Track Of The Day: Rookes – ‘Consent’

Following the lavish storm of two critically acclaimed EPs, London artist Rookes gears up for their first full-length, POPNOTPOP, with a spunky first single, ‘Consent‘. 

Set for a November release, POPNOTPOP was self-produced while Rookes experienced the height of the London lockdown. However, this wasn’t all that the Tottenham artist was facing, and ‘Consent’ shines a light on just that. Laced in a sharp, alt-pop casing the captivating track swims through a pool of all the weighted revelations that come with processing a relationship breakdown. As the whirlpools of knowing begin to surface, Rookes showcases a musical maturity reminiscent of St Vincent to share their swirling story. 

With string-like synth pads, angelic background vocals and thumping drum beats, ‘Consent’ never lets up – keeping a catharitically strong energy for its entirety. As it builds in power with each section, Rookes pays off the past with each new dabble. By the track’s climax, layers of chorus and confident lyrics soar through sweeping, soulful vocals, feeling as though they have gone back and answered the call of “I have to turn the light on” from the track’s start. By the track’s anthemic finale, Rookes releases a euphoric, optimistic mix which can only be compared to turning on the lights after a power outage.

 Rookes’ ‘Consent’ is both the revelation and reward after an internal storm.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

jilliangoyeauLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Wise Up – ‘Conjure The Feeling’

Fueled by their desire to make music that’s fun to play and that connects with their listeners, Dublin-based trio Wise Up have shared their debut single ‘Conjure The Feeling’. Full of grungy riffs, snaking bass lines and clear vocals, the track is an infectious offering of alternative noise, encouraging listeners to “embrace it all”, let go and stop sweating the small stuff.

Formed of Aoife from Dublin on drums, Garry from Cork on guitar and vocals, and Courtney from Canada on vocals and bass, Wise Up have been jamming and recording together since March 2022. After performing together at Gary & Courtney’s wedding reception, the trio decided to take Wise Up’s sound out into the “dodgy clubs” of Ireland, impressing their crowds of “drunk lads who who stay out late on a Wednesday night.”

Citing Pixies, Pavement, Yard Act, Chastity Belt, Courtney Barnett and Big Thief as their main musical influences, the band are motivated by the need to cut loose and enjoy the songs they’re performing, rather than agonising over being cool or counting the number of heads in the room. Wise Up are busy working on new recordings at Camelot Studios in Dublin, and will be booking more gigs around the city in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for more info from them soon.

Listen to ‘Conjure The Feeling’ below.

 

Follow Wise Up on Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: @paulmaxwellphotography

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Brutus – ‘What Have We Done’

An urgent, cathartic anthem fueled by the need to “dig deeper and go the extra mile,” Belgian heavy trio Brutus have shared their latest single ‘What Have We Done’. Taken from their upcoming third album Unison Life, which is set for release on 21st October via Hassle Records/Sargent House, the track is a powerful combination of raw vocals, candid lyrics, commanding riffs and powerhouse drumming, that reflect the overwhelming need to break the cycle of repetitive thought patterns.

“‘What Have We Done’ started with just the guitar, the Moog synth (playing the bassline), and one verse of the lyrics. But we felt this was something special that we needed to take the time to get right,” explains vocalist and drummer Stefanie Mannaerts. “When we continued working on this song, there was this unspoken pressure to go further musically…to finish the track.

For some reason, this new piece of music felt like both a turning point and an intersection. In our history of being a band, this feeling came only a few times before, with the songs ‘Bearclaws’, ‘Justice de Julia II’ and ‘War’. Key songs such as these are challenging, but also feel like coming home at the same time. They define who you are as a band. The song embodies what was going on at the time of writing, in the middle of the pandemic. It is about suffering for too long and you have had enough. The verse echoes the mutual feeling we sometimes have as humans with too much going on in our heads and getting stuck in the same loop.”

Dissecting the darker parts of the emotional spectrum was the focus for the songs that formed Brutus’ upcoming album, Unison Life. “I wanted every song to feel like the last song we’ll ever write,” Mannaerts comments about its conception. “It killed me inside because it’s almost an impossibly high standard, but that was my personal goal for this album.” This version of “better” has manifested itself in Brutus’ knockout singles ‘Dust’, ‘Liar’ and ‘Victoria‘, with latest cut ‘What Have We Done’ continuing to hit the “impossibly high standard” that the band originally set for themselves.

The new single is accompanied by a video, shot by Jonas Hollevoet, showing the band doing what they do best whilst performing at two of their favourite festivals, Rock Herk and Lokerse Feesten.

Watch the video for ‘What Have We Done’ below.

Pre-order your copy of Brutus’ new album Unison Life here

BRUTUS UK Tour Dates 2022
16th Nov – Bristol, The Fleece
17th Nov – Manchester, Rebellion
18th Nov – Glasgow, Audio
19th Nov – Leeds, Lending Room
21st Nov – Brighton, Patterns
22nd Nov – London, The Garage

A full list of Brutus’ European dates for 2023 can be found here

Follow Brutus on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Photo Credit: Kemizz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Helen Ganya – ‘young girls never die’

An electronic exploration of the pain and endurance that women face in their struggle for self-autonomy, ‘young girls never die’ is the latest single from Brighton-based artist Helen Ganya. Taken from her upcoming album polish the machine, which is set for release on 18th November via Bella Union, Ganya has taken the unsettling, sexist double standards surrounding ageing and dismantled them over glitchy beats, crystalline vocals and jagged electronics.

“Someone made a graph of a male celebrity which showed that as he continued to age his girlfriends stayed the same age,” Ganya comments about the inspiration behind her new track. “This vision kept sticking with me and I saw it everywhere – of the individual girl not allowed to grow, replaceable when she does. All the while our collective insides rot from a lack of full autonomy. The individual girl is often not allowed to grow. Instead there’s this sort of festering.” This “festering” is epitomised in Ganya’s candid lyrical motif: “young girls never die / they just rot inside.”

On her upcoming album polish the machine, Ganya – who previously performed under the moniker Dog in the Snow – seeks to unravel the toxic societal and patriarchal threads that have bound her, and weave a new narrative, edging more towards hope and truth. “I’ve always slightly feared the ordinary,” Ganya comments, “It never really represented how I feel and how many people feel.” With ‘young girls never die’ and across her new record, Ganya carves out her new version of “ordinary” with tact and grace.

Listen to ‘young girls never die’ below.

Follow Helen Ganya on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Helen Ganya UK Tour Dates 2022
Tuesday 25th October – London – Paper Dress Vintage
Wednesday 7th December – Brighton – Folklore Rooms

Photo Credit: Nicole Ngai

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment