBB9iffWPaZSpKxh?si=97e63857e8154112

How We Function, the debut album from BERRIES, is out now via Xtra Mile Recordings.

Harry Levin
@harrywlevin

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