Also featur in g
14 of
Four bold voices standing their ground in 2021
FREE â€Ë ISSUE 104 â€Ë FEB 2021 DIYMAG.COM
Represent! Represent!
Represent!
Represent!
Goat Represent! Girl
I think we need to work g lin fee n tha her rat es tim r ou h wit Represent! Represent! lost within them.
lo w thai &s
Cover
sty
DIY Represent!
Waves, Rico N e l a Pa
âAvailable on vinyl, CD and cassetteâ 2 DIYMAG.COM
PALEWAVES.CO.UK
DIRT Y HI T
3
2 DIYMAG.COM
QUESTION! Following on from Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander's already iconic turn in recent drama It's A Sin, we ask: what other pop starsturned-actors have we most enjoyed gracing the silver screen? SARAH JAMIESON ⢠Managing Editor While, as a child, I was utterly besotted with Brandy and Whitney Houston in Cinderella, Iâve gotta give credit where creditâs due: Fall Out Boyâs Pete Wentz appearing in One Tree Hill will never quite be beaten. EMMA SWANN ⢠Founding Editor As Iâm still yet to watch Dunkirk, Janelle MonĂĄe was so good in Hidden Figures I literally forgot she was a pop star, so probably that. LISA WRIGHT ⢠Features Editor Yeah yeah, loads of musicians have turned out to be genuinely brilliant, Oscar-worthy talents, but will there ever be a better pop/ film crossover than Spice World? My nineyear-old self would tell me to stop right now with any other suggestions.
ISSUE PLAYLIST
LOUISE MASON ⢠Art Director With hand on heart, I can say David Bowie plays one of my favourite giant metal teapots to date, in Twin Peaks: The Return. ELLY WATSON ⢠Digital Editor The correct answer is quite clearly the Jo Bros in the iconic timeless classic that is Camp Rock.
Scan the Spotify code to listen to our February playlist now.
FEBRUARY LISTENING POST
EDITOR'S LETTER g in
rm tâs been wo
Wha
s this month?
Sarah Jamieson, Managing Editor
ole
And on the subject of trailblazers, everyone at Team DIY would like to send their love and support to the family and friends of SOPHIE, who tragically passed away as this issue was going to print. An icon of liberation, may SOPHIEâs artistic spirit live on for all of us.
r-h
Our February issue sees us take a closer look at some of the artists fighting their corners and using music to tackle everything from politics to sexuality, vulnerability to identity, and so much more. Featuring Rico Nasty, Goat Girl, slowthai and Pale Waves, our four cover acts are trailblazers in their own right, and weâre incredibly excited to share this issue with you.
und DIYâs co
ea
While things in 2021 may not have gotten off to the start weâd all been hoping for, the new year has made good on its promise of bringing a slew of incredible new records. And with so many artists putting out brilliant music out right now, we wanted to celebrate; so celebrate we have, by releasing four different covers this month.
a ro
lle ct iv e DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 IS 4 LOVERS Toronto noiseniks DFA return with their fourth slab of delightfully abrasive dance punk and an aim, they say, to show that âthe format can be more than what weâve made it previously, that weâre not trapped stylisticallyâ. Set your speakers to âLOUDâ.
it s
y wa
GENESIS OWUSU - SMILING WITH NO TEETH Mutating from an opening instrumental thatâs Death Grips-like in its intensity through future funk, smooth hip hop, riffy punches and more, the debut from Australiaâs Genesis should see him rightfully hailed as an early breakout star of 2021. SERPENTWITHFEET DEACON A concept album of sorts exploring themes of Black, gay love, LA artist serpentwithfeetâs incoming second builds on 2018 debut âsoilâ, taking its name from the orderly church figure âto create something that felt calm and restrained,â he explains.
3
c o n t e n t s
NEWS 6 FOO FIGHTERS 10 BICEP 12 HALL OF FAME 15 NILĂFER YANYA 16 HELLO 2021 NEU 18 CLAUD 20 YARD ACT 22 IVORIAN DOLL 24 LAUREN AUDER FEATURES 26 RICO NASTY 32 GOAT GIRL 36 SHAME 40 PALE WAVES 46 ARLO PARKS 50 SLOWTHAI REVIEWS 56 ALBUMS
Shout out to: Union 206 and Jesse Draxler for his superlative efforts in making our Rico cover shoot happen, Studio 101 in Deptford, all at slowthai's Northampton HQ, our buddies at The state51 Conspiracy for helping make Hello 2021 such a glorious success (rewatch it on YouTube now!), Tony at House of Vans for keeping us in fresh creps, and every single Netflix trash show, Deliveroo order and glimmer of sun thatâs kept us going throughout the last testing month. Roll on, SpringâŚ
Founding Editor Emma Swann Managing Editor Sarah Jamieson Features Editor Lisa Wright Digital Editor Elly Watson Art Direction & Design Louise Mason Contributors: Alex CabrĂŠ, Aliya Chaudhry, Ash Cooper, Bella Martin, Ben Lynch, Ben Tipple, Brian Coney, Charlotte Gunn, Chris Hamilton-Peach, Dave Beech, Ed Miles, Eloise Bulmer, Felix Rowe, Gemma Samways, Holly Whitaker, Jack Doherty, Jack Johnstone Orr, Jenessa Williams, Jesse Draxler, Joe Goggins, Louis Griffin, Olivia White, Ollie Rankine, Sean Kerwick, Will Richards. Cover Photos: Rico Nasty by Jesse Draxler, Pale Waves and slowthai by Ed Miles, Goat Girl by Holly Whitaker. This page and page 3 photos by Ed Miles. For DIY editorial: info@diymag.com For DIY sales: advertise@diymag.com For DIY stockist enquiries: stockists@diymag.com DIY HQ, Unit K309, The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London SE16 4DG
m
All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of DIY. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which DIY holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of DIY or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.
4 DIYMAG.COM
5
e h t t u o b a ll a is s r te h Foo Fig hang factor. Itâs our own
fuckedup little family.â - Taylor Hawkins
6 DIYMAG.COM
Celebrating 25 years in the game with a tenth album intent on treading new ground, Taylor Hawkins opens the door to âMedicine at Midnightâ and the wild world of being a Foo Fighter. Words: Charlotte Gunn.
I
n the absence of stadium tours, adoring fans and rocking out on a nightly basis, Taylor Hawkins - one sixth of Foo Fighters and one of the worldâs most accomplished drummers - has found a new way to get his kicks.
âI just walk around with a giant cup of fucking PG Tips, man,â he says slightly manically on the phone from his home in Hidden Hills, California. âI call it English speed. By the end of the day thereâs like, five bags in there. Itâs awesome! Thatâs the way The Beatles made music.â
medicine
magic &
Fans are in for a few surprises when they eventually get their ears âround âMedicine At Midnightâ this month. While unmistakably a Foo Fighters record, it pushes their sound into new realms, with soulful backing vocals, groovy riffs and a whole lot of percussion making it more akin to Sly and the Family Stone than, say, Taylorâs faves, Queen.
Whether The Beatles were referring to a nice cuppa cha when they sang, âI need a fix, cos Iâm going downâ is a debate for another time, however, because Taylor Hawkins is here to talk about the new and very long-awaited tenth Foo Fighters album, âMedicine At Midnightâ: an altogether funkier affair than anything weâve heard before from the globally-massive rockers, and a record fans were expecting nine months ago.
The band is still very much Dave Grohlâs baby, he explains, and these days making a record is not dissimilar from how Foo Fighters started out 25 years ago, when Dave WAS the band. âFor the most part, he has stuff pretty mapped out,â Taylor admits of the process, which sees demos of nearly all the songs laid down by Dave before theyâre taken to Taylor, bassist Nate Mendel, guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear and keyboardist Rami Jaffee to record their individual parts.
âI canât really whinge about that too much,â Taylor says of the bandâs 25th anniversary celebrations and album launch being unsurprisingly paused. âOwww, our plans to put out our record got spoiled, waaaah,â he says, adopting a comically nasal tone. âThereâs too many other people out there having an actual real hard time, so fuck it, you know?â
âWe do have a bit of collaboration sometimes - âWaiting On A Warâ, âChasing Birdsâ and âLove Dies Youngâ [from the new record] were born in the old-school way - but Dave knew exactly the type of record he wanted to make: something groovy and less hard rock. Weâd never done disco before, so why not?â
7
With that in mind, then, were there any elements of Album Ten that Taylor was unsure about on first listen? âWhen we started making drum loops, I definitely had my hesitations, and in some way I still do,â he nods - not unsurprising from a musician who loves to play hard and fast. âBut in order to get that metronomic, mind-numbing, you-can-just-dance-to-it groove, you have to use a loop.â Lead single, âShame Shameâ makes use of this technique (âIt was the shortest day at work Iâve ever had...â) and the result is a moody earworm - made great, in part, by its repetitive beat. So what convinced our man behind the pedal that Dave was on to something? âWell, you start to remember that âDonât Bring Me Downâ by ELO is a drum loop; âJane Saysâ by Janeâs Addiction is a drum loop; âAnother One Bites The Dustâ is a fucking drum loop...â Ah, Queen, of course. Taylor Hawkins really loves Queen.
C
onsidering that âMedicine At Midnightâ was pretty much finished by the end of 2019, thatâs a whole lotta downtime for a band who should have been at least once around the world by now. âIâve been doing little musical projects,â Taylor says of how heâs been occupying himself. âMy buddy Dave Navarro from Janeâs [Addiction and formerly Red Hot Chili Peppers] asked me to be the drummer for some things that
he was doing, and then we started writing some songs together as well, which will probably eventually turn into some sort of record.â Jam sessions with famous friends aside, however, much like us normos, Taylor has been spending a lot of time at home and, after buying his 11-year-old daughter a record player for Christmas, is delighting in sharing his vinyl collection with her. âI gave her âZiggy StardustâŚâ and I gave her The Who âWhoâs Nextâ and Queenâs âThe Gameâ. She listens to a whole record while she's putting up LED lights in her room and making her own little rockânâroll sanctuary.â Taylor pauses: âI donât mean a HOLE record. She wouldnât listen to a Hole record,â he chuckles. âWell I donât know, maybe she would! The first coupla Hole records are pretty good - especially the one Kurt Cobain wrote...â Since our call, Foo Fighters played at the inauguration of President Biden, the weight of which was not lost on the band (âWe couldnât do four more years of that fucking clownâ). Itâs not your average album launch, but then Foo Fighters arenât your average band. âYou know Dave doesnât really need me to play drums - he could play everything himself,â Taylor admits.âBut Foo Fighters is all about the hang factor. Itâs a culture, almost, and itâs our own fucked-up little family.â Stick the kettle on - after 25 years, thereâs still some magic brewing. 'Medicine At Midnight' is out now via Roswell / Columbia. DIY
8 DIYMAG.COM
2021:THEBIGONES
As well as Dave and coâs newest, 2021 looks set to welcome a haul of other big hitters. Hereâs how the yearâs megastar output is shaping up so far.
LANA DEL REY
Chemtrails Over the Country Club Due: 19th March
BLEACHERS
LDRâs been racking up more column inches around her controversies than her actual, yâknow, songs of late - not least following the unveiling of the artwork for the singerâs forthcoming seventh LP. However with next monthâs âChemtrailsâŚâ just around the corner, and having raised her own bar sky high with 2019 predecessor âNorman Fucking Rockwell!â, Lanaâs still got the potential to come through and flip the narrative yet again.
âTBA' / Due: TBA Thereâs making a comeback, and then thereâs making a comeback by casually dropping a track featuring Actual Bruce Springsteen. A baller move by any standards, but Novemberâs âChinatownâ single shouldnât really have been that much of a surprise; having produced albums for - among others - Taylor, Lorde, Lana and FKA Twigs in recent years, Jack Antonoffâs phonebook is hardly lacking. It makes the prospect of a new Bleachers album (confirmed in December for 2021) an even more enticing prospect. In terms of star pulling power, this could be the motherload.
KINGS OF LEON âWhen You See Yourselfâ Due: 5th March Two years off the 20th anniversary of their debut, and gearing up to release their eighth, the Followills are veterans of the game these days. Theyâve gone from feral family band to stadium-selling superstars and/ or sell-outs (delete according to viewpoint), and now on âWhen You See Yourselfâ, Caleb, Nathan, Jared and Matthew claim to have penned their âmost personalâ effort to date. See what that entails at the start of March.
ST VINCENT âTBA' / Due: TBA âThe rumours are true. New record âlocked and loadedâ for 2021. Canât wait for you to hear it,â tweeted St. Vincent in December, thus giving fans of both riffheavy art rock and albums with pictures of neon arses on the cover (shout out 2017âs superlative âMasseductionâ!) a very exciting Christmas present. Sheâs already stated that the record is indebted to Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone and âthe colour palette of the world of Taxi Driverâ, but youâd be a fool to second guess any of St. Vinnieâs next moves until she deploys them herself.
KANYE WEST âDonda' / Due: TBA Slated for release in July 2020, Kanyeâs upcoming tenth named after his late mother - is still yet to land. Juneâs lead single âWash Us In The Bloodâ is on it; âNah Nah Nahâ (his, ahem, Presidential campaign song) might be on it. Letâs see how this one unfurlsâŚ
BROCKHAMPTON âTBA'x2 / Due: TBA Back last May, Brockhamptonâs de facto leader Kevin Abstract declared that the self-styled âbest boy band since One Directionâ would be releasing two full-length LPs before the year was out. That, much like everything in 2020, turned out to be a load of shit. Donât leave us hanging much longer guys.
ADELE âTBA' / Due: TBA Alan Carrâs said itâs âamazingâ. What more do you need to know, eh!
9
TOGETH ER
I N E L E C T R O N I C
10 DIYMAG.COM
âWe canât be fighting amongst ourselves when weâre fighting the government as well.â - MATTHEW MCBRIAR
DR
BICEPâs second record âIslesâ is the ultimate anti-2021 release: an electronic record made for the club that celebrates cultural unity and diversity. As such, itâs exactly the album to give us all a slice of much-needed hope. Words: Joe Goggins.
B
icep are reflecting on the last time they knew normality - back in March 2020 when, having been forced to cancel a Brixton Academy show that had been a year in the planning, they were applying the finishing touches to the writing of second album âIslesâ. The Belfast duo, Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar, had spent the entirety of 2019 working on the record, finding out the hard way that theyâre not the kind of songwriters to find themselves struck by divine inspiration, able to pump out a track in an afternoon. Instead, the ten songs that make up their second came together as months-long construction projects, born out of countless hours of jamming and experimentation. Thatâs true of both the reflective side of the record (opener âAtlasâ is an exercise in Technicolor introspection) and the clubbier cuts. âWe need to spend half a day on a song, on eight or nine different [occasions], over a long period,â explains Ferguson. âAnd we have to be in the right mood; you donât want to end up associating a track with a time you were pissed off or hungover. Itâs not an approach thatâs conducive to finishing an album very quickly...â Accordingly, âIslesâ arrives more than two years after the pair began its creation. Itâs an album entirely contradictory to the world itâs being released into; an electronic record radiating vitality at a time when clubs are shuttered, with a global, forward-thinking outlook that jars in an era of both Covid-enforced border closures and the UKâs self-inflicted isolation from the rest of Europe. âIslesâ is defined by its dichotomies, and was inspired particularly by the pairâs realisation that theyâve split their lives pretty much down the middle between two very different environments. âThe difference between Belfast and East London is stark,â says Matthew of the two cities Bicep have called home. âNorthern Ireland is very conservative; London feels very open and liberal by way of comparison. That informs the music thatâs made there. In Belfast, thereâd be a window to play electronic music, which was between 11pm and 3am, and it meant thereâd be this concentrated, four-hour explosion of high energy. Things are a lot more chilled in London, where you could see a DJ any time of the week; things just felt deeper, longer somehow. We noticed those differences and how much theyâve shaped us. Those contrasts are on the album - sometimes they fight against each other, and other times they work together.â After two solid years on the road in support of their self-titled 2017 debut, its follow-up has the feel of an international affair. The duo closed themselves
off to nothing and, as such, the recordâs samples run the gamut from traditional Malawian singers to 1950s recordings of Bulgarian choirs. The influence comes not just from their travels, but from their adopted homeâs enormous cultural diversity. âWeâd go to the record store and the one thing we wouldnât dig through would be the house section,â notes Matthew. âInstead, itâd be straight to the Bollywood soundtracks, or trying to find something similar to the Turkish pop song we just heard in a kebab house.â On a day of interviews with European press, Bicep have found themselves fielding constant questions about Brexit which, on the part of most journalists, seems to stem from a morbid curiosity as to how the whole mess could have happened in the first place. Itâs served as an uncomfortable reminder to them as to how badly the situation reflects on the UK, and makes you wonder whether the outwardfacing nature of âIslesâ was meant as a response. âThere comes a point at which you have to try to use the whole thing to set a positive example moving forward,â opines Andrew. âWe were just responding to how inspired we were by living in London, and by all the things we were exposed to travelling the world. But the reality now is that you used to be able to go to any major city in the UK on any given night and thereâd be an international DJ playing. There might be three or four in Leeds, five or six in Manchester, who knows how many in London.â âGuys from Poland who had one release out would be flying in to play,â Matthew continues. "For years, we DJed for very small fees and the freedom of movement made it easy; we were able to live that creative lifestyle very cheaply. The visas, as theyâre going to be now, would have killed us. Combine it with the pandemic and the problem of gentrification in London, and the electronic world is really going to have to pull together. We canât be fighting amongst ourselves when weâre fighting the government as well.â
Dear Kena zi THE DIY DRAG-ONY AUNT
Dear Kenazi, All I want to do is play slap bass like Flea but my bandmates shame me every time I get my thump on. How do I get them to accept my true artistic calling? Gareth Johnson, LICE Dear Gareth, Does your slap bass sound like Larry Graham or Seinfeld? You have Paul Rudd to thank for the general shame (watch that scene in I Love You, Man) (it's not that funny, but heâs my ideal sugardaddy) (Paul Rudd I love you, man). However, to me, this sounds like a deeper issue within your band dynamic. Bass players are lower down the food chain and to be honest it needs to stay that way. Flea is the exception, not the rule. My advice: stick to the stuff you know. Root notes, no point trying to add anything more to the sonic field. Stay in one place. The bass is too heavy to be wielding it around. You can take your shirt off if you really want to, but you are meant to stay in the background. Bassists are there to be laughed at, so suck it up and forget your fantasy of true artistic calling. If you want to do something useful, you should have learnt guitar.
While theyâre optimistic that, post-Covid, the demand for live performance will be higher than ever before, Bicep are also increasingly of the mind that we might just have lived through a golden age for electronic music without even realising it. âPeople complained about camera phones and wished they could go back to the â90s or the â70s,â says Matthew, âbut itâs possible weâll look back at the decade between 2010 and 2020 as an incredible time for electronic music. We could travel so freely, there were so many festivals, there was just so much variety. I wonder whether we took it for granted.â âIslesâ is out now via Ninja Tune. DIY
REAMS 11
NE WS
Fame
PJ Harvey - âLet England Shakeâ
10 years on from winning the Mercury Prize, Polly Jean Harveyâs astute delve into global conflict and identity still remains almost peerless. Words: Gemma Samways. Photo: Seamus Murphy.
here have been many scene-defining albums celebrated in the DIY's Hall of Fame but âLet England Shakeâ isnât one of them. Examining conflict, grief and the complexities of national identity through the prism of war, Polly Harveyâs truly exquisite eighth studio album feels every bit as starkly unique and eerily timeless today as it did on its release, back in February 2011. Having spent the first two decades of her career interrogating interior life, on âLet England Shakeâ Harvey shifted her songwriting focus outwards, conducting hours of painstaking research on WWI as well as the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. While these songs were ostensibly rooted on the battlefields of northern France, the beaches at Gallipoli and in a bygone England, their themes resonated just as acutely with the political issues of the present day. Performing the role of narrator, Harvey was unflinching in her descriptions of brutality - from the soldiers that fall unceremoniously âlike lumps of meatâ on âThe Words That Maketh Murderâ to the legacy of âdeformed childrenâ as outlined on âThe Glorious Landâ - and yet careful never to moralise. Likewise, reflections on Englishness were deliberately bittersweet, finding her expressing feelings of shame for her country on âEnglandâ (âYou leave a taste / A bitter oneâ) and foreshadowing Brexit by adopting a
12 DIYMAG.COM
FACTS THE
Released: 14th February 2011 Key Tracks: âThe Words That Maketh Murderâ, âLet England Shakeâ, âThe Glorious Land' Tell Your Mates: In December 2011, a collection of short films by acclaimed photojournalist Seamus Murphy best known for his work in Afghanistan - was released as a visual accompaniment to the record.
