Introducing Interview: Hipersona

With their resounding motto of ‘Pop Punk Is Not Dead!’, Turkish twin sister duo Hipersona ooze their gritty-yet-sugar-sweet and immensely catchy offerings with a sparkling energy and swirling sense of fun. First recommended to me by the almighty John Kennedy, they’re just the empowering, uplifting blast of colour we need in our lives right now.

Having formed back in 2018 and released their debut EP – mixed and mastered by famous drummer and producer Alen Konakoğlu in Los Angeles – in 2019, the vibrant duo have now shared fizzing, energy-fuelled anthem ‘Satellite‘ and we couldn’t be happier.

We caught up with the girls of Hipersona to find out more…

Hi Hipersona welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Hi! We’re so happy to be here! Nice to meet you. We’re twin sisters from Turkey who love making noise! Hipersona was formed in 2018, Turkey. After the disbanding of our previous band in early 2018, we wanted to continue our music career without giving up. With our high and raw youth energy, we wanted to show that pop punk is not dead! I am Bengisu (bass player and backing vocals) – I’m a research assistant at TED University (Dept. Of Electrical Electronics Engineering). My twin sister Bilgesu (lead vocals and guitar) is an architect. 

Are you able to tell us a bit about how you initially started creating music together? 
When we were seven, our dad gave us guitars as gift. Since then we’ve played guitar – forming a rock band was our childhood dream. In our high school years, we played with so many different bands and won awards at music contests. And then these bands broke up, but we did not give up and promised each other: “Lets keep doing what we do love”. We are so happy that our dream came true!

I love the vibrant pop-punk energy of your sound, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Our hero is Dave Grohl (We have got a crush on him!). We freakin’ love Foo Fighters. But our main musical influence is 2000s pop punk. Maybe it sounds weird for rockers but we looooovvvve BTS! Their impact on our music is huge. 

And I’m a big fan of your recent single ‘Satellite’! Are you able to tell us a bit about this? Are there any particular themes running throughout the song?
Firstly, thank you so much! We always wanted to make happier songs, with a party-like energy. And ‘Satellite’ is about that. We wrote this song about the concerts that we’ve missed during the pandemic. We’re just so glad to see that we make people feel happy with our songs!

How have you found recording and promoting music during these strange times?
JUST ONE SENTENCE: IT WAS QUITE HARD.

How is the live music scene in Turkey at the moment – has it ‘recovered’ after the limitations of the last couple of years?
The number of concerts is increasing day by day. But we don’t think it is yet fully recovered – we’re still afraid to play live because of the virus. Things are crazy in Turkey at the moment…

How do you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? Do you feel much has changed over the last few years in its treatment of female and non binary artists? 
Making, recording and releasing new songs is much easier than in the past, but things have gotten easier for everyone and that makes our job harder. We can communicate more easily with our listeners – this is the biggest advantage for us. But being a woman in the rock music scene is not so easy. We live in Turkey and the rock scene here is still very much a men’s world. We hate that and feel pressure on ourselves, but do not give a shit. GRRRL POWER!

And, as we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists or bands you’re loving right now that you’d recommend we check out?
They’re not that new, but they are more popular lately: Waterparks!

Finally, what does the next year have in store for Hipersona?
We won’t stop! We’ve just finished recording our newest song half an hour ago… And we can say it’s the best we’ve done so far. We’re excited  share it with you. We’re also currently in touch with international music festivals… Maybe a surprise soon…?!

Massive thanks to Hipersona for answering our questions – we can’t wait to hear more from them! Watch the fun-filled video for latest single ‘Satellite’ here:

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Get In Her Ears Live @ The Shacklewell Arms w/ Problem Patterns, 03.12.2021

On Friday we were back for our second gig since February 2020, and our first time hosting at the glorious Shacklewell Arms, and what a fantastic night it was! Huge thanks to the three totally amazing bands who played (I was blown away by you all!), and to all the lovely folk who came out to support them and fill the venue with the best of vibes… We’re still feeling all the feels, and are extremely grateful to everyone who made it such a dream night.

First up, GUTTS kick things off in a wonderfully riotous way – blasting out their queer sax-punk with an angst-driven energy and magnetising charisma.

Next up, Margate duo pink suits deliver their poignantly charged, utterly immense punk anthems. With just drums, a guitar and the riotous force of their voices, Lennie and Ray offer an inclusive Feminist rebellion to bring about radical change. With a captivating, seething energy, each frenzied offering is propelled by a colossal force, leaving me mind-blown and ready to join their fight for an upheaval of a neoliberal society. 

