Five Favourites: Atka

Having just released her debut EP, The Eye Against The Ashen Sky, London-based, Brandenburg-born artist Atka creates captivating cinematic soundscapes. Drawing on her studies into philosophy, intertwined with personal reflections on shame and paranoia, the EP shimmers with a dark, haunting energy throughout. A truly stirring collection showcasing the beguiling majesty of this innovative artist.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of The Eye Against The Ashen Sky, we caught up with Atka to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. Read about her five favourite albums and watch the video for latest single ‘Eye In The Sky’ below!

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures 
I’m gonna be honest, it was H&M who introduced me to Unknown Pleasures. I must have been fourteen or fifteen when they started printing the album logo on t-shirts everywhere in Germany. At the time, I was very into metal and hardcore, particularly System Of A Down. That was what was big in Germany, and classic rock of course. I hadn’t come across a lot of British music until then, particularly British post-punk. It took me a few attempts to listen to it and get what the whole genre is about, but once I understood it, it completely changed how I listened to and made music. I felt as if, for the first time, I gave myself permission to let myself be taken somewhere by music instead of stubbornly steering the ship to make something “good”, nails digging into the wheel and all.

Kraftwerk – Kraftwerk 1 
Growing up in Germany obviously the name “Kraftwerk” has been floating around my orbit for as long as I can remember, though not as frequently as one might think. However, it was only a few years ago that I made an effort digging through the Kraftwerkian back catalogue and that’s when I discovered their first album, Kraftwerk 1. I remember sitting on the couch listening to it and my eyes just widening and jaw dropping further with every passing minute. I couldn’t believe it. They were constructing this electronic feeling music with orchestral instruments, flutes and all. This was exactly what I was trying to do with my record but reversed. I instead took electronic signals and gave them an organic, wood-like, orchestral touch – like in ‘Child of Rage’ – wanting to create a middle ground between the artificial and the organic.

Broadcast – Tender Buttons 
I started listening to Broadcast about three years ago and got addicted to their whole catalogue. Each album is so very different, but Tender Buttons is definitely my favourite. Trish’s vocals are magically swaying over the beautifully organic, rough and sometimes distorted instrumentals, giving it the perfect balance – tender is really the perfect word for it. And the lyrics are straight up brilliant, I mean: “awkwardness happening to someone you love”. I aspire to one day make something that is only half as good as what they did. They are probably my biggest inspiration. And I think that their influence on me will become only more evident as I put more music out. I am still digesting, if you know what I mean.

Perfume Genius – No Shape 
This is a truly spectral piece of work, in terms of production and experiments in song structure. I don’t know how they achieved half of the sounds on this record – hats off to Blake Mills, what a brilliant producer! Perfume Genius’ music has inspired me to just do whatever the heck I want – out of the window with standard song structure. Do I really want to have the drums to come in at only 1.30min? Definitely! Do I really need one minute of instrumental tail at the end of every other track? Yes I do. Does a song need a goddamn pay-off at some point? Hell no.

LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening 
LCD Soundsystem to me is pure ecstasy. Every time I listen to this record I hear something new and I draw a lot of inspiration for instrumentation and what kind of backdrop suits which kind of song. I heard ‘Dance Yourself Clean’ for the first time when I was twenty one driving on a road trip through Scandinavia with my family, in a VW Transporter that I’d converted. I was driving for three weeks from Berlin to Aarhus, Gothenburg, up to Bergen and all the way back – it was a hell of a drive, jamming out to this record. I saw them live at Brixton Academy and they were phenomenal – it was just one big party!

Huge thanks to Atka for sharing her five favourites with us!

The Eye Of The Ashen Storm is out now. Catch her live tonight in London at Studio 9294 supporting Lucrecia Dalt.

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WATCH: Sheherazaad – ‘Mashoor’

Having grown in up in San Francisco in a second generation immigrant household, Brooklyn based artist Sheherazaad fuses influences from both Western classical and her own South Asian sonic lineage through her exquisite interwoven soundscapes.

Drawing on themes of displacement and nostalgia with a contemporary, genre-defying spirit, Sheherazaad’s debut single ‘Mashoor’ showcases her ability to blend a stirring alternative folk musicality with experimental techniques, exuding a contemporary, genre-defying spirit. With a spellbinding rippling allure, her sumptuous vocals flow throughout, allowing ‘Mashoor’ to immerse the listener in its soaring splendour on first listen.