Eurosceptic perspective for âThe Last Living Roseâ (âGoddamn Europeans / Take me back to beautiful Englandâ). Working in conjunction with long-time collaborators Flood and John Parish, Harveyâs real masterstroke was to offset the often unbearably heavy subject matter with some truly transcendent arrangements. Where its 2007 predecessor âWhite Chalkâ revolved around minimal piano, âLet England Shakeâ largely favoured a nostalgic mix of autoharp, colliery band-inspired brass, and brushed percussion, plus a few inspired samples. The title track interpolated the melody of 1950s easy-listening staple âIstanbul (Not Constantinople)â, while âWritten On The Foreheadâ sampled the apocalyptic reggae of âBlood And Fireâ by Niney The Observer. Best of all was the plaintive, outof-time bugle interwoven throughout âThe Glorious Landâ to haunting effect. Officially the most critically-acclaimed album of that year, âLet England Shakeâ was subsequently awarded the Mercury Prize in September 2011, making PJ Harvey the only artist ever to win the award twice. A decade on, it remains a powerful treatise on the human cost of war, and arguably one of the greatest albums of the century so far. DIY
13
U O Y E V HA H E A R D?
BIL LIE EIL ISH AN D RO SA LĂA LO VA S Y OLVIDA R TOM JONES - TA LKING R EA LITY TELEVISION BLUES There isnât much Tom Jones hasnât done by now, musically or otherwise, but if youâd been told in advance the first single from the legendary croonerâs next record would sound more like Radiohead than the Oxford band do themselves some days, youâd think 2021 madness had finally gone too far. But thatâs just what âTalking Reality Television Bluesâ does. The 2019 original by US singer-songwriter Todd Snider is sonically pure countryfolk, but Tomâs take has him using his instantly-recognisable burr for ominous effect on this spoken-word number. âReality killed by a reality star,â he proclaims, as the tension-filled track crashes around him. Expect the unexpected is a mantra by now - but this one really has taken us by surprise. (Emma Swann)
14 DIYMAG.COM
After first teasing a collab back in 2019, Billie Eilish and RosalĂa have finally delivered the goods, unveiling new track 'Lo Vas A Olvidar'. Written for HBO's hit show Euphoria, the haunting song is mostly sung in Spanish, and follows a poignant tale of a break-up, with Billie's final line of "If I wasn't important, then why would you waste all your poison?" hammering home the heartbreaking story. With the duo's vocals intertwining effortlessly over the simple yet chilling backing, get ready for goosebumps. (Elly Watson)
ROYAL BLOOD TYPHOONS In these most distinctly un-lairy of times, sometimes a dose of back-tobasics rockânâroll turned up loud is just the tonic to another evening spent trying to pretend that doing a jigsaw is genuinely how you wish to use your precious young life. Welcome back then, Royal Blood. Because if the question is, will âTyphoonsâ, with its big, escalating riffs and absolute lack of nuance, change the minds of historical RB haters? Then the answer is, of course, no. But if the question is, will MikeânâBenâs unapologetic dedication to pouty, stompy, pints in the air earworms give you an injection of muchmissed silliness? Then well, weâve just Deliveroo-ed ourselves a 12-pack. (Lisa Wright)
SQUID NA R R ATOR While the Brighton-based group are in fact, very capable of penning an immediate ear worm (hello, âHouseplantsâ) there was never any chance theyâd be debuting a threeminute pop banger as the first teaser of album âBright Green Fieldâ, was there? Clocking in at an eye-watering eight minutes, even without the openworld imagery of its video, âNarratorâ is a trip. Winding its way around hypnotic repetitions, there are softer, more melodic parts than weâre used to from Squid, but at any point it threatens to get a bit too mathy, on cue is a hearty roar from singing drummer Ollie Judge. (Bella Martin)
FK A TWIGS, HEADIE ONE, FRED AGAIN.. DON'T JUDGE ME Sprung from an interlude on Headie Oneâs âGangâ EP released last year, âDonât Judge Meâ takes the FKA twigs-sung hook, subtle in its delivery but undeniably a grower, pairs it with a more emphatic beat than its more spacey forebear, and hammers home its point via a powerful monologue (âI canât trust the police and I canât trust the media / Learned more about my people from the streets than from my teachersâ). Add to this the gorgeously-shot video with a rotating cast of Black excellence, and itâs potent. (Emma Swann)
Whatâs Going on With⌠NILĂFER YANYA
Following the release of Decemberâs âFeeling Lucky?â EP, NilĂźfer Yanya is heading into 2021 with LP2 on her mind. Interview: Jemima Skala. What was the process of creating âFeeling Lucky?â? I started writing âCrashâ maybe two years ago. I didnât do anything with it for a while until I was working with [singersongwriter] Nick Hakim in New York in 2019, then I gave him this idea that I had and we did the song in one or two days and finished it off in March last year. It was kind of a similar process with the other songs. I felt that it would be nice to release something last year when everything was crazy and I wasnât really doing much music-wise; I wasnât touring or anything, and I hadnât really started working on my second album. It was just nice to put something out, otherwise you feel like you havenât done anything! It just felt necessary. Second album! What can you say about that? Well, I havenât written it! Iâve got two demos. Iâm just trying to take everything in thatâs happened - in the world and personally - and trying to create something. I think with a second album, itâs like, how are you going to make this relevant to whatâs going on? Your first album is more of a personal statement. And maybe it should always be like that, but I feel like with the second album, itâs a bit more like, OK what else do you have to say? Has that affected how youâve approached writing? Iâm finding it quite hard to get back into writing; Iâm really
happy when I write anything, even if itâs really basic. I would like there to be more of an overarching lyrical as well as visual theme - for it to be more cemented and pulled together. With the last album, I did that as a last resort at the end because I was trying to weave everything together and it felt like there were a lot of things happening. Iâd like to plant that seed from the beginning and grow a tree. By the time this issue is out, you'll have just been on US TV, on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. That's exciting! It feels good! Except I just saw this thing on Instagram, or someone tweeted it, and Jimmy Fallon was patting Trumpâs head on the show. So itâs a bit like, ugh! Why is nothing safe?! Itâs crazy. I literally saw that today and it kind of ruined it a bit. Otherwise, Iâm obviously really excited, but I donât know how to feel about it... Itâs just crazy. What other things have you got coming up for 2021? Iâm currently designing the artwork for the EP vinyl that will be available soon, and a remix EP is coming out as well. Iâm also reissuing my old EPs and all my profits will go to Artists In Transit, which is the collaborative non-profit organisation that I work with and that I started with my sister four years ago now. All the profits from that will go towards art workshops and bringing creative projects to children who need it most in London and wherever else we end up working.
on the
âGram These days, even yer gran is posting selfies on Instagram. Instagran, more like. Everyone has it now, including all our fave bands. Hereâs a brief catch-up on musicâs finest photo-taking action as of late.
âFeeling Lucky?â is out now via ATO. DIY
Youâll be cursing those nails when youâre trying to input your Tesco delivery order though, wonât you Billie? (@billieeilish)
Venus de Lizzo (with arms) (@lizzobeeating)
That Ashnikko: sheâs completely consumed by herself. (@ashnikko)
15
Hello 2021
N
ormally, DIY would have spent the cold Tuesday nights of January crammed into the upstairs of Londonâs Old Blue Last with 200 or so of the earliest birds to the door, all craning their necks stage-wards to see some of the artists destined to make the coming 12 months a brighter place. This year, unsurprisingly, our Hello... shows had to take a different form. But weâre not ones to be beaten - oh, no! So instead, we teamed up with the good folk over at The state51 Conspiracy to record 12 sets and stream them straight to your devices. Missed them? Then head to youtube.com/state51 to rewatch headliners Oscar Lang, Master Peace, Sinead O'Brien and Matilda Mann doing their thing. Plus, alongside our bill-toppers, we also welcomed a stellar supporting cast who might be less familiar to you now, but weâre certain wonât be for long. Here are some of the newer treats that you can expect when you clickety click on that âwatchâ buttonâŚ
Courting Liverpool historically has good form when it comes to four young lads playing guitars, and while Courting are more âmelodically anarchic moshersâ than floppy-haired mop tops, theyâre a more-than-worthy addition to the cityâs musical exports. Want that âedge of your seat, anything could happenâ feeling that makes a truly brilliant gig so delicious? Check out their chaotic run through of âPopshop!â at the end of their Hello 2021 set: a hedonistic climax, that finds singer Sean Murphy-OâNeill rolling around the floor like heâs headlining Brixton Academy.
Pixey Our second Liverpudlian, and this time weâre heading into ridiculously catchy alt-pop territory. Think an acoustic, stripped back set means you canât get vibey? âJust Moveâ - recent Chess Club records signee Pixey's 2020 debut for the label - will prove otherwise. New track âElectric Dreamâ, meanwhile, hints at other soaring, piano-led strings to her bow (with a lil hint of âPraise Youââs joyous free spirit thrown in for good measure).
Osquello On a wintery lockdown evening, youâd be wise to turn to the soulful jazz of Londoner Osquello to help fend off the blues. Getting behind the baby grand piano, welcoming in the soothing sounds of a saxophone and generally conjuring up the kind of intimate, warm atmosphere of a low-lit, classy Soho jazz bar, press play on this, pour yourself a glass of red and breathe a sigh of relief.
Yard Act
Head to p20 for our full Neu chat with this lot, but youâd also be a god damn fool to sleep on their Hello set. Despite having literally only three (3!) gigs under their belt, Leeds' Yard Act arrive as the sort of tight, sparky, confident proposition that could walk straight into the big leagues. Theyâve only got four songs out; they play them all; they nail them all. And if the closing black-humoured monologue of âPeanutsâ doesnât have you hailing vocalist James Smith as the best new frontman on the block then, well, youâre wrong.
16 DIYMAG.COM
Didn't get to tune in? No worries! Watch it all back at youtube.com/state51
17
NEU 18 DIYMAG.COM
This is a declaration of honesty.�
!"#$%
neu
The first signing to Phoebe Bridgersâ label Saddest Factory, Claud Mintz makes relatable, intimate indiepop about growing into yourself. Words: Will Richards. that did that was a really close friend right away. They were calling me something that basically only my mum called me. âSorry...â says Claud Mintz with a smile, flipping their laptop around to show a postcard-worthy panorama of the glistening California ocean as DIY phones in from a sodden South London. âI havenât left the house for weeks,â Claud tells us - and, with that view, itâs not hard to see why.
"Claud felt like the right option for the name, because then all these people on the internet would also feel like my close friends,â they add. And the intimacy and openness that defines their debut makes certain that this closeness will be felt both ways.
Living a nomadic life for much of their teens, moving between their parentsâ homes in California and Chicago with stints in New York and beyond as well, the stasis of 2020 probably came as more of a shock to the system for Claud than most of us. âMy dad kept telling me I needed to slow down a bit anyway,â they say, âso it probably came at a good time for me.â
âSuper Monsterâ is an album of great contrasts. On âPepsiâ, Claud manages to craft a yearning song of romantic regret that welcomes its chorus with the sound of a can of the titular drink being cracked open, delivered with the playful swagger of a full-blown pop star. Elsewhere, the bruised âIn Or In Betweenâ is set in the giddy-yet-frightening uncertain early days of a newfound romance, while âThatâs Mr Bitch To Youâ is a surf-pop gem as silly and fun as its title suggests.
