Track Of The Day: Well Yeah – ‘Ritmo’

As a fan of instrumental act Los Bitchos, I was excited to discover Well Yeah – a band led by their former guitarist Carolina Faruolo. Describing their latest release ‘Ritmo’ as “Manchester meets Latin America”, I was intrigued. It’s their second single since their debut ‘Hello’, a track combining atmospheric guitar lines and a classic latin pop rhythm. 

‘Ritmo’ starts with a lush synth pad and Santana-style guitar lead, making the Latin American feel immediately obvious. Flowing with a lounge-inspired, chilled out energy, it provides the perfect accompaniment for the the unusually warm English weather we’re having right now. 

As the opening two minutes introduce you to the track’s swirling refrain, it soon builds as Well Yeah cleverly and subtly give us a change in tempo and energy, bringing the song fully to life in a burst of vibrant musicality. The bass steps up to a funkier and more energetic groove, the drums intensify and a rich Hammond organ enters, creating a funk-fuelled retro vibe reminiscent of ’90s rave culture and ’60s psychedelia. 

The song continues at this pace before a moment of quiet where just the bass plays, before hitting us with an colourful climax of synth horns, funky bass and latin rhythms all fused together with polished production. The animated drive of the track brings to mind a fun-filled amalgamation of Primal Scream’s ‘Loaded’, The Happy Mondays, and Peruvian Cumbia band Los Detellos.

Ultimately, instrumental music needs to work harder to keep people engaged, and Well Yeah are certainly a band who can pull it off. If you like this track, give their B-side ‘Magic’ a listen too and cross your fingers to for some gigs in the near future!   

‘Ritmo‘ is out now via Strong Island Recordings and was recorded live in Well Yeah’s own studio in Brunswick Mill, Manchester.

Ella Patenall
@ellapatenall

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EP: deep tan – ‘diamond horsetail’

Infectiously off-kilter, Hackney-based queer punk trio deep tan have re-emerged with their sophomore extended play, diamond horsetail; five minimalistic DIY tracks of uncompromising post post-punk. Following the shimmering psychedelic pop of 2019 singles ‘Air’ and ‘Shimmer’, and the haunting discordant hooks of their subversive debut EP – 2021’s creeping speedwells – diamond horsetail propels deep tan’s otherworldly sound into the exosphere through dissonant guitar riffs, eccentric bass-lines, syncopated rhythm, and intimate vocals. Embracing the seductive allure of their swirling sound, guitarist/vocalist Wafah Dufour, bassist Celeste Guinness and drummer Lucy Rushton will hypnotise listeners into questioning their identity.

Hitting hard with opener ‘beginners’ krav maga’, deep tan explore angular arrangement on a track that is as aggressive as its own namesake; contact combat! Juxtaposed over an irresistible twangy groove, Wafah’s soft, dexterous, and often critical vocals remind us that learning self-defence will unfortunately not help most women feel safe walking alone at night (male violence is an epidemic) – “I stand outside / I bide my time / Wait for the mood to pass / Night-time checklist / Keys in a fist / In the dark can’t relax.”

Inserting itself into your brain, ‘device devotion’ follows as an ode to deep tan’s browser history; the trio share their fascination with (and critique of) internet subcultures – from lobster erotica to vore-porn subreddits – hooking you in with delicate vocal notes and erratic instrumentation. The presence of the world wide web also influences ‘gender expansion pack’, a mostly instrumental track utilising WikiHow hypnosis through subliminal messaging. Underlying spoken word is low-pitched to a subliminal frequency allowing deep tan to challenge cis-het men – “the demographic that buys most of our vinyl” – into exploring their gender.

Caught with his hands down his pants, Rudy Giuliani’s public image melts under deep tan’s sardonic black humour during the “diss track you never asked for” ‘rudy ya ya ya’ – “We’re seeking law advice / ‘Cause he’s a legal eagle supersized / A considerable adversary / Rudy ya ya ya / Giuli ya ya ya!” – before the cathartic title track disturbs with abrasive outbursts of ancient and justified rage.

Maintaining their intensity, deep tan crescendo into a cataclysm of obliterating melody and anthemic vitriol; channelling the chaos of The KLF, the defiant attitude of The Slits, and the gloomy new wave of Joy Division. And yet diamond horsetail isn’t constricted by influence. Every detail has been carefully considered in the creation of deep tan’s strangely addictive sound, further developing their identity through ceaseless DIY punk energy.

diamond horsetail is out now via Practise Music.

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

Photo Credit: Alex Matraxia

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Track Of The Day: Electric Pets – ‘That Way’

‘That Way’, the second single from Electric Pets’ debut EP is a bold, empowering battle-cry for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t fit in. Opening with the raw power of Emma Buckley’s unwavering vocal, the lyrics defiantly tell us who Buckley is and dismiss what others tell her she should be.   

But the song’s intimate, confessional tone soon steps up, buoyed by scuzzy, swaggering guitars, to become a proper garage-infused rock ‘n’ roll banger. Buckley sings: “Maybe I should bite my tongue and try to play the game?” But we know she won’t. This is a front-person – and a band – that doesn’t play by the rules. Of the track, Buckley explains:

“You could say ‘That Way’ is my autobiographical ‘f**k you’ to the music industry. I spent so long being too much of something to someone and not enough of the same thing for someone else. I needed to remind myself who I was.” 