‘Mashoor’ is accompanied by a moving video. Filmed throughout New York in extreme weather, it is a beautiful representation of worlds colliding; combining a South Asian immigrant story with America’s historical fabric. Watch now:

‘Mashoor’ is out now via Erased Tapes. It was recorded at The Glass Wall in Brooklyn, produced by Arooj Aftab, mixed by J. Valleau, and mastered by Heba Kadry. It features performances by Ria Modak on classical guitar, Gilbert Mansour on percussion, and additional vocal mixing by Runar Blesvik.

Photo Credit: Zayira Ray

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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WATCH: deep tan – ‘xenomorph queen’

Having been a big fan of London’s deep tan for a few years now, I’m excited to see that – following last year’s diamond horsetail EP – they’re back with a brand new single, and new line-up, ahead of their live shows supporting QOTSA on tour next month.

Reflecting on themes of matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, ‘xenomorph queen’ oozes all the discordant immersive allure that we’ve come to know and love from the trio. Instantly captivating the senses with its mystical ethereal majesty, it showcases deep tan’s ability to create their own truly unique brand of other-worldly angular post-punk.

Of the track, the band expand:

“‘xenomorph queen’ witnesses the real star of the alien franchise in a new context: in the throes of a lesbian romance. a sensual – but still punk – track about matriarchy, queer parenting and sapphic love, this close encounter offers a new, intergalactic perspective on #hotmilfsinyourarea #xenomilf”

‘xenomorph queen’ is accompanied by an animated new video; in equal parts playful and enthralling. Watch it now:

‘xenomorph queen‘ is out now via Practise Music.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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ALBUM: Grrrl Gang – ‘Spunky’

Upbeat from the opening bars, Indonesian rising stars Grrrl Gang’s debut album, Spunky!, lures you in with a colourful, bouncy mood, only to blindside you with darkly reflective lyrics. Given the first track is called ‘Birthday Blues’, this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but the depth of the emotional journey this band takes you on can still feel like a sucker-punch.

The album is a case study in dissatisfaction with early adulthood. The first few tracks are all high energy and exciting; at a glance, they are the perfect picture of a fun party lifestyle, but the lyrics deliver a different picture. The birthday is unsatisfying – no longer a celebration, but ageing into a directionless adulthood. Bar-hopping feels like shallow entertainment, business school doesn’t afford the opportunities it once promised… A fight breaks out in a karaoke bar. The joy in these songs are surface level, and reality rudely forces itself on you no matter how hard you try to stay optimistic.

The single ‘Cool Girl‘, with its absolute encapsulation of isolation in a crowd, sits comfortably in the middle of the album, marking a turning point for the whole mood. The preceding tracks sow the seeds of doubt about a life being lived because it’s what is expected, building up to a breaking point with ‘Cool Girl’.

From this point onwards, Spunky! shifts its tone dramatically, becoming abruptly vulnerable. The next track, ‘Better Than Life’, cuts through all the pretend optimism. It hits you with the upfront “I feel caged in my body/I’ve been flirting with death” delivered in a direct and deadpan style, whilst the rebellious, self-destructive appearance of previous tracks drops away in exchange for a brutally honest depiction of how the world tears at your mental health. This is followed by ‘Tower Moment’, a moody instrumental piece that makes you sit with the feelings the album so far has raised.

The mood shifts again with ‘Mother’s Prayer’; a poignant moment of reflection. The sense of isolation lingers on this track, despite it being specifically about the people who care – “My mother’s prayers/Can only get me so far”. There’s a realisation that demands a moment of quiet to digest, before the understanding comes that the only actual choice you have is to carry on.

Spunky! draws to a close with a sense of hope to it. ‘Blue-Stained Lips’ in a love song; the liveliness of the music has a lot more body to it than the counterparts at the beginning of the album. Insecurities still linger, but they are gentler now, acknowledged but overruled by the brighter tunes. The album ends with ‘The Star’, which addresses the work required to get to a truly healthy place, but with a firmly optimistic attitude – you can’t help but be convinced that things are about to get better, that moving past the struggle is not only possible, but getting closer every day. Some of the most wholesome moments in this track are also the simplest – “I look in the mirror/And I like what I see”.

Having been featured in the likes of NME and Spin, with Spunky Grrrl Gang showcase their ability to fuse together their empowering riotous punk energy with a poignant raw honesty and relatable fizzing emotion. Uplifting and cathartic in equal measure.

Spunky!, the debut album from Grrrl Gang, is out now via Trapped Animal, and via legendary label Kill Rock Stars in America. Order here.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

Photo Credit: Tiny Studio

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