Track Of The Day: CMAT – ‘No More Virgos’

A disco-tinged lament to the “little September boys” who make her melancholy, Irish pop sensation CMAT has shared her latest single ‘No More Virgos’. Taken from her debut album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, which is set for release via AWAL Recordings on 25th February 2022, the track is brimming with CMAT’s trademark wit and yearning, country-inspired vocals, brilliantly showcasing her gift for intuitive songwriting.

Born from her desire to “marry her love of 80’s Italo disco with her hatred of Virgos,” CMAT’s playful new tune is a wry nod to her compulsive romantic decisions. “My mental health is banking on my chastity / and you’re bad for me” she jests over buoyant melodies, gently resisting the urge to circle back and repeat the same pattern of behaviour in her previous relationships.

“I’m the kind of girl who dates the same person over and over again. Specifically, every single one of my partners have been Virgos,” CMAT aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson explains. “I wanted to write a song that pokes fun at this aspect of my personality, and try to be a voice for all of my long-suffering friends. I just can’t help myself from making terrible decisions sometimes! Sorry!”

CMAT is set to play two sold out dates at The Troubadour in London on the 9th & 10th November and we can’t wait to hear her sparkling pop sounds, witty lyrics and lush vocals live.

Listen to ‘No More Virgos’ below.

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

Photo Credit: Sarah Doyle

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Peaness – ‘What’s The Use?’

Originally planned for release in summer 2020, ‘What’s The Use?‘ is the latest single from Chester trio Peaness, taken from their debut album due out in 2022.

It drops in bright and makes its statement immediately: What’s the use? Throughout, the track is upbeat and fun, with bouncy strings, a fast beat and cheery-sounding vocals. It’s an addictive and absorbing sound that is impossible not to bop along with.

The lyrics, on the other hand, do not share the same sense of limitless joy. Instead, they go into quite a bit of detail about how it feels to be thoroughly depressed. The song acutely describes the feeling of a sigh that carries the weight of the world in it. The refrain “Can I just stay in bed?” repeats and repeats until you can’t escape the utter lack of motivation to get up and engage with the world. Finally, the eponymous “what’s the use?” carries the overwhelming feeling of all the inescapable pressure that won’t leave you be, even when you do manage to drag yourself out of bed.

I absolutely adore the juxtaposition of the two massively contrasting styles between the music and the lyrics, it’s so delightfully nihilistic. It encapsulates a relatable sense of freedom that comes with accepting that, actually yeah, things are pointless sometimes.

The song has been released alongside a video compiled of phone footage of various shenanigans shot on the band’s previous tours. It matches the music in terms of its fast pacing and general sense of joy, and adds another layer of complexity to the content. You see the band on their adventures, in nice restaurants, at landmarks, at funfairs, playing gigs, practicing, stroking their pets. It feels like an immensely powerful comment about what depression can look like, about how you can seem like you’re living your best life while all your lowest feelings are still very much present.

You can feel how the past eighteen months have shaped the song. Even without the context of the pandemic, the full piece feels incredibly meaningful. When you add in the global trauma we all share right now, it becomes all the more powerful, as the clips and music become happy memories experienced from that all-consuming bed in the lyrics.

‘What’s The Use?’ is a brilliantly constructed song and so, so catchy. The 2022 album can’t come soon enough.

‘What’s The Use?’ is out now via the band’s own label, Totally Snick Records. Catch them live at their biggest ever London headline show at Oslo on 18th November. Tickets here.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

Kirstie SummersLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Aislinn Logan – ‘Contender’

A deceptively sweet electro-pop gem that gently grapples with the idea of changing destructive behaviours, Belfast-born, London-based artist Aislinn Logan has shared her latest single ‘Contender’. Lifted from her new EP which is set for release on 11th November, the track is a shimmering, synth-soaked ode to anyone who’s struggling to make a positive change in their lives.

Co-produced with Johnny Oakley and Brian Kelly, the sounds on ‘Contender’ are influenced by Aislinn’s love of 80s synth-rock icons New Order and her lyrics are informed by her own experience of trying to help someone change their problematic behaviour. “Sway away from pain with your game face on” she urges with her lush vocals, floating over buoyant melodies. Her infectious synths and compassionate lyrics combine to make ‘Contender’ an empowering and enjoyable slice of electro-pop.

“’Contender’ sprang from some fairly dark subject matter but ended up sounding quite sunny,” Aislinn explains. “It was a little while into writing that I realised that was deliberate. I wanted it to offer a moment of relief to the listener. It’s the wanting to pick someone you care about up, relating to them but feeling quite helpless to do anything useful too. It’s daring someone to back themselves – their actual self, and stop running.”

Listen to ‘Contender’ below.

 

Follow Aislinn Logan on bandcamp, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: deep tan – ‘tamu’s yiffing refuge’

Following the recent release of their stirring, and utterly unique, EP creeping speedwells, East London trio Wafah, Celeste and Lucy – aka deep tan – return with a special one-off single taken from the label Speedy Wunderground’s new compilation.

‘tamu’s yiffing refuge‘ is as strangely kinky as the name would suggest. An explicit tale of furry hedonism, it’s propelled by a quirky, chaotic energy, as fuzzed-out hooks fizz and glitchy whirring beats keep the pace. Maintaining all the immersive, seductive allure that we’ve come to know and love from the band, this latest offering oozes an added dark, psychedelic haze and frenzied post-punk drive reminiscent of the likes of legends The Slits. With a light touch of subtle tongue-in-cheek wit, the result is a truly mystical, compelling soundscape that’ll peculiarly entice you into its swirling, fur-filled cacophony. Of the track, the band explain:

“… it’s a story of furry lust. A furries convention has hit town and at an afterparty at a nearby hotel (hosted by tamu himself) there are scenes of unbridled hedonism unmatched since the days of Freddie Mercury’s legendary parties at New Orleans’ Fairmont Hotel..“

(For those who don’t know, ‘Furries’ are a community of people who dress up in animal costumes as a hobby who meet up IRL and online as their ‘fursonas’… You learn something new every day.)

‘tamu’s yiffing refuge’ is accompanied by a bizarre new video that is every bit as trippy as you would expect… If witnessing the mischief and carnal desires of human-sized bunnies is your vibe, then you’re in for a treat!

‘tamu’s yiffing refuge’ is taken from Speedy Wunderground‘s fourth singles compilation – Speedy Wunderground – Year 4 – which is out now and also features tracks from black midi, Squid and Alex Kapranos.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

mariangelicalaneLeave a comment