Track Of The Day: ILL – ‘ILL SONG’

A manic cacophony of post-punk & prog noise, Manchester’s ILL have shared new single ‘ILL SONG’ ahead of the release of their debut album, We Are ILL, tomorrow on May 11th via Box Records.

Recorded over 18 months in the crumbling mills of Ancoats, Manchester, the band channelled their furious love of pop punk into a record that challenges not just the ears, but the stigma surrounding mental health issues; the politics of identity and gender, capitalism and misogyny. Their single ‘ILL Song’ is a surreal, humorous blend of this activism, with a healthy dose of fun thrown in too.

We Are ILL will be released on limited edition transparent blue vinyl, gatefold CD and as a digital audio download on May 11th. The release is accompanied by a launch show at Sebright Arms on the same date, with support from LibraLibra and The Ethical Debating Society, hosted by Club The Mammoth (RSVP here).

Watch the video for ‘ILL Song’ below and follow the band on Facebook for more updates.

ILL UK Tour Dates 2018

11 May Sebright Arms, London (album launch)
12 May Doubledotbash Festival, Reading
21 May Soup Kitchen, Manchester (supporting Screaming Females)
31 May The Soundhouse, Leicester
1 June Head of Steam, Newcastle
15 June Liverpool (TBA)
16 June The Deaf Institute, Manchester (album launch)

Photo Credit: Megan Powell

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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EP: Kate Stapley – ‘Centella’

Informed by personal and wider histories, Kate Stapley‘s debut solo EP Centella is a poignant blend of music and relatable metaphors. The Bristol-based songwriter explores mental health and forces beyond her control through gentle percussion, soft guitars and poetic lyricism, allowing her grief to blossom in to a positive force for change.

Released in January via Breakfast Records, listening to Centella is an aural breath of fresh air. ‘Iceland’ opens the EP, a gentle ode to snowy peaks and a comforting reminder that there’s new life on the horizon, even if you can’t crawl out of “creased bed sheets” whilst listening to it. Kate’s feelings of “numb translucency” are laid bare and resolved with the aid of a friend here – “Oh there’s more for me, takes a friend like you to remind me” – as tender percussion and soft guitar sounds score her moments of reflection.

‘Potted History Of Mum’ laments the fragmented memories of a loved one who’s life is slowly being lost to the cruelty of dementia. “It’s all so cyclical” sings Kate, in a soothing, accepting tone, before revealing a tender truth: “It only means a thing to me, ‘cos it means the world to you”. ‘Irises’ flows in a similar vein, with strings underscoring more of Kate’s beautifully honest lyrics: “it destroys me, the truth, that’s why I distance myself from you”. Despite the melancholy nature, this tune (and the whole record) brims with hope.

On ‘Interlude’, Kate studies a precious family photograph in a musical monologue – “It’s funny how it runs through the family, there’s so much of you that I see in me” – before striking penultimate track ‘These Planets’ explores the “darkness” in her bones. “I learned from the witches who began this” she sings, before profound and personal statements like “gender is not genital, that’s a fact we can’t escape” and “I may have inherited your pain, but it’s what drives me” flood her consciousness alongside more subtle percussion and soothing guitar sounds.

‘Stabilisers’ closes the EP with a sense of perseverance. The poignant line “Now we ride side by side, I even overtake you sometimes” resonates long after the track stops spinning. Kate Stapley’s blend of nostalgia and new hope on Centella is admirable and emotional, which makes listening to her debut a real gem of an experience.

Order your copy of Centella here . Follow Kate Stapley on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Simon Holliday 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: New Haunts – ‘Worlds Left Behind’

A soundtrack for the witching hour, New Haunts‘ debut album Worlds Left Behind is a veiled, intriguing exploration of independence. Fusing elements of coldwave, goth, early industrial and synthpop, she’s crafted a collection of distinctive, ominous sounds.

As the album’s title suggests, New Haunts is caught between the world she inhabits and the world she once knew. She explores this on opening track ‘Ingrained’ through urgent vocal harmonies that rise and fall against a backdrop of slow, scratchy drum sounds. It bleeds into lead single ‘Reactions’, a cold but magnetic offering which laments the simultaneous beauty and horror of having emotional connections. It’s connections like these that make the tortured howls on following track ‘Left Me Cold’ feel so sharp. They contrast well with her tentative and pained vocals during the verses, as foreboding synths underscore another moment of painful clarity.

‘Hymns’ and ‘New Haunts’ take listeners on a gentler electronic turn, with some Kate Bush-style wavering vocals, whilst ‘Waves’ breaks through this ambient interlude with jagged synths and more of New Haunts fluttering, urgent vocals. Its dark, glittering defiance flows into the subdued ‘Same Medicine’, followed by ‘Safe Out Here’ which is full of more brooding synths and wavering vocals.

Whispers of insecurity permeate closing track ‘Ice’ – “and I give it my all / as far as I know / as far as I can” – before abrasive synths push through a “concrete truth.” New Haunts may be at the beginning of her solo journey, but her debut record shows she is well equipped for these intriguing sonic ventures. Fans of Zola Jesus and Kate Bush will approve of her gothic noise on Worlds Left Behind.

Listen to Worlds Left Behind on Spotify & follow New Haunts on Facebook for more updates.

Purchase the album from bandcamp here.

Photo Credit: Katie Murt

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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VIDEO PREMIERE: The Nyx – ‘Keep It Candid’ (Margo’s Living Room, Special Edition)

We’ve made no secret of our love for The Nyx here at GIHEs, so we’re excited to be premiering an exclusive video for their new track ‘Keep It Candid’. Shot in Margo’s Living Room by John Clay at Hermitage Works, the footage shows the band doing what they do best – losing themselves in a cacophony of their own sound.

The Nyx will be playing for Who Run The World at The Victoria on 17th May, alongside Bugeye, Pussyliquor & Militant Girlfriend (RSVP here). Make sure you head down to see the live fury of these ‘Fire Breathing Ladies’ and check out their video for ‘Keep It Candid’ below.

Follow The Nyx on Facebook for more updates.

You can watch more videos by The Nyx on Clark Kent’s Rock and Roll Revue (subscribe not to miss a thing).

Photo Credit: Keira-Anee Photography

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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