Though debut album âSuper Monsterâ - out this month as the first release on Phoebe Bridgersâ Saddest Factory label - tells stories of romantic fumbles and late-night adventures (all largely non-pandemic activities), lockdown has been a particularly fruitful time for Claud in terms of songwriting. 50 songs were originally on the table for the record, and the pile is stacking up once again for what comes next. Before they recorded under their own name, Claud played music as part of the duo Toast, formed with Joshua Mehling, their classmate at Syracuse University. When the pairâs priorities clashed - Joshua stayed studying while Claud craved the touring lifestyle - the songwriter went out alone, taking on their first name. While simply a logical step for many solo songwriters, naming the project this way stood as a deeper, more symbolic move for them. "I had started going by Claud in my personal life shortly before I made it my artist moniker," they explain. "Claud was only something that my family and really close friends called me, and when I started asking people to call me that, it felt like everybody
While largely crafted in bedrooms across America, the album was mixed at Electric Lady Studios in New York - an experience that was at once a personal dream come true for Claud, and one that gave the album its title. The night before they were due to leave Electric Lady, Claud was presented with a sketch by the late, great Daniel Johnston from studio manager Lee Foster, who handles the songwriterâs artwork in wake of his passing. Johnston had named the piece âClaud the Supermonsterâ. "I write about feeling like a creature or a monster a lot in my own work, and so did Daniel," Claud explains, taking the title for the album and creating their own artwork from Johnston's inspiration. Already falling into a lineage of great American songwriters past, present and future, Claud then linked up with Phoebe Bridgers, becoming the first signing to her new record label, Saddest Factory.
and especially to stray from the often dangerous major label path ("It's really awful the way labels take advantage of smaller, younger, less experienced artists,â they say), Claud says they only signed due to wanting a team of like-minded people around them, and for Phoebeâs understanding of the artistâs side of these relationships. "The first time we met, we got breakfast and she wore a suit,â Claud remembers. âVery much a businessman vibe!"
Though âSuper Monsterâ is a supremely exciting and revealing first step, Claud is keen to point out that it is indeed just a first step. "Your first album is as raw and shaky as your first words,â they say, and the loose genre restraints on the album leave the door wide open for the singer to choose whichever path they want as they continue to grow. âThis is a declaration of honesty,â they confirm, âand I want it to be an introduction to me, more than anything else Iâve ever released.â Nice to meet you, Claud. DIY
Your first album is as raw and shaky as your first words.â
With initial plans to stay independent,
19
&#'%(#!)
neu
Leeds quartet Yard Act are offering up a glimpse into the complex characters we share our lives with; nowâs the perfect time to get acquainted with their world. Words: Sarah Jamieson. Photo: Emma Swann.
A new neighbour called Graeme, a proud graduate of the University of Life; a woman named Grace, whoâs just killed her imaginary husband via a peanut allergy; the mysterious Trapper, who flogs fur pelts on a Monday afternoon. These are just a few of the curious characters that Leeds quartet Yard Act have given us a glimpse of in their singles so far.
Having formed in 2019 when bassist Ryan Needham moved in with vocalist James Smith and the pair decided to make good on countless promises of working together, it didnât take long for Yard Act to solidify themselves as a band with a knack for curious character studies. First came âThe Trapperâs Peltsâ, a stomping stream of consciousness which introduced their world, before its follow-up âFixer Upperâ - in which James embodies the aforementioned Graeme - arrived in all its spiky post-punk glory. âI did an interview with someone and they said, âOh, Graemeâs a horrible person and I hate them and Iâd never want to meet themâ,â notes James, when digging into the subject of his characters. âI got really defensive,â he laughs. âHeâs this amalgamation of men I grew up with and knew, and I was like, âNo, theyâre not! Theyâre an idiot, but they only have the resources that have [made] them into the person they are.ââ For James, his satirical storytelling arrives as less of a political statement and more an exploration of the grey areas within society. In their four tracks so far - see also: âPeanutsâ and âDark Daysâ - heâs invited listeners into the stories of a distinctly eclectic group of individuals. And while he manages
to do so in a deft, tongue-in-cheek manner, this is not about pointing and laughing at peopleâs lives.
âEven though the songs can sound really specific,â James explains, âI think itâs really important that you can still take different things away from it, and thereâs never necessarily a statement being made. Thatâs not something Iâm particularly interested in; putting my own opinion on things to a point where Iâm telling people that Iâm right. Life itself is such a complex thing that people should just let [the songs] wash over them, and take what they want from it. âWriting in different characters has been really liberating,â he nods. âBut you have to remind yourself, and everyone else, that these people do exist and the world isnât this place where people are perfect. People are fundamentally flawed and thatâs really important. It doesnât make them bad people. Everyone has their issues, or their problems, and we can detest them or laugh at them, but itâs just part of life and cracking on with it.â Itâs this potent narrative that has already marked them out from the crowd; despite having only been able to play three shows to date, theyâve already bagged spots on the 6 Music playlist and have âbeen selling t-shirts to Brazil and America.â James is even working on a companion book, which began life as a 2,000 word short story and has now grown into a 30,000 word novella. Safe to say, theyâve gained an opportunity that - thanks to previous musical endeavours in Post War Glamour Girls and Menace Beach - isnât lost on them. âI think part of the reason that Yard Act has been doing quite well quite quickly is because weâve learned from past mistakes,â James agrees. âEven after âTrapperâs Peltsâ came out, we knew it was different to anything that either of us had previously done. Something was registering, and both Ryan and I made a pledge to each other of, âYeah, weâve been doing this for years, we clearly wanna do it so letâs make sure we do it properly and not fuck it up.â So far, so goodâŚâ DIY
People are fundamentally flawed and thatâs really important.â The boys of Yard Act in the yard (milkshake not pictured).
20 DIYMAG.COM
James Smith
FLO MILLI
Fierce Alabama-raised rapper making non-stop bangers.
PIXEY
The new Chess Club signing encouraging us all to just move.
NYC art punks adding a whipsmart new voice to the fold. Bands from New York making sharp, angular music with one lyrical eyebrow raised are hardly a new thing. Throw back several decades to Talking Heads or cast your eye merely around the current crop (see: Public Practice, Bodega and more) and youâll find a legion of welldressed clever kids deploying razor-sharp guitars and even sharper tongues. That Gustaf have already become a firm 6 Music fixture and indie one to watch after only two songs, then, shows just how good their first moves are: not just rehashing the past, the quintet are already finding sparky new routes within it. Listen: Just try wrenching the see-sawing bassline from debut âMineâ out of your head. Similar to: That effortlessly cool music playing in a Brooklyn secondhand record shop.
MOA MOA
Warped psych-pop wonderlands courtesy of the South London five-piece.
If Unknown Mortal Orchestra was five mates from the UK instead of one guy from New Zealand, you could anticipate the result sounding a bit like moa moaâs first two singles: far-reaching psych-pop nuggets that delve into the burbling fantasy lands of UMO and the like, but with the added blessing of multiple vocals and inter-band chemistry. Last springâs âYellow Jacketâ introduced a smooth psychfunk-R&B hybrid; Novemberâs âSpinningâ proved it was no fluke. Listen: Those crunching synths on âSpinningâ - phwoar. Similar to: Music nerds who also know how to throw a party.
neu
'*!+,,*-%*%
GUSTAF
Not many artists can claim that their big musical breakthrough came after being hospitalised with a near-fatal virus, but that was certainly the case for Liverpudlian multiinstrumentalist Pixey, who used her 2016 life incident to propel her into picking up instruments and learning how to write and make music. And thank goodness she did - because the new Chess Club signee is really rather wonderful. Offering up liberating, multi-faceted pop songs like sheâs been doing it her whole life, if good vibes are what youâve been searching for, look no further. Listen: The addictive âJust Moveâ, which blends together Primal Scream grooves with the kind of swooning vocals âRay Of Lightâ-era Madonna would be proud of. Similar to: The Verve, The Prodigy and De La Soul are all on her inspo list.
As soon as she spit the instantly iconic line âFlo Milli shit, bitchâ over breakthrough single âBeef FloMixâ it was clear that Flo Milli was destined for greatness, further backed up when debut mixtape âHo, Why Is You Here?â arrived in its full ferocious glory last year. Teaming hard beats with her bubbly delivery of cutting lyrics, the rapper has established herself at the forefront of the new rap scene, and her bad bitch empowerment anthems will have anyone and everyone feelinâ themselves. ` Listen: Debut mixtape âHo, Why Is You Here?â is a no-skip masterpiece. Similar to: The bangers you listen to at pre-drinks to psych yourself up for a killer evening.
PRIYA RAGU
Fusing Sri Lankan roots with Western electronics to create an irrepressible blend.
Billie Eilish has Finneas behind the scenes, and now Zurich-based Priya Ragu has Japhna Gold: her producer brother who, alongside the singer, has helped to craft an already-recognisable signature sound that you sense could take Ragu global. Debut âGood Love 2.0â - with its warm blend of R&B-infused pop and nods to the music of her Sri Lankan heritage - has already been jumped on by Little Dragon, Honey Dijon and Joe Goddard, whoâve all remixed the track. Itâs only a matter of time before even more eyes start turning in her direction. Listen: New single âChicken Lemon Riceâ builds on the insatiably earwormy foundations of her debut. Similar to: A vibrant fusion to help squash the 2021 wintery sads.
