Track Of The Day: Scrounge – ‘Leaking Drains’

Having continued to impress us over the last few years with both their breathtaking live energy and the unique, genre-bending sound of their recordings, South London duo Lucy and Luke – aka Scrounge – follow 2019’s EP Ideal with a brand new offering. Having received acclaim from the likes of John Kennedy and Steve LaMacq, we’re excited to hear where they take our ears next.

A stark soundscape reflecting on the state of society at the moment, ‘Leaking Drains’ is propelled by Lucy’s raw, snarling vocals and slashing guitar alongside Luke’s immense, thrashing beats. With a frenzied energy, it builds to a colossal cacophony before coming to a disconcerting, abrupt end – only adding to the stirring tension that has built up throughout. Oozing a ferocious power, the duo have created something that is striking both in its jarring potency and rage-driven force; a cathartic slice of poignant punk-poetry for the anxiety-laden times we find ourselves in.

Of the inspiration behind ‘Leaking Drain’, the band explain:

“This track is designed to be short and sharp, both lyrically and instrumentally… Living standards and life expectancy have dramatically dropped for the majority of ordinary people in the UK over the last generation or so, and it often feels like we’re at once completely weightless and under extreme pressure – a little like being deep underwater… The demonization and punching-down that constitutes most of the mainstream discourse around debt, housing, poverty and precarity in this country only compounds the issue. The anger and absurdity of a track like ‘Leaking Drains’ is driven by this stuff.”

 

‘Leaking Drains’ is out now via Fierce Panda Records – buy it on bandcamp now. And Scrounge have just announced that they will be playing the SXSW Online Showcase next month – an incredibly well-deserved feat!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: Hannah Rose Kessler – ‘Come Feel Me’

In a drudging industrial confession, raw honesty and emotive instrumentals convey Hannah Rose Kessler’s mystifying ‘Come Feel Me’ with intention. Released via Reckless Yes, this new single is Kessler’s musical debut since signing to the independent label, bringing an attitude of solitude and a nostalgic edge to contemporary experimental rock. 

Thick fuzz and a slow tempo create a heavy palette reminiscent of PJ Harvey’s grunge universe, as dreary tonal arrangements flow with intention. With Kessler’s pleasant voice floating over her cathartic melodies, ‘Come Feel Me’ embodies a duality between the lightness and darkness of isolation. 

Despite swirling lyrics confessing Kessler’s mundane loneliness and yearning for others, there is a strength emitted from the production of the track that reveals an unwavering resilience in Kessler’s disposition. It is clear that Kessler craves the presence of another, but has none the less gained an empowering self-knowledge from her time alone. 

Hannah Rose Kessler has invited us into an introvert’s complex that is revealing, sonically gothic and emotionally fascinating in ‘Come Feel Me’. It is with great intrigue that we wait to see further into Kessler’s world.

Of the track, Kessler expands:

“I wrote this track while stuck in a very liminal period of my life. It’s about the desperate clawing for intimacy, validation and recognition you see in groups of unhappy people…“

 

‘Come Feel Me’ is out now via Reckless Yes.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Photo Credit: Stephen Garnett

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Track Of The Day: SPIDER – ‘Water Sign’

A slow-burning, sleek dark-pop tune that ripples with sultry power, London-based musician and producer SPIDER has shared her latest single ‘Water Sign’. Filled with atmospheric synth textures and heady beats, the track is inspired by the Goddess Olokun of the Nigerian bini tribe, who presides over the darkest depths of the ocean.

Born and raised in Dublin, twenty-one year old SPIDER blends jagged electronics and brooding guitar riffs alongside her distinctive vocals to create her evocative sounds. Her focus is on how a track makes you feel – whether that’s a feeling of power, fluidity or chaos – and on ‘Water Sign’ she weaves these emotions into a cohesive, stirring electronic soundscape.

SPIDER’s self-professed “obsession with astrology” and her belief that “power and strength can be found in sensitivity” underscores her musical efforts, making her tracks radiate with a profound artistic confidence. Harnessing the image of the arachnid as a totemic symbol of strong feminine energy, SPIDER explores her own emotional resilience through her bewitching alt-pop sounds and we’re excited to hear more from this talented new producer.

You can watch the video for ‘Water Sign’ below.

Follow SPIDER on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter & Facebook for more updates

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: HAVVK – ‘Home’

Having been big fans of Dublin-based HAVVK since they headlined our first gig at The Finsbury back in 2016, we have been continually impressed and consistently charmed by all they’ve created since. Now, having received support from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne and John Kennedy on Radio X, and following 2019’s debut full length album Cause & Effect, the trio have announced a brand new album set for release in July this year.

The first single to be shared from the album comes in the form of ‘Home’ – a stirring reflection on appreciating those closest to you. Propelled by a shimmering ethereal fuzz, the track showcases the soaring celestial majesty of front woman Julie’s vocals, as they float with an impassioned splendour over scuzzy hooks and a gritty, driving energy. Fusing together tinges of ’90s grunge-fuelled angst with twinkling shoegaze sensibilities and the band’s own unique poignant grace, it’s a truly captivating soundscape.

Of the track, Julie explains:

“‘Home’ is about the freedom of youth and being oblivious to the protections you have around you. It’s about appreciating the people who have always been there for you even when you were at your worst – even if you weren’t grateful for it – and who’ve helped you get back up again every time. I feel really connected to this song right now. Over the past year, we’ve all had our social structures pulled out from underneath us and we’re missing the basic nourishment of human connection. I do miss the obliviousness of normal life (and dancing, and gigs, and hugs!), but I hope I’ll go back to the world a bit more grateful – far less transactional – and really value the humans around me.”

Produced by Rocky O’Reilly, ‘Home’ proves once again that HAVVK are a band on the rise; one who are consistently honing and developing their sound, continuing to impress and enchant the ears, not content to stick within the confines of any one sonic genre.

 

‘Home’ is out now, taken from HAVVK’s upcoming second album Levelling, produced by Rocky O’Reilly and set for release in July this year.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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