Having travelled all the way over from Belfast for the gig, I’ve been excited about hosting headliners, Problem Patterns, for a long time now, and they do not disappoint! Continually swapping instruments throughout the set, the Northern Irish Feminist punks cover topics ranging from transphobia and sexism, to the power of female friendship and the damaging effects of toxic relationships. With each poignant, raging offering, the band ooze a swirling, empowering energy and fierce, infectious passion, uniting the crowd in solidarity with both their righteous anger and vibrant, joyous sense of fun. A truly exciting set from one of my most favourite bands.

Massive thanks to the three incredible bands who played for us on Friday and everyone who came along! Join us for our next gig, on 21st January at The Victoria with headliners Fräulein and support from Breakup Haircut and Naz & Ella.

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Jon Mo / @jonmophoto

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Track Of The Day: Companion – ‘How Could I Have Known’

A sweet musical embrace, Colorado twin sister duo Sophia and Jo Babb – aka Companion – have introduced their heavenly sound with their debut track, ‘How Could I Have Known’ – a delicious slice of indie-folk. With arpeggiated guitars, a lilting bass-line, gentle percussion, and the gorgeous harmonies which lie at the heart of the song, it is perfect for warming the cold winter mornings and nights. The duo charmingly illustrate the magic that happens between families when they create music together; the track is charged with a twinkling sense of intimacy as Sophia and Jo share the heartfelt vocal lines. 

The delicate stripped-back textures ground the song so that as you listen you are gently guided along the captivating musical journey. It feels beautifully restrained, rippling with catchy and light-hearted melodies, whilst also revealing a deep emotional core. As well as this raw sentimentality, there is also a flowing pastoral essence to the track, as it reflects on the wonder of nature and our connection to it. 

Sofia explains the meaning behind the song:

“I started writing ‘How Could I Have Known’ at the beginning of my first Autumn in northern Colorado… I quickly learned that fall is a fleeting, beautifully short time in the mountains. It takes just a few blustery days for all the yellow aspen leaves to give way to bare trees, snowfall, and early sunsets. At the time, I was engaged to my now husband. He was dealing with some concerning medical issues, and I developed an over-awareness of how quickly I could never see him again. Having lost family members without warning in the past, I became anxiously aware that just as soon as he came into my life, he could leave it, too. Though this thought, at its core, is a very scary one, when I looked beyond the fear of losing something I held so dearly, I could see the incredible gift it is to have something to hold dear in the first place…”

Directed by Jo Babb and shot by Rahul Chakraborty, a moving video tinged with sparkling nostalgia accompanies ‘How Could I Have Known’. Watch it now:

Jaz Kelly
@surfjaz

Photo Credit: Chiara Garland

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EP: Billie Flynn – ‘Hey Stranger’

I’ve taken a while to find the words for Billie Flynn’s debut EP Hey Stranger, a heartfelt meditation on grief. Each listen has highlighted something new and different, evoked more and more feelings; gorgeous, but increasingly hard to describe in words. It’s a thing of feeling. It feels like memories whispered on a cliff edge and the wind carrying parts of you away. It feels like the moments of stillness after the soil’s been turned. It’s incredibly honest and it  demonstrates Flynn’s infinite potential – her lyrics speaking truth to grief, while fitting comfortably into the cosy featherlight and luxuriously breathy cocoon of her voice box. 

The quality of production is consistently immersive – heady and cinematic, each song getting the best out of synths, pianos and Flynn’s unique tone. I’ve written about and adored previously released tracks already, but the latest ‘Forever Goodbye’ shows Billie’s artistry at a whole other level, it surpasses expectations. I held my breath as I listened. It’s about a loss which occurred during Billie’s teenage years and is utterly stunning in a very special, incisive and relatable way. Lyrics such as  “there’s a look in the eye of a friend when they mention your name, like they’re reminding me of pain, like I’d ever let it go” get to the core of what it is to live with loss in the presence of others. The trepidation, the repetition, the changing pace of the world outside as something privately sinks into your soul, and the never ending cycles. For an EP to so unambiguously be about the life changing power of loss without being in any way maudlin, is truly magical. 

There’s hope and transformation woven in  too. ‘The Good Girl’ beautifully explores the personal journeys our pain can inform as Flynn sings about shedding people-pleasing tendencies, pushing boundaries and growing into someone different. What does it mean to be authentic? What does it mean to reject expectations? What are those moments in life when we feel ourselves truly step into our own power? These are the questions ‘The Good Girl’ provokes. 

The emotional energy of Hey Stranger might not neatly blend with the sugar coated Christmas tunes we’re hearing blasted around us, but there’s no doubt that the moment for this EP is now. In a period where so much and so many are being grieved, this body of music is timely and refreshingly close to home.

Tutku Barbaros
@tutkubarbaros

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