21
./+'.#-(%+""
neu
From online personality to drill superstar-in-themaking, Ivorian Doll is charging forward and taking no prisoners. Words: Elly Watson. Making the leap from YouTube to music has long been slightly frowned upon (weâre looking at you, Jake Paul), but more and more artists from unlikely beginnings are proving theyâve got the skills to cut it in the music game, and Ivorian Doll is the latest to stake her claim. Having made her name revelling in online drama with her story time videos, the East London artist was always interested in music, pretending to be part of The Pussycat Dolls with her pals at school and idolising the likes of Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott. However it wasnât until she linked up with fellow rapper Abigail Asante in 2018 to drop tongue-in-cheek first single âThe Situationâ that it all clicked. Although the friendship went âkind of left,â Ivorian Doll was hooked on music, deciding to give it a proper go while honing her craft by listening to Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim, and trying to replicate the distinctive voices of the âold schoolâ greats. âI was holding myself back [before],â she emphasises. âA lot of people were telling me that YouTubers were seen as a gimmick and not really seen as true artists, so I made the decision to come off YouTube and focus solely on music.â
People like that unapologetic person and thatâs what I put out every day.â
It was evidently the right decision, and since that first single Ivorian Doll has gone from strength to strength. She calls herself the âqueen of drillâ - a lofty proclamation perhaps, but one that sheâs backed up with a string of fiery singles that see her spitting cut-throat lines over magnetic beats. Take hater-baiting banger âRumoursâ for proof, which sees IVD calling people out for talking shit. All together now: âI donât top small dicks, full stop." âI think maybe in the UK they feel like they havenât seen something like that in a while,â she says of the reasons behind her explosive blow up. âI try and make my music really fun, and people like that unapologetic person the person who doesnât really care. Thatâs what I put out every day. Iâm doing me!â With an EP on the way that she promises will show just how much sheâs grown since going viral, now Ivorian Doll is ready to conquer the next big milestone. "I wanna be getting awards!â she laughs. âI want all of them! I want every single one! I think itâs possible if I just keep my head down and keep going.â Now, thatâs an idea we can get behind. DIY
22 DIYMAG.COM
neu
Having holed away for the majority of the past year, now Brighton eccentrics and Class of 2020 stars Squid have finally announced news of their long-awaited debut. âBright Green Fieldâ lands on 7th May via Warp and, judging by our recent check in with singer Ollie Judge, itâs gonna be a curveball! âMaybe not consciously, but we have ended up making a really fucking weird record. My mum said itâs âa growerâ, which I didnât initially know how to take, but itâs grown on her nowâŚâ Ollie told us back in December. Letâs keep our fingers crossed that we can hear its weird and wonderful wares in some actual bright green fields by summer, eh?
5+))*'&("*66+Paul Jacobs, drummer of Montreal faves Pottery, is getting ready to step out from behind the wheel⌠er, we mean, skins, and release his debut solo album. âPink Dogs on the Green Grassâ is due in April via Blow The Fuse, and comes preceded by debut single âHalf Rich Lonerâ - a shuffling, â60s-indebted affair complete with an animated video also drawn by Jacobs. âFor âHalf Rich Lonerâ my only rule was that the character needed to be alone, and for the visuals to reflect the feeling of the music. Also I always visualize the drum part while listening to this song, so I was sure to animate some drums,â he explains.
1$<<( =**%
Every week on Spotify, we update DIYâs Neu Discoveries playlist with the buzziest, freshest faces. Hereâs our pick of the best new tracks:
)#)*(,!'#*(0('$11*'1#-% Where last yearâs âyou broke me firstâ dominated with its throbbing drops and fuck-you chorus, Tateâs first offering of 2021 is comparably more unassuming. Built around the simple but effective idea of snapping the titular rubberband ("on her wrist, on her wrist") in the aftermath of recent heartache, itâs another slick but pulsating effort that shows her talent for creating modern heartbreak anthems.
#.2+()+,.(0(!#-3)()+$!4(,* All the buzziest new music happenings, in one place.
&#66(;$**They say you should never meet your heroes, but it looks like Class of 2021 star Baby Queen would probably be just fine if she ever had an IRL encounter with Hole singer and all-round legend Courtney Love. Posting a lengthy Instagram caption declaring her new obsession with BQ (aka Bella Latham), Courtney declared, âLyrics SO good. Choruses SO good. Visuals SO good. Compositions⌠Better than anyone elseâs lately. Fuck YES.â If someoneâs not already making that collab happen behind the scenes then weâll be FUMING.
)4* 5"#&".6)
Want to stream our Neu playlist while youâre reading? Scan the code now and get listening.
1'.:4)(65#'26
We can never say no to a new hybrid-pop bop, and Toronto newcomer Aiko Tomi is here to deliver the goods. âCanât Touch Meâ is part pop, part rap, part hip hop, part dance, and all parts fab. Described by Aiko as âan unconventional banger for creatives-at-heart,â this ever-changing ear worm will be going round and round your head all day.
#-+'#2(5#)!4(0(.'#)* Whilst it would be easy to fixate on Anorak Patchâs ludicrously young age (their drummer is 14, the others 16), the Colchester quartetâs first offering for tastemaker label Nice Swan stands up as a vital, visceral cut from a band of any demographic. Pinned around a see-sawing, mathy bassline, and climaxing with a big Wolf Alice cathartic pay-off, thereâs little here - contrary to its title - to be mad about.
"&-26(0(7*/*'&+-*36(4+)( 8#-%(.3,(-+)93 Continuing to blaze his own trail of outsider queercore bangers, âEveryoneâs Hot (And Iâm Not)â is the tongue-incheek flip-reverse of every motivational self care Instagram post doing the rounds. Taking a sideways approach to selfdeprecation and turning it into hilarious lyrical quips (âMy bread roll doesnât taste good to the ducks / And the kids donât want the candy in my truckâ), the punchline is, of course, that right now Lynks is actually pretty hot property indeed.
23
"#$'*-(#$%*'
Equally attuned to the modern and the mystical, 22-year-old Lauren Auder is carving out an artistic space in her own image. Words: Lisa neu Wright. âIt would be dishonest to claim we donât have these extremely at-odds experiences with the world. As much as I love my Renaissance bullshit, I canât pretend Iâve never seen a car or I donât go on my phone first thing in the morning, because I definitely do,â chuckles Lauren Auder. âThings coexist constantly.â Zooming in from her East London bedroom, her background wall decorated with ribbons and a pentagram (âItâs not a satanic pentagram! Itâs just a nice star!â), the 22-year-old musicianâs conversation nods to these contradictions with nary a thought - at one moment referencing the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, the next enthusing about her favourite scenes of SoundCloud rappers. Spending her teenage years in the medieval French town of Albi, she explains, âforced [her] to be more creative with [her] mischiefâ; with no real local music scene available to her, save for a slightly-too-late indie rock revival (âa lot of skinny jean action going onâ), Lauren's only option was to go digging - both around the internet and back into the past - for inspiration. âWeâve got so many centuries of human culture that have led to where we are today; the intertextuality of everything means I can look at anything and have a reference point,â she enthuses. âItâs always been appealing for me to lean into that. It feels right for me to explore the world in a way thatâs at least attempting to make more sense of it.â
24 DIYMAG.COM
Personally, meanwhile, this monthâs EP â5 songs for the dysphoricâ marks Laurenâs first material as an out trans woman. Featuring collaborations with Celeste, Clams Casino, Danny L Harle and more, the period of intense personal growth has, she says, nourished her creative relationships too. âIt was very hard for me before to work intimately with people that arenât my close friends, because whatever I talk about is gonna be hyper personal. So from that perspective, itâs really hard when youâre not fully out or even just fully comfortable with yourself in general to then go into a space when youâre obviously going to be extremely vulnerable,â she nods. âBut now it kind of feels right and fine to do that; I donât feel intimidated by that idea, and I have more confidence in my own singing and lyrics and capacity to be in a room with someone as a musician and make things.â
neu neu
Musically, that attitude has led to a rich sonic palette that sprawls between styles, its dense yet beautiful layers landing somewhere between the cathartic exorcisms of Wu Lyf and the classical-nodding majesty of Moses Sumney, with some evocative Lanaesque sad romance thrown in for good measure. âItâs always been in the DNA of my music to have all these influences and to make a space for all these disparate worlds to go,â she explains. âThere are metal tracks Iâve made and a bunch of rap songs Iâve produced and hidden away; I guess itâs just paying homage to all the things that have created me as a little being.â
Iâm probably very irritating in that way,â she grins. âDiscussing my political beliefs feels like an important thing to do on record and figuring out a way to do it has been a big journey. I just want it to not be vapid and in vain or virtue signal, but to truly talk about the emotional repercussions of living in this capitalist hellscape. You know?!â she laughs again. âI guess thatâs what Iâm going for! To try and give a space to how that affects you on a very human level. I think itâs a worthwhile pursuit, so letâs see if I achieve it.â DIY
I want to truly talk about the emotional repercussions of living in this capitalist hellscape. You know?!â
Directly referencing her experiences on the releaseâs title - âI donât think Iâve ever seen that word on a record? And I guess thatâs something that I would have wanted [to see growing up]â - â5 songsâŚâ nonetheless focuses on âthe collateral of this experience, of how that influences the way you navigate the world and relationships - not necessarily the experience itselfâ. A snapshot of an incredibly formative period, its tracks are personal and vulnerable, their often-gorgeous lyrics (âWith you, I grew big and mighty / Small and infinitely yours,â opens âquietâ) cloaked in swells of expansive sound that are begging to fill majestic church venues across the land. Next, Lauren will continue work on a debut LP. Currently obsessed with the Manic Street Preachers and their combination of earworm melodies and dense intellectual reference points, the aim is âto Trojan horse a lot of political and extremely personal and brutal things into something that can be immediately understandable and resonant on an emotional levelâ. âMusic is an exorcism of a lot of things I donât want to necessarily have to touch on all the time - although I probably do; if you ask anyone I know
25
26 DIYMAG.COM
nasty girl A self-proclaimed weirdo, Rico Nasty
has always embraced her otherness, creating her own unique world
thatâs informed debut studio
album âNightmare Vacationâ. Now,
using her uniqueness to raise up others who sheâs
feel like theyâve got no one else to turn to - and looking fucking great while doing it. Words: Elly Watson. Photos: Jesse Draxler.
27
A
t what point do you know that youâre approaching superstar status? Perhaps when you find you have a critically-acclaimed debut album, millions of adoring fans, a musical style that youâve pioneered, and near-universal acclaim under your belt?
âOh my god, I donât feel that shit at all!â laughs Rico Nasty. âI fucking wish that I could say that I feel this shit because Iâm not an artist whoâs like, âOh, Iâm so coolâ. But I actually watch peopleâs interviews and be like, âDamn, they feel it? They feel famous? How the fuck!â I donât feel anything. I just feel like a person who has a real poppinâ InstagramâŚâ However, though she may not quite be feeling it yet, Rico is well on her way to becoming an icon (outside of looking killer on the âgram, of course). Having buzzed about on rap's sidelines for several years, delivering a handful of fiery mixtapes that showcased her self-coined âsugar trapâ style and signature growling vocals, her debut studio album âNightmare Vacationâ arrived in its full unfiltered glory late last year, proving that if you didnât already know who Rico was, it was time to crawl out from under that rock and get informed. Born Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly in Maryland in 1997, Rico was always surrounded by music; her parents, she notes, would even put headphones on her mumâs stomach while she was pregnant. Yet though sheâd always wanted to give music a go herself, the young Maria-Ceciliaâs insecurities and need to provide for her family and young son held her back at first. âI just didnât even know what that sounded like coming out of my mouth. Like, âHey guys, I wanna be a rapper!â I couldnât take myself serious,â she recalls. âI always felt like I wasnât good enough. So it wasnât until I graduated high school when I was like, even if Iâm not good enough I could be good enough to get a little bit of money? I donât have to be good enough to be a fucking superstar or nothing like that, but I could be good enough to take care of my family. âI feel like that was what made me take myself serious; coming home to my son after Iâd worked all day and not made any fucking money, and I hate my job and all the energy that I probably would have for him - being happy to see him - is wasted by being exhausted at work. Coming home, catching Ubers, catching the bus, waking up early; I couldnât really enjoy having a kid. And donât get me wrong, when youâre 19 you shouldnât really enjoy having a kid. Like, you shouldnât have had a fucking kid. But you should at least have a moment when you come home from work and you appreciate your life and I wasnât having that. I started getting scared
that I would grow up hating my whole life and hating my kid and everything just because I didnât do what I wanted to do.â After getting in trouble for constantly writing bars on her phone at work, ultimately Rico was inadvertently pushed into following her dream. Being fired from a job that her mum helped her get, she was provided with just the push she needed. âI got fired from the job. It was just like I HAD to get the fuck out,â she explains. âAnd all this was going on and I was writing [debut single] âiCarlyâ. I wrote âiCarlyâ at work, and I took the last cheque that they paid me and I used that for the music video and it went viral, and I just figured like nothing in my life has ever gone this seamlessly. Nothing in my life has ever been this easy, so I might as well take the bull by the horns.â
D
ropping back in 2016, the track acted as the introduction to Ricoâs sugar-trap world, melding cartoonish influences with impressive musical flow. Soon, the track was followed by more viral moments: 2017âs âSmack A Bitchâ, âPoppinâ and âKey Lime OGâ. The fans came flocking in their hordes (Ricoâs Instagram is pushing towards the two million mark by the day), equally drawn in by outstanding wardrobe choices that could see the rapper fit seamlessly on a Fashion Week front row or get down and dirty in the grottiest mosh pits. âIâve always
â
been an exhibitionist and I have always worn shit because I like the way people look at me when I wear it, and Iâve always gotten in trouble for not wearing the uniform because I wanna wear my own shit,â she says. âIt kind of got to that point where I was like, if Iâve got all these eyes on me I should look the way that I wanna look, right? And if theyâre gonna talk shit about it, at least I know that theyâre paying attention.â Any outfit in particular that youâre talking about? âIt was always my boots!â she laughs. âGirls would do fucking interviews and be like, âYeah I just hate those big ass boots that bitches be wearing! I hate those big boots!â And thatâs how I knew they were talking about me because Iâm the only person who wears those type of boots anymore but I donât care, bitch! Fuck you! I will step on your bitch ass! Move out the way! âThereâs so many other women who are beautiful and amazing and dress like everyone else, and everyone still gives them shit! So itâs like, what the fuck?! But itâs always just the wardrobe shit though; people canât really talk shit about the music because itâs music and I take a lot of pride in that. The worst part about me is probably the way I look to people.â Using her individuality to her strength, Rico has since established herself as a voice for the âweirdosâ, having always felt like an outsider herself. Itâs this ballsiness and unfiltered energy that
I started getting
scared that I would grow up
hating my whole life and hating my kid just because
I didnât do
what I wanted
28 DIYMAG.COM
â
to do.
â
â
Iâd tell all my fans, âItâs okay - youâre weird now, but theyâll
your dick later, I promise'.
suck
Thrice as Nasty > twice as nice.
29
30 DIYMAG.COM
â
If theyâre gonna talk shit about the way I lo ok , at least I know
th eyâre paying
attention.
has been difficult to navigate whilst coming into the still-male dominated world of hip hop. âI was just making music and then it was like, âOh youâve got to be fucking pretty and perfect too!â. I was like, âFuck thisâ,â she emphasises. âI kind of just stopped trying to please people. That was really the moment. When I started seeing my fans gravitating to my shit and I was like, well if they like this then why the fuck do I have to give in to all this pressure of what a female rapper or any female artist should be? âAs of now, I donât really feel connected to any of my male counterparts or peers,â she notes. âIâm not sexualised enough for them to be comfortable with me because I genuinely feel like theyâre just thrown off by me. When youâre in the position of âYouâre the rough one. Youâre the aggressive one. Youâre the fucking dark one', itâs kind of just alienating. People donât really talk to you. But I like it that way. âWhen I feel this uncomfortable way that I feel, I donât try to fit in,â she confirms. âI always remember that whenever Iâm feeling uncomfortable like this, that itâs only for a moment and I get to go home to my kid and my friends and my family and they donât think that Iâm weird. As long as thereâs never a time when my friends pull me to the side like, âBitch, youâre really weird as fuckâ then Iâm fine! Fuck these people! I always try and keep myself happy by knowing that thereâs no
â
th at
one else that does what I do. So that makes me happy. I donât have to fight to be who I am, I just am.â
I
tâs this message of remaining 100% true to yourself and fucking off the haters that has seen Ricoâs fanbase swell. With fan group chats âon Instagram, on Twitter, on WhatsApp, everywhere!â, she considers her Nasty Mob as some of her best pals. Her shows, she hopes, act as chances for them to be unapologetically themselves. âIâd tell all my fans, âItâs OK - youâre weird now, but theyâll suck your dick later, I promise',â she laughs. âIâve been at festivals and seen girls in spikes and I just be like, I KNOW theyâre my fans! Theyâll be fans of other people [too], donât get me wrong, weâre not a cult! But they came dressed like me! You know who theyâre here for, god damn it! That shit is kinda cool. I look at that like the Nicki [Minaj] influence, bro. I remember as far as women go, I had my bangs bitch, I had my Nicki bangs. If Nicki ever reads this interview: Nicki, my hair been fucked up ever since! Ever since, bitch! Iâve had permanent bangs ever since fucking 2008!â Although unable to make those safe spaces happen IRL right now, Decemberâs âNightmare Vacationâ delivered a much-needed new shot of Rico bangers. A snarling debut that hops from hyper-pop to punk, to hip
hop and back again, itâs a biting and confident record that hits hard from start to finish, showing Ricoâs love for experimentation all over it. âI definitely think thatâs something Iâm drawn to,â she nods, âEven when I used to paint, Iâd mix mediums. I would always mix shit up. Itâs just how my brain works! If I hear something that I like, I donât like to create a boundary that it canât go where I think it should go. Music is about hearing something and saying this might not be where it belongs but this could be a home for it. This could be a new home or a little apartment, you know? âWhen it comes to experimenting, I just feel like everyone in my generation, because of the internet, doesnât have a timeframe of our own music. The people from the â70s, they had â70s music because they couldnât get on the internet and listen to shit from the â50s or the â60s unless they knew people who had that shit. With the internet, I grew up not having a genre. I was listening to Amy Winehouse at eight years old; I was listening to Nirvana at 13. Then, in the middle of that, Iâm going down to the country with my cousins and weâre listening to Destinyâs Child, singing it word for word. Iâm listening to Rihanna, Iâm listening to Nicki, Iâm listening to Gaga, Iâm listening to Adele. Itâs everywhere, bro!â Now continuing that experimentation, Rico already has a new project on the way, which she describes as âa bunch of different moods - happy pills, if you willâ. âI just think itâs like, this is probably the only artist you could put on and youâre gonna have fun.
snake mom
Ricoâs latest addition to the family comes in the form of a scaly new son. âHeâs called Voldemort! I was getting bashed a lot from the snake community like, âYouâre getting a snake just to be cool, you donât know nothing about themâ. And I did get a snake to be cool and Iâm trying to learn every single day and Iâm trying my best, so sorry that Iâm not a fucking snake expert⌠He must be entering his adolescent stage now because every time I look in his cage heâs getting bigger. Heâs meant to get to four or five foot, and bro, heâs big as fuck! When I first bought him, the rock that he be sleeping in, he was like a little worm, and now heâs like a whole thing under there. Iâm scared!â
I guarantee it or your money back,â she grins. âIf you get the stick up out your ass and stop worrying about why I donât sound like anyone else, you gonna have some fun bro, I promise. Thatâs what it really is, breaking it down. Like, âBitch, youâre gonna have fun OK. Weâre here to kick ass, weâre here to rage, weâre here to boss up!â The music I make is for the people who tend to get shit on for being different in whatever way. They feel a little powerless, and thatâs probably why they fuck with me because I wanna give them power just as much as I give myself power and make myself feel confident.â Not only wanting to provide a voice for the outsiders, Rico now wants to expand her reach even further, aiming to use the free time that sheâs found herself with in 2021 to give back and help others. âI wanna make a difference this year,â she emphasises. âI wanna do something that isnât just a good deed but something thatâll live with me forever, something that I can do forever and continue to do, whether itâs a programme or a charity or something like that. I feel like 2020 more than anything taught me that I genuinely donât think in any way, shape or form possible that God could have blessed me like this for me just to use all of this shit for myself. All these resources for myself, all these things that I know just to know them; I feel like Iâm supposed to share with people. "With all these female rappers, I feel like if we started something like that and they were willing to work with me on something like that, it would inspire a lot of other girls who are probably in college to reach out and I would fund some shit like that! I would invest money in that to keep that legacy going and keep that going. Weâve got to have each otherâs backs, bro. Iâm really starting to see that. The phrase has always been âItâs every man for themselvesâ but really itâs every woman for themselves. âThereâs a lot of women that get put on their ass for not being the type of woman that people want them to be and that shitâs heartbreaking,â she sighs. âIt always hits me the same because I feel like I was right there. I was right there, my mom kicked me out and I had a baby and I didnât know what I was gonna do, and I had to figure that shit out. Imagine if I had somewhere to go in that time, to not feel like I was a burden on anybody but just genuinely like, this is what theyâre here for? Thatâs what I want to do this year. I want to make a fucking difference.â Becoming a voice for the outsiders musically and, critically, through her actions too, it looks like Rico Nastyâs legend status is closer to being unlocked than ever. âNightmare Vacationâ is out now via Atlantic. DIY
31
In the Rico vs Goat Girl scare-off, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re sorry to say there was a clear winner.
