NEW TRACK: Nina Keith – ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’

A comforting, gentle reminder to let go of negativity and doubt, LA-based trans artist, producer and composer Nina Keith has shared her latest single, ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’. Featuring the vocals of indie pop artist Barrie and composer and musician Qur’an Shaheed, the track is a considered, delicate blend of lilting electronics, fragmented voices and crisp production, all of which melt together to create an exquisite, emotive listening experience.

Mixing classical, contemporary and experimental elements into her production, Keith’s skills as a multi-instrumentalist are all the more impressive when you take into consideration that she did not undertake any formal training. Born in Philadelphia, Keith took a DIY route into music, relying on her own ears, experiences of EMDR therapy and her musings on life, death and the afterlife in order to translate her feelings into sound. The result was her debut album, MARANASATI 19111, which she released in 2019, and now she is back with her new single ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’.

“Lately the more I wear the turmoil of my life on my sleeve the more often I find myself in conversations with strangers and loved ones that reach a similar end,” Keith explains about the context of her new track. “I can never be the one to tell someone to burn it down and start over. They see the ash stains on my shirt and ask to borrow a match so they can play with it, save it for later, but sometimes it’s like ‘girl, the house is already on fire, you can’t stay in there’. This song is sort of a small prayer in lieu of words I can never seem to speak in those moments. Divorce your husband, start an onlyfans, borrow friend’s hormones, take them for fun, sell your stuff, buy rare beanie babies with the money, whatever you have to do. There is only so much time left.”

This quiet urgency permeates ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’, which was written during a turbulent time when Keith was moving to Los Angeles. The song is accompanied by visuals that were created by Canadian artist Nik Arthur. They follow the movement of evaporating water droplets, which beautifully compliment the rippling, shimmering quality of Keith’s composition.

Listen below ‘Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)’ below.

Follow Nina Keith on bandcamp, Spotify, Twitter & Instagram

Photo Credit: Mad Bishop

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LISTEN: GIHE on Soho Radio with ARXX (26.06.23)

Tash, Kate and Mari were all in the studio together for June’s edition of the Get In Her Ears Soho Radio show! They played loads of new music from some of their favourite female, non-binary and LGBTQIA+ artists, and Tash made a poignant speech about Trans Rights and the importance of supporting trans artists during Pride month, and all year round. There was an eclectic mix of tracks on the playlist too, including Planningtorock, CLT DRP, Lauren Auder, Problem Patterns, Jackie Shane, Ratboys, Dream Wife, Speakers Corner Quartet, Fraulein and more!

The team caught up with total faves Hanni and Clara aka ARXX. The pair came into the studio to talk about the reaction to their debut album, Ride Or Die, which they released in March this year, their impressive touring schedule – including shows with The Vamps, Yungblud and MUNA – and their undying love for Avril Lavigne (which Kate also harbors too.) The GIHE team also reminisced about the first time ARXX were guests on a GIHE radio show back in June 2019, which you can listen to here.

Listen back to our most recent show below:

 

We’ll be back on Soho Radio on Monday 24th July from 12-2pm!

Tracklist
Jackie Shane – Sticks and Stones
Planningtorock – Transome
Problem Patterns – Letter Of Resignation
ARXX – Ride Or Die
**Interview with ARXX**
CLT DRP – Nothing Clever, Just Feelings
Dream Wife – Leech
Cable Ties – Thoughts Back
Ratboys – It’s Alive
Yvonne Ambrée – Outtamymouth
Speakers Corner Quartet – Fix
Sprints – Adore Adore Adore
House Of Women – Hysterical
Hera Lind – Hungry Lion
heka – april (away)
Girl Ray – Everybody’s Saying That
Fraulein – Big Cool
The Crystal Furs – Gay Bar (Electric Six Cover)
Grrrl Gang – Spunky
Beverley Glenn-Copeland – Africa Calling
Gazelle Twin & NYX – Deep England
Hand Habits – The Bust Of Nefertiti
F*Choir – Dying
Lauren Auder – we2assume2many2roles
Chroma – Woman To Woman
Breakup Haircut – Out Of My Way (I’m Not Getting On The Nightbus)
Anohni and The Johnsons – It Must Change

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ALBUM: Weekend Recovery – ‘Esoteric’

A welcome follow-up to their riotous recent singles, Weekend Recovery’s latest third album Esoteric builds on the distinct sound the band has built for themselves.

