Track Of The Day: Ethel Cain – ‘Strangers’

An emotive, bittersweet lament about the cyclical nature of love and life, American songwriter Ethel Cain has shared her latest single ‘Strangers’. The closing track to her highly anticipated debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, which is set for release on 12th May via her own imprint Daughters of Cain, the track is tinged with Cain’s irresistible trademark melancholy, made all the more affecting by her yearning, passionate vocals.

“This is the second song I wrote for this record, without the intention that it would become the ending,” Cain explains about ‘Strangers’. “Looking back, I can’t imagine a more perfect resolution to this lineage. I think subconsciously, this song was always the end of the road. It’s the realization that some things cannot be avoided, only accepted, and that just because it isn’t a happy ending, doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. There is an ending in every beginning, and all things come back around in one strange way or another. You can’t change your past, nor anyone else’s and the only real strength you have in this lifetime is your forgiveness.”

Unravelling over the course of almost six minutes like her previous offering ‘Gibson Girl’, on ‘Strangers’ Cain candidly asks listeners “am I making you feel sick?” over lavish, swirling guitar riffs and atmospheric cymbal crashes. Laced with a palpable desire, it’s a poignant rumination on how time affects our perspective on relationships with others and with ourselves, weaved together by Cain’s exquisite vocal delivery and intimate lyrics.

On Preacher’s Daughter, which she wrote and produced herself, Cain paints a portrait of a brilliant and deeply empathetic artist, committed to telling the story of “a flawed family plagued by human nature and the Southern soil on which it all plays out.”

Listen to ‘Strangers’ below.

Follow Ethel Cain on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: Ethel Cain

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Lou Roy – ‘Down Since 07’

LA-based Lou Roy is a self–confessed anti-genre singer and songwriter. With her upcoming debut album Pure Chaos due for release at the end of April Lou has shared its third single, ‘Down Since 07’. She credits the light and fun quality of her recent songwriting to a new found love of weed, and that is evident more than ever on this chilled synth/hip-hop-hybrid.

The initial ‘down’ beat and bass line leads us into a groove, where Lou sings she’s “down since 07 / down since I met you.” The mood changes in the bridge, becoming dreamier – “every bite’s a peachy cobbler” – sounding more psychedelic and with a slightly stronger beat, the mantra of the song’s title is repeated, ending on the evocative whisper “only one pulling me out of the corner to dance.” The contrast between how she really feels and what she says, comes through.

When speaking at the song, Lou explains: “It’s about being down to bang someone…However by the end, it isn’t quite the joyful yodel into a lush canyon echoing back to me that I’d planned for.” It’s a humorous slice of real life and fits perfectly with Lou’s ‘Joy is King’ mantra. Expect more grit and glamour from her upcoming debut album, which is set for release on 29th April via Balloon Machine Records.

Listen to ‘Down Since 07’ below.

Lou Roy’s debut album Pure Chaos is set for release on 29th April via Balloon Machine Records. Pre-order your copy here

Follow Lou Roy on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Photo Credit: Silken Weinberg

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

fionahaicLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Honey Joy – ‘Raising Boys’

A band that pulls no punches either in their sound or their subject matter, Honey Joy’s latest track is a heartfelt and heartbreaking exploration of the damage toxic masculinity does to generation after generation of men.

‘Raising Boys‘ sees the innocence and softness in little boys and laments the cold, hard process they grow through as they are raised to fit the shape of masculinity that an inherently problematic society thrusts upon them. It reminisces about “the softest soul, a loving heart” – evoking the ideas of strength and safety, and juxtaposing them against the damaging things boys are taught to internalise as they grow up. The lyrics plead for a resistance, but the way the two vocal lines wind around each other highlights the futility of it in a culture determined to bend you to its will. As one begs “Don’t change yourself for him”, the other is very aware that the “you” in the narrative is already infected by toxic expectations.

The raw passion of the vocals is heightened by the music. Screaming guitars roll over heavy drums that thrust extra layers of emphasis onto the most profound moments of the song. Riffs whip between the throbbing beat and the swells of energy in the vocals.

‘Raising Boys’ begins and ends with the same phrase: “Did he ever tell you that he wasn’t okay?” It introduces the mission statement of the song perfectly. The callback at the end lingers with you, heavy with unspoken questions. It is loaded with the pressure put on men to bottle up their emotions, to never be seen to cry, to not talk about their feelings in public until it has torn them apart from within. It reinforces the power of the song – making not only the message, but also its importance, impossible to miss.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

Kirstie SummersLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Ghum – ‘Some People’

Having been firm favourites here at GIHE for a number of years, wowing us with their immersive live performances and captivating post-punk musicality, London band GHUM have now announced the release of their debut album.

Our first taster of the upcoming album, new single ‘Some People‘ is propelled by a gritty, swirling energy as the raw, impassioned vocals of Laura Guerrero Lora soar throughout. Rippling with a seductive ethereal allure and dark hypnotic splendour, a frenzied, grunge-tinged anthem is created; a colossal, majestic offering showcasing GHUM’s ability to consistently hone their sound and bewitch listeners worldwide.

Of the track, Laura explains:

“This song is about getting to know someone and having the fear of hurting them, because love has turned a bit hopeless and unexciting. Not trusting oneself to be able to love someone after not falling in love for a long time...”

Directed by Lydia Garnett, watch the wonderfully theatrical, tongue-in-cheek new video for ‘Some People’ here:

Bitter, the upcoming debut album from GHUM, is set for release on 17th June via Everything Sucks. Pre-order here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Paul Phung

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment