Track Of The Day: Alice Mary – ‘Surgeon’

Smooth and woozy dream-pop at its finest, Alice Mary’s latest single is the perfect tune to wind down to. Shimmering and effervescent, ‘Surgeon‘ will leave you feeling all kinds of things.

Alice Mary’s gorgeous mellow vocals draw you into the track, bringing to mind vocalists like Weyes Blood and Laura Marling; creating an immersive psychedelic musicality driven by a female voice. The opening lyric “the surgeon who loved you sewed you back together” sets the melancholic mood: beautiful, understated and effortlessly honest. Singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist, Alice Mary explains:

“‘Surgeon’ is about something I never thought I’d write about until I did. I ended up writing the lyrics in this really simple, almost childlike style, because that’s the only way I could look back at what had happened…“

The jangling guitars, fuzzing throughout the chorus, create an instantly immersive atmosphere. It’s as though you’re floating calmly downstream. The music works as some kind of antidote to what inspired the song; any tension you might have is sure to flow away with the soothing effect of the descending chord sequences and the dark humour in Alice Mary’s vocal harmonies. The psychedelic synth textures and deep lyrical expressions contrast against the honey-sweet, catchy pop-inspired melody in a way that’s both eerie and carefree. In this way, ‘Surgeon’ is reminiscent of the brighter side of Portishead, or St. Vincent.

From dancy bops and funky riffs, to psychedelic sad girl soft-rock, Alice Mary has shown us so many sides to her witty music and we can’t wait to hear more! 

Jaz Kelly
@surfjazz

Photo Credit: Peter Catchpole

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PREMIERE: Tiger Mimic – ‘Silence Of The Night’

Following last year’s powerful singles ‘It Was Still Dark’ and ‘Where The Fire Used To Be’, and with acclaim from the likes of BBC Introducing and John Kennedy, GIHE faves Tiger Mimic return to blast into our ears with a glorious new offering.

Propelled by an immense, eerie energy, ‘Silence Of The Night’ reflects on the grim reality that women have to navigate on a daily basis. As the rich, sleek vocals of front woman Jess soar with a soulful power, swirling riffs fizz with a scuzzy splendour, building with a stirring tension and anthemic musicality to an impassioned statement of intent. Hitting the ears with a sweeping magnificence, it oozes shades of the quirkily haunting sound of early Arctic Monkeys, or the fierce, politically-driven passion of Liverpool favourite She Drew The Gun. Driven by an empowering sense of urgency, here Tiger Mimic offer a poignant call for justice and accountability at a time when we so desperately need it.

Listen to ‘Silence Of The Night’, for the first time, here:

Produced by Rees Broomfield, ‘Silence Of The Night’ is out on Friday, 8th October, and is the first of three new singles to come from the band. Pre-save it here. Catch Tiger Mimic live at The Victoria on 9th December, tickets here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Robert Alleyne

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Track Of The Day: Brimheim – ‘poison fizzing on a tongue’

Crawling through an eerie landscape, Danish alt-pop artist Brimheim embodies regret and resilience in the climatic new track ‘poison fizzing on a tongue‘.  

Encapsulated in stuttering synths and minimalistic percussion, Brimheim’s track embodies a sonic slate that tastefully combines influences ranging from grunge to electronic aesthetics. Drawing from legendary artists such as PJ Harvey, Brimheim’s vocals flow over a track that feels older than its time in disposition. Well-crafted instrumentals ideally complement the classic warm tone of Brimheim’s voice, nestling her words perfectly into the track’s mix. 

Brimheim’s emotive melodies release an intense catharsis, comparable contemporarily to US electronic artist, Half Waif. Feelings of what Brimheim classifies as “mundane aches” grip the track as lyrics unravel a large realisation of toxicity. As she grapples with this complex interpersonal uprising, she is overcome with the reassuring feeling of knowing that she will indeed make it out alive.

Optimism resonates parallel with devastation in each layer of Brimheim’s poignant landscape. ‘poison fizzing on a tongue’ is the experience of a new, epiphanic lens, with the comfort and encouragement of the power of nostalgia.

Can’t Help Myself Into A Different Shape, the debut album from Brimheim, is out 28th January 2022 via W.A.S Entertainment.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Photo Credit: Hey Jack

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Track Of The Day: Lily Konigsberg – ‘Sweat Forever’

‘Sweat Forever’, the latest single from Brooklyn born and based Lily Konigsberg, is beautiful, shimmering electronic pop. Konigsberg’s intimate vocals are buoyed by a gentle, jangly ’90s guitar, somewhat reminiscent of a Dawson’s Creek soundtrack (in the very best way!), and the sweetest melodies, which make this something really special.

Konigsberg said she wrote ‘Sweat Forever’ as she navigated the break-up of a long-term relationship and some big transitions in her life. But, while it’s bittersweet, there is so much lightness too. She said: “It’s mostly about the bad part of going through a huge change in your life and the confusion surrounding that. But now I’m in the good part, so there’s something to celebrate. Sweat on brother!“

It’s proper pop music – nostalgic and polished, which isn’t necessarily something you’d expect given Konigberg’s earlier, more guitar-based singles or their work with self-proclaimed “New York’s weirdest” post-punk trio, Palberta. However, it’s testament to the sheer range of her talents. I’m looking forward to hearing more of them on her forthcoming debut album, Lily We Need To Talk Now, which is due at the end of the month.

Lily Konigsberg’s debut album, Lily We Need To Talk Now, will be released on Wharf Cat Records on 29th October. It is available to pre-order here.

Vic Conway
@thepicsofvic

Photo Credit: Felix Walworth

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