GANG Examining the personal within the political via a second album that cements their special sonic alchemy, against
32 DIYMAG.COM
of
W
hen Goat Girl signed to Rough Trade back in July 2016, they ticked off a career milestone just as the UK was sealing its fate with the Brexit referendum. Two years later, their self-titled debut landed against the backdrop of #metoo and a seemingly never-ending slew of crimes enacted against women. Now, the four-piece have just released follow-up âOn All Foursâ. In terms of global events, itâs a choose your own adventure of chaos as to how the history books will remember the start of 2021. Itâs perhaps inevitable then that the band - vocalist Lottie âClottie Creamâ, guitarist Ellie âL.E.Dâ, drummer Rosy Bones and bassist Holly Hole, who joined ahead of the writing of their second - have always leant in to addressing the injustices around them. Growing up, both as people and as artists, during one of the most consistently turbulent periods of modern history, the shadow of a world out of balance, destroying itself from the inside out, hangs over their entire outlook - from the seething lyrics that populated their debut to the protest signs that fill the window of Lottie and Rosyâs London house. âBuild a bonfire, build a bonfire / Put the Tories on the top / Put the DUP in the middle / And weâll burn the fucking lot,â sung Lottie on 2018 track âBurn The Stakeâ. âThis lockdownâs shit,â begins Ellie bluntly today, as the usual Zoom introductory niceties disperse. âThey should have just kept it locked down for longer the first time. Itâs so fucking tactical, opening it up a little bit before Christmas so everyone will go into town and spend fuck loads of money.â âWith the schools going back for one day as well; I swear thatâs just so people went to go and buy new school uniforms and pencil cases and things,â agrees Holly. âOtherwise
the backdrop of a world on the brink of implosion Goat Girl are holding on to each other more than ever. Words: Lisa Wright. Photos: Holly Whitaker.
33
why would anyone in their right mind make all the teachers and everyone go through that? Make people arrange for childcare and then go in for one day and cancel. Itâs all to get the money in, itâs just mad.â The four, Lottie explains while attempting to slyly eat a bowl of baked beans (the singer is nursing a slight post-birthday sore head, but claims to perversely âfunction best when hungoverâ), have been turning to comedian and all-round legend Daisy May Cooperâs piss-taking Instagram clips - âWhat if Iâm a cat trainer but the cat lives in Berkshire but I need to train this cat?!â - for lockdown relief. But while the farcical decisions being made by BoJo and co are ripe for the mocking, the main conversational mood today still lands between disbelief and rage. âThereâs a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, but thereâs also people holding the government and these outsourcing companies accountable, like with this latest scandal with free school meals, which is fucking disgraceful. The only way you can make change now is by making people feel embarrassed and outed, which is so fucked up that they canât do it just because itâs evil not to,â Lottie asserts. âThen you look at someone like Elon Musk. Heâs now the richest man on the planet and heâs trying to use that money to create a society on Mars that you fly to and you work off your debt by working on Mars for the rest of your life. This man is fucking delusional, he needs help, and yet he can have so much impact.â âThese people that have so much wealth and power - thereâs no test to make sure theyâre decent people,â continues Holly. âWhen Donald Trump was suggesting that people inject themselves with bleach [to stop Coronavirus]... That someone with such little knowledge can be the most powerful person in the world is just beyond fucked.â
G
iven their passionate opinions and willingness to wear them on their sleeves - or, in the case of the âFuck Tory Scumâ T-shirt Lottie was sporting when DIY last checked in with the band, on their chests - you could easily expect Goat Girlâs second to unleash an even more direct blast of lyrical fury. And yet, explains Ellie, âOn All Foursâ arrives as a more âinternal reflectionâ on it all. âThe first album was very centred in social commentary but almost quite factual and quite reactive of whatâs going on, whereas with this album itâs like, âThis is happening - how is it making me feel? How can we change how we feel?â Knowing whatâs happening in the world and seeing how that affects us internally.â Written across 2018 and 2019, in various hyper-collaborative stints that would find the four members swapping instruments and
34 DIYMAG.COM
experimenting with things they didnât technically know how to play, the record is undeniably still rooted in the turbulent modern world, but comes cloaked with a more meditative, inward-looking focus. Lottie explains that, during much of the writing, she was going through a period of poor mental health. âI remember suffering from depression and anxiety quite a lot and not being able to get out of my head space. I felt like I wasnât being creative enough and just putting loads of different pressures on myself,â she recalls. â[The album] ended up being really reflective because I was going through the process of getting counselling and exposing a lot about my emotions and why I was feeling these things. So there was an internal dialogue that reflects in the lyrics; itâs a snapshot of quite a dark period of time.â Today, Rosy is absent from our interview due to their own personal health reasons, and the band acknowledge that these are issues theyâre all prone to dealing with. âWeâre all quite anxious people, and so we have a mutual understanding about a lot of things,â Holly says. Indeed, thereâs a noticeable symbiosis between the band on record, in the four-part harmonies that run throughout and the unexpected melodic left turns theyâve become known for, that you suspect comes from this high level of interpersonal awareness and empathy. âI think itâs important to mention that obviously weâre a band and itâs a kind of working relationship, but weâre friends and we care about each other and we really get on as people,â Holly continues. âIn a way itâs quite an intense relationship because itâs more than a friendship and more than a work relationship - itâs the two combined so you need to be completely up to scratch with how people are feeling,â Ellie picks up. âWeâre all our own individual people but weâre also a collective and a unit, so in order to make decisions you have to be super compassionate and understanding all of the time. It can be hard at times, but on the whole I think thatâs why we make the music that we do and why weâre able to create not only the music but everything that surrounds it to a degree where weâre all so happy with it. Because of how understanding we are with each other.â
M
oving from brutish imagery set against soft, hypnotic swirls on opener âPestâ, through wonky Metronomy synths (âP.T.S.Teaâ), cantering basslines and ravey outros (previous single âSad Cowboyâ) to the meditative self-analysis of âAnxiety Feelsâ, âOn All Foursâ is a record that somehow manages to be both sensitive yet ambitious, gentle yet experimental. Itâs a record undoubtedly centred around Goat Girlâs relationship as a unit, but
buoyed by the different flavours each member brings to the table. âI think weâre quite different musically. We literally donât have the same music tastes at all, but we can agree on things,â Ellie chuckles. âItâs a very complicated Venn diagram with a few things that overlap, but when weâre all in a room together, that seems to dissipate but also shine through.â âOur characteristics come together to create that little bit in the middle of the diagram, and between the four of us it morphs into something quite beautiful and crazy,â Holly agrees. âIâm most proud of how weâve managed to let all four of our personalities shine through. We come from different backgrounds of music and loves for different things, and weâve combined that together. Our personalities are all quite different but we all get along, and I think thatâs kind of what the albumâs about as well,â Lottie nods. âIâm really proud that we were able to do that because I think
These people that have so much
wealth and
power -
thereâs no test
to make sure theyâre
decent
people. Holly Hole
itâs a really tricky thing to collaborate but this was so collaborative. It felt like we managed to get rid of our egos and really think about what was gonna make the song as good as it possibly could be.â Having written their debut as teenagers, and released it having just broached their twenties (âItâs weird when you feel like youâve changed as a person quite a lot and youâre still living in the [mindset] of a 15 year old,â Lottie explains of touring its wares for so long), the jump from the charming, rickety naivety of âGoat Girlâ to âOn All Fourââs fleshed out, bright and brilliant palette perhaps shouldnât be a complete surprise. âI realised that in the four years since we wrote the first album, Iâve learnt a lot as a guitarist and I should utilise that. I think all of our personal playing styles have developed loads and solidified,â Ellie notes.
WHEN WILL WE SEE EU AGAIN? The recent revelation that UK musicians will have to pay for visas to tour Europe has left the music community up in arms. How will it actually affect bands on the ground, we asked?
âThe other day when we were all together, we never do this but we sat down after practice and shared a bottle of wine and I was thinking how mental it is the amount of interviews that weâre doing for this album and how many people are genuinely into our band,â Ellie smiles. âThat was the moment for me where I was like, 'Oh shit - people actually like us'. Before I didnât really think we were anything, I thought we were just a small band on Rough Trade that no one knew, whereas it turns out maybe more people know and like us than I thought.â âItâs quite a special thing, to be able to make music with people where you really enjoy it. I was in a band before that didnât work out and I left and it was awful and Iâve not spoken to her since, and I just donât think that would ever happen with us,â Holly continues. âItâs a special thing to be able to make music with people that you care about
Itâs a special thing to be
able to make
music with people that you care about and thatâs not to be undervalued. - Holly Hole and thatâs not to be undervalued. Itâs hard to find that creative connection.â âWe were discussing one of the songs being played when we were all 70, these ancient people, our silver hair blowing in the windâŚâ Lottie grins. They may be a long way off that milestone, and lord only knows what world weâll be living in by the time we get there, but you can imagine Goat Girl still jamming in the old folkâs home. Still making some weird and wonderful sounds. Still friends. âOn All Foursâ is out now via Rough Trade. DIY
re present
!
Holly: I think itâs still a bit too early to say, because we still donât know what the rules are. Maybe weâll be in a position where weâre getting fees that cover it, but before, any band could hop on the Eurotunnel and play a gig in France. Itâll be a lot more expensive than it was, and itâs too early to say about the ins and outs of it yet but itâll have an impact for sure. Lottie: In this moment that weâre living in, thereâs a lack of care for the arts and a lack of nurturing it. But itâs always gonna exist, whether the government wants to fund it and nurture it or not. And that drive creates the momentum to set up great spaces, great venues like the Windmill or DIY Space where musicians are thriving. Thereâs always gonna be that, and I think we just need to work with our times rather than feeling lost within them.
And yet the true skill of Goat Girlâs second album is in the humanity of it. Itâs a record thatâs just as angry with the world around it, but thatâs learnt to take a beat and work out how to process it all - one that understands you can only start to make waves in the wider world if you tend to and nurture what directly surrounds you first.
35
Ground C When the perma-party around their incendiary breakthrough debut stopped, Shame had to look inwards and work out their next steps. In followup âDrunk Tank Pinkâ, however, theyâve turned them into massive strides forward. Words: Lisa Wright. Photos: Ed Miles.