The album leaps into action with ‘Chemtrails’, the wildly catchy refutation to misinformation that dropped late last year. It keeps the energy high for the next few tracks, solidifying the unique flavour of this band. Continuing the fierce attitude of ‘Chemtrails’, ‘Dangerous’ blasts into the ears with its fast drums and throbbing bass, juxtaposed with its subtle lyrics that are gifted a profound sense of social commentary by the sirens remixed into the background.

Third track, ‘In The Crowd’, features the album’s first guest appearance. Joel Arthur’s (Hydeout) vocals on this and also ‘No Saint’ later on offer a rich deep contrast to those offered by Weekend Recovery’s vocalist Lori. The way the two voices play off each make for a striking mirror and adds depth to the songs on which he appears – his softer bass rumble platforming Lori’s rich tones in a way that heightens the attitude in them.

Lori’s vocals in every song are imbued with a sardonic, sarcastic weight. It’s particularly evident in ‘I Don’t Like You Anyway’, which has fantastic amounts of sass and is pitched perfectly. Every jab she makes feels like you’re siding with her against the world, never the target of her derision.

The title track comes at the midpoint of the album. ‘Esoteric’ is wonderfully chosen to demonstrate how skilled this band can be. The heavy bass line and quick drums set the stage for the vocals and fuzzy guitars to scream, aching with feeling and capturing the essence of what makes Weekend Recovery unique.

The album mellows out as it goes on, flexing the band’s versatility and offering a counter to the rough attitude you’ve come to expect. The gentle tracks are no less powerful or memorable than the ones that roar, however; ‘Her’ being a stand out. The dips in pace launch into new emotional heights, using the layers of music to carry you along with its mood, before leaping back into the familiar Weekend Recovery punch of ‘No Guts All The Glory’.

The arrangement takes you on a finely crafted emotional journey. The soft vulnerable songs feel like they’re exposing a hidden truth beneath the upbeat angry ones, hinting at a soft reaction to the same infuriating subject matters. Each song is a joy to experience on its own, but the relationship between the tracks carries a lot of power. The movement between songs tells its own story, whilst the construction of the album as a whole shows off how much thought and effort Weekend Recovery have put into constructing their music. 

Esoteric is out now via Criminal Records. Catch Weekend Recovery live at Tramlines Festival in Sheffied on 23rd July.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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LISTEN: Malka – ‘Matriarch’

Tamara Schlesinger has been making music for over fifteen years, first as the leader of alt-folk collective 6 Day Riot and since 2014 as a solo artist under the name MALKA. Her music has been featured on Hollywood blockbusters and TV series (127 Hours, Scream IV and Skins), and across MTV and Netflix. So, now, 2023 sees the return of MALKA with her upcoming synth-based album, Anatomy of Sight.

‘Matriarch‘, the second single to be taken from the album (following ‘Flashlight’), further expands MALKA’s journey into synths and solo production; and as the opener sets the tone for the album as a whole. Of the track, MALKA explains:

“(Matriarch is about) that feeling of trying to juggle everything, trying to find that balance in life and wondering whether you have made the right decisions along the way. But it is also about that fierce pride of succeeding with something, especially when you have achieved it alone.”

The song begins with an eerily ethereal chime – an organ-like/slide guitar sound – quickly leading into the intro where MALKA’S voice is centred and layered, among the bouncy ’80s synths, becoming expansive as the chorus builds. Emanating both light and shade with its swirling soundscape, the second verse oozes a sense of vulnerability, the lyrics alluding to leaving a bad situation and starting over – “change the story now, every page just feels the same”. Moments of confusion are displayed in the voice distortion of the middle-eight, whilst the empowering chorus returns throughout; reminding us of those bitter sweet moments when navigating personal adversity. A shimmering, stirring reflection on life’s challenges and achievements.

Anatomy Of Sight, the upcoming new album from Malka, is set for release on 29th September via Tantrum Records.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

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