NEW TRACK: SPIDER – ‘straight out the oven!’

After watching her storm The Green Door Store’s stage at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton earlier this year, we’re thrilled to see that Irish alt-pop artist SPIDER has returned with her smouldering new single ‘straight out the oven!’. Taken from her upcoming new EP, an object of desire, which is set for release in early 2024, the track is a tenacious pop-tinged anthem that playfully dissects the reasons why we crave affection and attention from others.

“At first glance, ‘straight out the oven!’ presents itself as a fun, catchy ‘blonde, sorority girl who doubles as an over-the-top cheerleader’ rock song, which it is!” SPIDER explains about her new single. “But it’s also a really honest conversation that I was having with myself about the desire to be desired, and confronting the types of people we go to for that validation. It’s that need that we all have to be irresistible – but asking yourself, why do I want these specific people to desire me in the first place? I produced and wrote the entire thing on my own which definitely gave me the space to explore that part of myself, without having to hide it behind a complicated metaphor.”

This self-autonomous outlook permeates the songs on SPIDER’s upcoming EP. She is committed to using her music to gain a more in depth understanding of herself, and to connect with others who may be probing and questioning similar aspects of their own lives. “an object of desire really encapsulates the questions I was asking myself about objectification, desire and intimacy as an ex Catholic school student who grew up in a very religious household,” she continues. “Looking at these three things through the lens of religious trauma and Catholic guilt felt like looking at the Unholy Trinity of Young Adulthood. Like, when does desire start being desire? What is actually so intimate about sex and what is sex when it doesn’t feel intimate? You’ve realised you’ve been objectified – well okay, but what do you do about it?

I feel like this particular view on sexuality isn’t really talked about much, and I just had all these questions that no one could answer for me. Writing this EP was a way for me to explore the conclusions that were put there by a religious upbringing that covered this area of life in so much shame and nonsensical conditions. It also allowed me to process the anger I had towards the ways I was mistreated in the past without the pressure of maintaining ‘grace’. This project feels like the most personal, freeing thing I’ve made thus far!”

We can’t wait to hear SPIDER’s new record in full. Listen to ‘straight out the oven!’ below.

SPIDER was also joy to interview on our Great Escape x Soho Radio show earlier this year.
You can listen back here.

Follow SPIDER on Spotify, Instagram, Twitter (X) & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: The Dead Zoo – ‘In The End’

A shimmering synth-pop tune that celebrates the importance of emotional resilience in the face of adversity, London-based group The Dead Zoo have shared their second single ‘In The End’. Following on from their J-Pop cover ‘Mother‘ in 2020, the band continue to blend pop sensibilities into their usually heavier post punk/shoegaze offerings, this time reflecting the optimism and strength that underscores their latest effort.

“During the second lockdown, I was listening to a lot of 80s stuff–Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer, Madonna, Japan, New Order,” songwriter and vocalist Kaoru explains. “That poured into the conception of sound and melody for the song. The lyric is founded on my gender transition experience. The sense of keeping faith in an envisioned future and using that goal to overcome difficulties and stay on course; though I think it carries a more universal message of hope and optimism that I think we all need right now in these unusual times.”

Full of lush synths and snappy beats, ‘In The End’ is an uplifting ode to coping through testing circumstances. The track has also been remixed by Brighton’s CLT DRP and fellow London band The Sly Persuaders, something band member Somrata takes great pride in. “We were completely blown away by the creativity and variety of the remixes as they came in. It’s great to have so many liberating perspectives on a piece that was conceived and mostly recorded and mixed during the very difficult winter lockdown. We can’t wait to share it with the world and to perform it live for the first time.”

Listen to ‘In The End’ below.

Follow The Dead Zoo on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook

Photo Credit: K Hearne

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Marbee – ‘Music Box’

A nostalgia-tinged reflection on remaining faithful to your childish heart, Jakarta-born Melbourne-based musician Marbee has shared her debut single ‘Music Box’. Self-described as “a free-spirited bird with a punk collar around her neck,” Marbee blends dreamy melodies and soft vocals to create alt-pop tunes that shimmer with gentle optimism.

Proving that your imagination can flourish in young adulthood if you continue to nurture it with the same tenacity you do throughout childhood, ‘Music Box’ is Marbee’s musical statement about freedom of expression. “I intend to awaken happy and nostalgic feelings from childhood, mixed with shades of ‘rain and thunder’,” she explains, acknowledging that life isn’t always as sweet as her vocals suggest. “The repetitive melody imitates the cyclical tone of the music box,” she continues, “evoking the protective, albeit fragile shelter of human relations, as well as the enchanting and lulling attraction of music in its simplest mechanical form.”

Marbee’s appetite for exploration took her to a 100 year-old building to capture the “ancient atmospherics” of the xylophone that features on the track. Her playful outlook, attention to detail and willingness to try new things makes her debut offering ring with a simple, joyful charm.

Listen to ‘Music Box’ below.

 

Follow Marbee on Spotify, Instagram & Facebook

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Bad Idea – ‘Winter’

A fuzzy, relatable guitar tune that playfully reflects on the desire for escapism whilst working a low paid job, Bad Idea have shared their latest single ‘Winter’. Released in partnership with RoseColoured Records, the Leeds band channel the joys and frustrations that come with growing up through pop-tinged melodies, soft vocals and catchy lyrics on this track.

Formed in 2016 on a drunken night out dancing to Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’, Bad Idea’s Sarah Sefton and Daniel Johnson chose the band’s name after entering into a new creative project and a new romantic relationship together at the same time. They put aside their concerns about how this might affect their musical dynamics and enlisted the help of new bandmates Charlie Peacock and Liam Lambert in 2019 to flesh out their lo-fi sounds.

In 2020, the band released their debut EP, the ironically titled I Just Want To Go Home, after recording the tracks intermittently between lockdowns in a friend’s basement. The result of their efforts is a joyful, fuzzy exploration of love, loss, nostalgia and moving on to new experiences. New single ‘Winter’ is a lush example of how the band have trusted their instincts and channelled their energies into creating buoyant, charming tunes.

Listen to ‘Winter’ below.

 

Follow Bad Idea on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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