Promoting and Supporting Women in Music
This week Tash and Mari played the usual array of fantastic new music, including tunes from Dream Nails, LibraLibra, LIINES, Hero Fisher and RYD.
They also had the lovely Heka live in the studio who talked about her new Singles Collection and captivated us with some beautiful live tracks.
Listen back to the show here:
A sonic force to be reckoned with, Melbourne-based duo Divide & Dissolve‘s second album Abomination, released via Dero Arcade is a collection of heavy-instrumentals designed to “decolonize, dismantle white supremacy and empower people of colour & Indigenous people.”
Together, Takiaya Reed (saxophone, guitar, live effects) and Sylvie Nehill (drums, live effects) seek to undermine the forces that oppress them. The duo have been receiving praise and support since the release of their debut Basic in March 2017, which earned them the accolade of ‘Best Heavy Album’ at The Age Music Victoria Awards. This year they’ve been granted a support slot with Poliça on their forthcoming US tour, and after listening to Abomination, it’s easy to see why Divide & Dissolve are currently in demand.
Opening the album is the eponymous ‘Abomination’. It’s five minutes and fifty seconds of unnerving riffs and ceaseless cymbals, crashing together to form a desolate but powerful soundscape. It paves the way for eerie second track ‘Assimilation’, poised between chaos and calm from the moment it starts. There’s an intense power in the lack of lyrical content on these songs, which feels reflective of the repressed minorities the pair seek to support with their music. ‘Cultural Extermination’ is another shining example of this.
The spoken word from Minori Sanchiz-Fung on ‘Reversal’ is incredibly poignant. “By using English, I have let out many violent spirits. Words that I trust would in English, fling themselves against the wall,” speaks Minori from her “Immigrant Mind” in a composed, but visceral manner. Subtle, reverb-heavy guitar scores her incredible poetry, making this collaboration an intriguing and important listen. ‘Resistance’ follows with its manic sax sounds that ring out like defiant sirens in the face of adversity, resisting all notions of conformity.
The brief but bold ‘Re-appropriation’ demands immediate attention with more of the Divide & Dissolve’s crashing cymbals and abrasive riffs, before the penultimate ‘Reparations’ seeks to musically right the wrongs that white supremacy and patriarchy have inflicted on indigenous communities. Its slow-building, atmospheric nature seethes and soothes in equal measure, before ‘Indigenous Sovereignty’ closes this exploration of the unheard.
The eight tracks on Abomination are a platform on which Divide & Dissolve “transform the experience of space and time” and draw on the experiences of their ancestors and surroundings to create their unique and extraordinary sounds. It’s instrumentalist activism that seeks to disrupt the norm – and we love it.
Abomination is available to stream & download now. Follow Divide & Dissolve on Facebook for more updates.
Photo Credit: @annasnowsill
Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut
“Your body is not your own, you are public property…”
Dream Nails front-woman Janey rages in the refrain of our favourite Feminist Punk Witches’ new song, appropriately entitled ‘Vagina Police’. Accompanied by an all-female produced new video (Guen Murroni, Kay Czuba, Georgina Orpin), it’s a witty but poignant representation of the song’s message; that women are not allowed to have autonomy over their own bodies. As we see the band dressed as police swooping in to prevent women buying condoms, taking contraceptives or visiting the gynaecologist, you can’t help but notice the truth in it – women’s reproductive rights are still being controlled and restricted (sometimes completely), in various ways, across the world today. However, the video has a happy ending, as the police are lured into a van, following a trail of doughnuts, and taken away. Phew!
Racing with the band’s trademark punk-fuelled energy, ‘Vagina Police’ packs a punch with its riotous, fist-clenching power as infectious riffs provide a driving force alongside Janey’s seething, impassioned vocals. It’s another formidable offering that proves once again just why we need Dream Nails in our lives; at times like this, we need bands like them more than ever – a group willing to combine activism and music to form a unifying force against the patriarchy. A group who create sparkling, energy-filled tracks that succeed in inspiring and motivating girls everywhere to get to the front and make our voices heard.
Watch the new video for ‘Vagina Police’ here:
‘Vagina Police’ is just one half of the new double A-side 7″ from Janey, Anya, Lucy and Mimi, with the equally powerful ‘Fascism Is Coming’ on the other side. Of the tracks, Janey explains:
“They’re on two sides of the same vinyl because they’re two sides of the
same coin. On a political level, fascism promotes nationalism and population control; on a personal level this manifests in restrictions on bodily autonomy via systemic sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, racism, classism and xenophobia. Two powerful songs with a “rough and ready DIY punk sound, because that’s who we are”
Along with the 7” (or available separately), the band have also produced
a fantastic and informative accompanying 40-page curated zine (‘Your Body is Not Your Own – Articles About Reproductive Justice’) with twenty one different contributors about reproductive justice – “Intersectional feminism is a lifelong journey of listening and solidarity, so we wanted to use our platform as a band to give space for different voices.”
100% of the proceeds from this release go to raise funds for Abortion Support Network (ASN), which provides accommodation and financial assistance to women forced to travel from Ireland to England to have an abortion. An incredibly worthy cause.
‘Vagina Police’/’Fascism Is Coming’ is out now and available to order from Bandcamp.
Mari Lane
@marimindles
Photo Credit: Poppy Marriott
Kate and Tash, the Dynamic Duo, hit the mics this week delivering the latest in new music from Sweat Threats, Half Waif, EM Briar and The Go! Team. They also discussed their future music careers…unconfirmed.
Be sure to tune in next week when Beckie Margaret will be in the studio for a chat and a live session!
Listen back to the show here:
[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/HoxtonRadio/get-in-her-ears-talks-unconfirmed/ width=100% height=120 hide_cover=1]
