LISTEN: Song Sung – ‘Come To The Water’

Hypnotising vocals, atmospheric electronics and echoing beats permeate ‘Come To Water’, the latest single from Song Sung. Taken from their debut EP I Surrender, set for release on 27th March via Night Time Stories, the duo have a talent for crafting alluring, melodic soundscapes.

Formed of twin sisters Georgina and Una McGeough, Song Sung grew up in Monaghan, Ireland before moving over to New York a decade ago. Since then, the pair have been dabbling in software and even creating songs over second-hand bass lines from a nightclub DJ that used to rumble through the floor of their East Village apartment. Now, the duo are working with David Holmes (Unloved), who co-wrote and produced their EP along with his bandmate Keefus Ciancia. The pair have previously worked on scores with Holmes too, including The Fall and Killing Eve (for which they won a BAFTA).

Speaking about the new single, Georgina of Song Sung explains: “‘Come to the Water’ is a song caught somewhere between obsession and vulnerability. There’s a fragility in the tone, a yearning within and an uncertainty in the end.” It’s this blend of emotions that makes the duo’s new track so captivating, and has us eager to hear more of their beguiling sounds.

Listen to ‘Come to the Water’ below, and follow Song Sung on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Erica Freas releases new EP ‘Young’

A moving ode to friends and loved ones; Bristol-based, Olympia-born songwriter Erica Freas has shared her latest EP, Young. Released via Specialist Subject Records (and as a self-release in the USA), Freas has taken a step back from fronting punk bands and created a sentimental, soft-sounding record instead.

Recorded over the past two years, the eleven tracks on Young are all love songs for Freas’ friends who needed support during moments of big change and transition. The songwriter reflects on what inspired her to write this deeply personal record: “We’re so caught up in this moment with all the real pressures and challenges that mark our lives right now; this all-consuming moment. With these songs, I was thinking about what world we’re welcoming the next generation into and, similarly, how we approach our own futures and histories as we grow. These songs are about being alive, whether we’re new to it or have been around awhile.”

We’re enjoying Freas’ sounds that urge her listeners to slow down and appreciate the smaller things in life. Listen to Young in full below, and follow Erica Freas on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

 

Erica Freas UK Tour Dates 2020
29th Feb – Bristol – radio/ON
1st Mar – London – Water Into Beer with Cristy Road Carerra
9th Mar – Brooklyn NY – Trans Pecos
14th Mar – Anacortes WA – The Business
24-26 April – Manchester Punk Fest 2020
1-8th May – European Tour (via YoYo Records)
9th May – Berlin – Miss The Stars Fest VII
7th Jul – 2000 Trees Festival UK

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Photo Credit: @gingerdope

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ALBUM: Nova Twins – ‘Who Are The Girls?’

Driven by devious bass lines and ferocious lyrics, Nova Twins‘s debut album Who Are The Girls? is an aural uppercut that proves the London-based duo’s furious instinct for writing anarchic anthems. Formed of Amy Love & Georgia South, the pair have been praised by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello for their genre-defying tunes and their debut LP is bursting with their trademark heavy sound.

Released via 333 Wreckords on 28th February, Who Are The Girls? is a raw, abrasive collection of thundering bass lines, uncompromising rhythms and wicked riffs. Opener ‘Vortex’ – home to the lyric the album is named after – is the perfect introduction to their noise. Swirling, distorted bass and pounding beats permeate the track, as vocalist Amy rips through verses with enviable vocal power. She possesses a stunningly clear voice; it’s as if she needs no amplification when switching between shouts, snarls, and smoothly delivered lines with ease.

‘Play Fair’ and ‘Taxi’ are assaults on the senses, with more of Georgia’s mind-melting distortion blaring throughout. Armed with her instrument and her pedal board, she executes ear drums with lethal force on the pulverising ‘Devil’s Face’. Listeners should heed Amy’s warning to “get out my way” on following track ‘Not My Day’, after which the brilliant ‘Bullet’ kicks in. The track is a powerful statement against street harassment and the myth that women are “asking for it” if they dress in a certain way. Amy’s lyrics are the ultimate weapon against such insults, making it crystal clear that those who touch without permission are not fucking welcome.

You can take a walk on the “wild side” when the belting ‘Lose Your Head’ bursts through, before being schooled by more of Amy’s savage lyricism on the menacingly slow ‘Ivory Tower’. Hair-raising screams and ear-shredding riffs dominate penultimate track ‘Undertaker’, before ‘Athena’ closes the record. Named after the Greek Goddess associated with warfare, it’s an apt way to end a collection of genre-defying, lethal new tunes.

Nova Twins’ battle cry for equality and diversity on Who Are The Girls? resonates long after their record stops spinning. They are a force for fun, for fury, and – most importantly – for change in an industry that still can’t/won’t book a female-fronted band to headline a major festival. Nova Twins have us riled, re-energised, and ready to ask for more.

Pre-order your copy of Nova Twins’ debut album here.
Follow the band on Facebook and Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: Harkin – ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’

Inspired by the chaos and the romanticism of a night out in a UK city, multi-talented musician Harkin has shared her latest single, ‘Nothing the Night Can’t Change’. The track is lifted from her debut self-titled album, which is set for release on 24th April via Hand Mirror.

The new single features Warpaint’s Stella Mozgawa, and Bon Iver’s Jenn Wasner. Speaking about her collaborators, Harkin explains: “Jenn and Stella were both old tour friends of mine, but had never met before our recording session together. By the end of day one, they were finishing each other’s jokes. [They] are as good as it gets, and I’m hugely grateful.” Harkin’s talent for collaboration extends even further, as she co-founded the label she’ll be releasing her debut record on (Hand Mirror), with her partner; poet and live arts organiser Kate Leah Hewett.

“What we did by the light of the fridge cannot be undone” sings Harkin mid-way through on ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’, prompting a plethora of scandalous images for her listeners. “Anyone that’s been on a night out in Leeds, or any of those places [in the UK] knows all the switches get flipped after dark” Harkin says. She explores these moments over rolling guitar riffs, thudding percussion, and smooth vocals.

Harkin will tour across Europe over the next few months supporting both Sleater-Kinney & Torres. Listen to ‘Nothing The Night Can’t Change’ below, and follow Harkin on Facebook & Spotify.

Photo Credit: Tomm Roeschlein

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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