Track Of The Day: Queen Cult – ‘A Song About Consent’

Following acclaim from the likes of BBC Introducing for their debut single ‘Shindigger‘, and support for explosive recent offering ‘Show & Tell‘, Cheshire band Queen Cult have been fast making a name for themselves. Consisting of front person Maisie Johnson and bassist Leila Jacklin, as well as Brodie Carson on drums and Piers Jarvis on guitar, the band pride themselves on their LGBTQ+ identity and sharing their queer, politically-charged messages with the masses; and, having recently pulled out of Hit The North festival due to allegations against promoter SSD Concerts, their dedication to smashing the patriarchy and standing up for what’s right remains steadfast and unwavering.

With a gritty, seething energy, brand new single ‘A Song About Consent‘ offers an all-too-resonant message about the challenges women and girls have to face every day in the face of the male gaze. With an impassioned, angst-driven power, it’s a swirling statement of intent, raging with a poignant fervour against men’s entitlement over our bodies. As front person Maisie fiercely proclaims that “consensuality is a thing”, she assures us that our voices should be heard; that we are entitled to have control over own bodies, and should feel safe in this knowledge. With a blazing grit, the track pulls no punches as it rages against the culture of victim blaming and society’s expectation that we are responsible for changing ourselves to protect us from harm, rather than holding the perpetrators of abuse to account. Of the meaning behind track, Maisie comments:

“Watching the news about the murder of Sarah Everard by a policeman hit us immensely. Seeing it unfold into what didn’t seem real. We questioned our upbringings, what our mothers told us whilst growing up. Things to remember to keep safe. And realising just how messed up that is. We wrote this song because we were shook by the idea of having to change anything about simply existing as a woman in this world. We do not stand for inequality. We do not stand for abuse. We stand for consent, decency and respect.” 

Another immense slice of pop-infused rock ‘n’ roll from Queen Cult, ‘A Song About Consent’ builds with a stirring tension and soulful raw emotion, alongside sweeping fizzing riffs, to offer a completely necessary and ferociously poignant listen, fuelled by a colossal, and instantly catchy, musicality. So, blast it into your ears, immerse yourself in its riotous catharsis, and stand up and join the fight against the patriarchy now!

Watch the new video for ‘A Song About Consent’ now:


‘A Song About Consent’ is out now. Catch Queen Cult live in Manchester at The Castle Hotel on 18th November – tickets here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Debbie Ellis / A Supreme Shot

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Track Of The Day: PETSEMATARY – ‘Cautious Kind’

A tentative musing on balancing your patience for other people’s emotions alongside your own emotional resilience, PETSEMATARY has shared her latest single ‘Cautious Kind‘. Released via Beth Shalom Records, the track is a hazy, emotive offering that sees the songwriter dissect her own feelings about venturing into a relationship on an uneven emotional level, but trying to remain optimistic in what can often be lonely territory.

“‘Cautious Kind’ is about being in a relationship with someone who is emotionally unavailable because of whatever history, trauma or emotional baggage,” PETSEMATARY aka Gaby-Elise Monaghan explains. “It’s like ripping your chest open and spilling your guts on the floor, only to have someone step all over it. It’s screaming for the validation you need in a relationship from someone who just isn’t entirely emotionally available, but also recognising that not everyone has the capacity for that.”

PETSEMATARY explores these needs through her yearning vocals and hazy, atmospheric guitar sounds on the track. “I feel like I come across as quite an intense person and I expect others to be just as open and honest, but in reality everyone has their own shit that affects how they interact in a relationship,” she continues. “It’s being in love and knowing deep down that this person will never be able to give you what you need emotionally, but still having hope and begging them to open up to you in the same way that you do for them. That kind of experience is really jarring – the song is about being cautious when opening yourself up but ultimately not letting your trauma make you push someone else away. Be cautious but also be kind and take the risk.”

PETSEMATARY will play a free show at Blondies in East London tonight (11th Nov) to celebrate the single’s release.

Listen to ‘Cautious Kind’ below.

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

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Sea Change – ‘Night Eyes’

A pulsing, atmospheric track that taps into the need to separate your body from your mind, Norwegian artist & producer Sea Change has shared her latest single ‘Night Eyes’. Taken from her upcoming album Mutual Dreaming, which is set for release on 11th February via Shapes Recordings, the track is an evocative reminder to loosen up and surrender to the beat when too many thoughts are pressing down on you.

“‘Night Eyes’ is about the need to shut off your head and just be your body for a while – how good it can feel to lose control,” Sea Change aka Ellen A. W. Sunde explains. “I wanted to produce a danceable sensual track and it’s one of my personal favourites from the album. A friend of mine told me that when she heard it it felt like she was floating in rave space: an image that I absolutely love.”

Equally as inspired by the club music of LA and Berlin as she is by her current quieter surroundings in the southern coastal town of Kristiansand in Norway, Sea Change’s sounds ebb and flow with a tranquil, yet deeply primal desire to move through an intensity of feeling that sometimes escapes verbal or written articulation. Her electronica ripples with emotion without every feeling weighty or over-thought, reflecting the way she feels about music in general.

Listen to ‘Night Eyes’ below.

Follow Sea Change on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo credit: Victoria Nevland

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: KIN – ‘The Runaways’

Having previously charmed our ears with the sounds of ‘L.O.V.E’ and ‘Sharing Light’, and with over 310,000k streams of their songs on Spotify, London trio Grace, Ritu and Adam – aka KIN – have now shared another ambient new single.

Oozing a glistening, emotion-strewn splendour, ‘The Runaways‘ reflects on the mixed feelings of leaving a settled life and started afresh somewhere new. As the distinctive celestial allure of Grace’s vocals flows alongside chiming hooks and a shimmering energy, it’ll gently tug at the heartstrings with its poignant lyricism and a heartfelt ethereal majesty. Taking the listener on a mystical adventure, it’ll immerse you in a sparkling sense of romanticism, creating a stirring ode to finding a sense of belonging – a feeling of being home, not necessarily in a place, but in a person who you feel a deep connection with; a sentiment depicted beautifully in the accompanying self-directed video. With an exquisite emotive charm and captivating musicality with shades of The XX, ‘The Runaways’ is a perfect slice of blissful alt-pop that’ll cast you under its sparkling spell on first listen.

Produced by Josh Tyrell (Lana Del Rey, Mark Ronson), ‘The Runaways’ is out now via 3tone Music.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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