And it really is the perfect redemption song. With its sassy, grown-up pop polish and uncompromising lyrics, ‘That Way’ is a great introduction to a band that are brave and completely badass. More please!

https://open.spotify.com/track/6F5FcWiqbtNzxcPPSpu9mt?si=04458fb72cf94c1a

Vic Conway
@thepicsofvic

‘That Way’ is taken from Electric Pets’ Rhinoceros EP, which is out soon on Reckless Yes records. 

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Five Favourites & Video Premiere: Piney Gir – ‘The Seventh Dial’

Following acclaim for her otherworldly latest EP Alchemy Hand, and having recently shared stages with the likes of Gaz Coombes and Noel Gallagher, London based artist and self-proclaimed witch Piney Gir has now shared a magical new video for latest single ‘The Seventh Dial‘.

Having always been a little witchy, rebelling against her super strict Christian-Kansas upbringing – finding comfort in nature, connecting with creative souls and sensing different energies – she has only recently publicly defined herself as ‘a witch’. And what better way to celebrate this than to share a mystical new video. Floating with a lilting energy and resplendent grace, ‘The Seventh Dial’ oozes a majestic effervescent splendour and colourful ethereal aura as Piney’s honey-sweet vocals flow with a swirling psychedelic allure. A bewitching offering that’ll draw you into the soothing, sparking majesty of Piney Gir’s world.

To celebrate the release of ‘The Seventh Dial’, we spoke to Piney about her Five Favourites – five songs that have inspired this release the most; the witchiest tunes that she relates to and have influenced her on her magical journey. Read about her choices below and make sure you watch the beautiful new video for ‘The Seventh Dial‘ at the bottom of this feature!

This Is The Kit – ‘Moonshine Freeze’
I love this song, firstly because it has that kind of magical-mystical groove thing moving throughout the track that just keeps going like a perpetual-musical rolling-river. Lyrically she talks about the cycle of three, which is literally a reference to Neopaganism; she talks about natural order which appeals to my inner green witch. This Is The Kit will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the first gig I saw after all the Covid lockdowns. It was a show at the Barbican and masks were mandatory, only every 3rd seat was full – it was certainly a ’new normal’ at that point… It was such an emotional show, and they were the perfect band to see for that moment, my gateway back into live music. I may have had a little happy cry.

 Nina Simone – ‘I Put A Spell On You’
Nina Simone puts a spin on this classic blues song originally by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins with lush string orchestration reminiscent of Gerswhin. She smooths out the track with her bewitching, jazz-piano skills, and her voice preserves the raw energy of the original version – it has a gritty, almost other-wordly quality to it! Nina Simone walked among us, but she was not one of us, she was like a voodoo high priestess on another dimension channelling her magic that sometimes feels a little bit dangerous. 

Kate Bush – ‘Cloudbusting’
When I was a kid I used to pretend to make a witch’s potion in the garden – I’d get the biggest pot I could find and fill it with flowers and leaves, berries and twigs. I’d stir the pot and say “Drink the brew… he he he…” in my witchiest voice… One thing I used to fantasise about was having the ability to change the weather – I wanted so badly to unleash sunlight on the grey days. It’s in this song that Kate Bush fantasises about the same thing, and in this video she’s a child too! This song makes me feel more connected to her and also connected to that happy memory as a carefree witchling trying to change the weather! These lyrics say it all and I believe this to be true: “I just know that something good is gonna happen… but just saying it could even make it happen.”

Aldous Harding – ‘The Barrel’
There’s something kind of otherworldly about Aldous Harding and this song summarises her off-kilter, elegant style perfectly. Her lyrics are like poetry, so I’m not entirely sure what she’s on about, but the great thing about poetic lyrics is that they can mean whatever you want them to mean. For me, Aldous represents an outsider, and back in the day she would have definitely been burnt at the stake in Salem along with me and all my friends (she’s dressed like a Salem witch in this video!). Perhaps that scar in our matriarchal history is not something to celebrate, but it’s important that we don’t forget the suffering of the women that paved the way for women today, and it’s songs like this one that helps me find a way to honour our herstory.

The Warlocks – ‘Song For Nico’
As a believer in equal opportunity, I thought it might be nice to celebrate our brothers from another mother – The Warlocks – because not all witches identify as female, and not all warlocks are male – it’s not really about gender, it’s about equality. This song celebrates Nico, goddess of The Velvet Underground, and is a deep cut from The Warlocks second album Rise and Fall. It came out a long time ago now, but the psych-rock, reverb-drenched guitars sound timeless; Nico will always be a will-o’-the-wisp for me, and apparently she inspired The Warlocks too!

Massive thanks to Piney Gir for sharing her witchy Five Favourites with us! Watch the beautiful new video for ‘The Seventh Dial’ below:

Alchemy Hand, the latest EP from Piney Gir, is out now via Reckless Yes.

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