â
Normally people donât want to talk about their feelings, let alone sing about them.â - Charlie Steen
36 DIYMAG.COM
Control âW
eâve been blue-balled with Brixton Academy for a year now,â guitarist Eddie Green huffs, as various groans of agreement come from his four bandmates, sprawling on sofas beside him on a wintery pre-Christmas afternoon. âWe were meant to put out the record in September and then play [the venue] in November,â informs vocalist Charlie Steen. âAll of it would have already happened.â
The reasons for the delay hardly need explaining, yet the fact remains that Shame - entirely ubiquitous around their 2018 rise and that yearâs debut âSongs of Praiseâ - have been away for far longer than they ever intended. Having stomped their way around the globe, totting up more than 400 shows in support of the album and picking up end of year accolades and
stacks of music press column inches as they went, the surprisingly slow return of âBritainâs most exciting new bandâ could have spelled trouble: the curse of the difficult follow-up rearing its head. Yet, instead, âDrunk Tank Pinkâ (finally released almost three years to the day after its predecessor) lands as a huge leap forward of a second album, full of playful Talking Heads-esque rhythms, personal examinations and an audibly strong relationship between its creators. Turns out theyâve been sitting on it since last spring all along, the cheeky little tinkers, and far from a testing period of creative uncertainty, they actually spent its recording in the French countryside, eating foie gras in the bath. âThe recording was such a wonderful thing to do,â recalls Eddie fondly. âIt all started kicking off a bit with coronavirus and I remember Sean [Coyle-Smith, guitarist] being like, âI think this could be quite bad?â And we were all like, âNahhhh, more wine?ââ
B
ack in the halcyon days of early 2019, however, the quintet - completed by bassist Josh Finnerty and drummer Charlie Forbes - had decided on some more purposeful time off. Despite the bandâs communal tendency to downplay their successes (âEven though there were lots of big exciting things that happened, I still remember lots of tragic things happening - âtragicâ as in âpathetically badâ,â notes Eddie of their game-changing year), Shame had undeniably been on a whirlwind ride. And so, following their final âSongs of Praiseâ show in Paris, they upped-sticks to various corners of the world for some down time. Or at least, down-ish⌠âSean and Steen went to Cuba and you fell asleep in a club,â Eddie howls, pointing at the singer. âAnd they wouldnât let you in because they thought you were underage, so the guy they were with got up the Shame Wikipedia page to show the bouncer.â âThat was the night I saw the best tattoo,â Charlie chips in with a trademark throaty cackle. âI was trying to have a conversation with this girl and she just turned her back to me and showed her neck which had the middle finger tattooed on it.â Yoga retreats and mindfulness meditation it may not have been, yet it was when the band then regrouped in South London that the crash back down to reality really began to occur. All barely 21 when theyâd released their debut, the five old friends had spent their formative years in a bubble of hedonism and hours-long van drives; for the first time since those early days, theyâd stopped. Now: the check back in to normality. âWhen we were touring, everything was always new - new city, new person, new country - whereas when youâre back here, things are familiar, and we grew up here too so that familiarity was a weird thing to adjust back into. It all seemed
37
quite stale,â Steen explains. âWhen youâre touring you have a constant cause for celebration, whereas back here youâre not gonna get a coffee and then get a round of applause; you have to just get on with your life like everybody else.â Did he miss the adrenaline of the applause? âI did hire someone to clap at me when we got backâŚâ he jokes. âBut I think the main thing is, on tour, youâre able to distract yourself from a lot. All the normal things that happen in life regardless of what you do - break ups, general anxiety, highs and lows - are a bit muddled when you add them together with touring. You donât have to confront them, they can be delayed for long periods of time, so then you come back and realise you have a large chunk of your adolescence youâve probably been ignoring for the past few hundred thousand miles.â âAnd thatâs why everyone in a band is emotionally immature,â Eddie concludes. Writing in the specifically-hued, self-described âwombâ of his bedroom that would go on to inform the recordâs title became a way for the singer to make sense of this new reality. âIt was the only way I was gonna deal with that moment, through writing; itâs cathartic,â he explains. And from the seeds of âHuman, For A Minuteâ - the first track penned for the record, with its self-examining closing refrain (âIâm half the man I should be / Canât you seeâ), began to unfurl a record fuelled equally by the doubt and questioning of their present, and the sonic excitement and increasing musical skill theyâd gained from their many adventures before. Or, as Charlie puts it, âThe world ends tomorrow, you might as well use the synths! There was one comment on an Instagram photo we put up saying âPLEASE dont use any synthsâ, thoughâŚâ
T
oday, as ever with the quintet, Shame interact in the way that only a bunch of still-young men whoâve known each other since they were pre-pubescent can. Perpetually ripping the piss, they all agree that any potential for ego would swiftly be batted down by the rest. âWe donât take each other seriously enough,â Eddie shrugs. âIf one person was to start throwing their weight around a bit weâd just laugh.â Itâs a dynamic thatâs clearly ideal for touring (the capacity to have a good night out is clearly a talent that none of the five are lacking), but perhaps less suited to being vulnerable in the writing room. âI think itâs a different challenge, knowing youâre gonna have to sing these songs live and theyâre very revealing,â Steen begins of the more personal nature of âDrunk Tank Pinkââs lyrical arsenal. âItâs a different thing, because youâre exposing
When itâs first come first served at the open barâŚ
38 DIYMAG.COM
yourself to strangersâŚâ âDonât expose yourself to strangers, mate!â the others all variously chime in on cue. Opening up, then, has evidently been a test - as much, if not more, between the members of the band as to the wider world. âThe first people who hear it are your bandmates, who know the context of you and every experience youâve had,â the singer nods, âso itâs a lot more revealing. Normally people donât want to talk about their feelings, let alone sing about them in a fucking room. Without a doubt, for me [showing the band the lyrics] is the most intimidating thing - and any lyricist I know says the same thing.â Yet, within the albumâs tales of restlessness (âIn my room / In my womb / Is the only place I find peace,â goes âMarch Dayâ) and separation (âThey say donât live in the past / And I donât / I live deep within myself / Just like everyone elseâ, âSnow Dayâ), are phrases that manage to cut quickly to the core. And itâs not only the singer whose shaken off any fears of pushing out of his comfort zone; across the record, guitar lines ping and dance around each other, while the rhythm section teeters on the line between tight and loose, allowing for a spectrum of different shades to emerge from the more linear foundations of their debut.
âWhen youâre touring you have a constant cause for celebration, whereas back here youâre not gonna get a coffee and then get a round of applause.â Charlie Steen
of being greeted by personal chefs and slipping off for away days against the backdrop of Paris Fashion Week. Toto, weâre not in Brixton anymore.
LETâS GET LYRICAL
On âDrunk Tank Pinkâ, Charlie Steenâs been using his pen to look inwards, but heâs still got other ideas... Eddie: Thereâs still humour in the lyrics - maybe even more humour on this album in some parts. Charlie: I think because of the period of time that both of the records have been written in, there are themes throughout them but itâs more about a process and an adjustment. Itâd be interesting to write an album in a month. Eddie: Or just do a Joe Talbot and donât write any lyrics until you go to the booth. Charlie: Thatâs how people like Migos do it cos they have so many songs so theyâre not gonna spend hours working on each one. More streams, more dreams. Eddie: Stop trying to coin terms!
It all paints a picture of an album born, gestated and birthed in a wholly different way to their visceral, purposefully rough-around-the-edges debut. Written as more of a unit than ever before, with the benefit of hundreds upon hundreds of shows under their belt to keep them razor sharp, âDrunk Tank Pinkâ conversely arrives as a studio album one thatâs only ever had half its wares played live (âThat feels mental,â says Eddie, with a disbelieving shake of the head. âThat spins me outâ), and whose whip-smart tracks have been polished into shape by the best of the best. To those whoâd written Shame off as a one-trick hype band, their second is the equivalent of that dodgy Cuban tattoo, shoving a firm middle finger up to anyone that gets in its way. âItâs weird to think all last year, people still thought we sounded like âSongs of Praiseâ,â Eddie muses, now the quintet are finally able to lift the curtain on phase two. âBut the songs feel fresh again now theyâre released; when people start engaging with them, they feel new again. Iâll die on this albumâs hill!â âDrunk Tank Pinkâ is out now via Dead Oceans. DIY
âWe were trying to be ambitious with it, but thereâs always a bit of uncertainty because thereâs a pretty broad preconception of what we sound like. In most peopleâs minds we still sound like âSongs of Praiseâ, but the good thing about the way people consume music these days is that people are a lot less territorial about what they listen to,â Eddie posits. âSo I think a band being more experimental or pushing the boat out a bit is nowhere near as much of a risk now as it would have been 20 or 30 years ago when you had armies of kids that only listened to one thing. So that gave us more flexibility to be carefree.â âMaybe we just got better?â Josh shrugs. âI think when we did âSongs of Praiseâ we were trying to push the boat out, but we just got better at being able to do it. I think we thought âSongs of Praiseâ was groundbreaking at the time.â And if thereâs a clearer visual that the passing of time has level-upped Shame from all directions, itâs their aforementioned French sojourn. Decamping to La Frette studios at the very beginning of 2020 to work with super producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Florence + the Machine), they spin tales
39
girl to the
front 40 DIYMAG.COM
On
Pale Waves'
forthright second album,
Heather Baron-Gracie
up as the vocal, dominant
is stepping
leader sheâd always hinted she
could be. âWho Am I?â - turns out the answer is perhaps more complicated than the
Manchester gang first suggested. Words: James Balmont.
I
t's midday on a January Monday and Heather Baron-Gracie is 25 minutes late to her Zoom meeting with DIY. We don't complain, and for good reason - she'll later admit herself that she's "like a little lion cub that will rip someone's face off" if you catch her in a bad mood. "I was having trouble with my eyebrow," she offers on this occasion. "It was getting frustrating, I was throwing a bit of a tantrum." It's a vague indication of what Pale Waves might have become since the release of their Top 10 album 'My Mind Makes Noises' nearly two years ago: something like The Heather Show. With that debut record, Pale Waves were Manchester's premier BFF band; proteges of The 1975 in both sound and tenacity. But like their older brethren, theyâve also demonstrated that transformations are simply a part of growing up. In the case of Pale Waves' frontwoman, itâs manifested in myriad forms: she's been notably more outspoken in publicly triumphing her queerness, but she's equally unapologetic for having seized the reins of her band to drive her own vision forwards. When Heather decided to decamp to LA to write second record 'Who Am I?' without her bandmates, few could be blamed for wondering if some feathers had been left
Photos: Ed Miles.
ruffled at basecamp. Such concerns were hardly allayed when the album's cover art, which finds drummer Ciara Doran, guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood blurred into the background, was revealed. They don't even feature in the music video for anthemic second single 'She's My Religion' - replaced, apparently, by Heather's girlfriend, Kelsi Luck. With the general public's eyebrows firmly raised, Heather and Ciara are here to clear the air. Fortunately, it turns out there's more to 'Who Am I?' than meets the eye.
"I
t just wasn't working out," Heather barks, reflecting on the two years of non-stop touring that had left the band creatively stifled. Attempts to write a second album in tour buses, dressing rooms and hotel rooms had ended up lacking, and Ciara rues what came next. Formerly a stronghold of the band's creativity, theirs and Heather's collaborative songwriting was now circling a drain - a whole album's worth of demos were shelved, the drummer laments. This fractured creative relationship would be mirrored by one of the most shocking events in the band's history: a serious bus crash in Europe that left Ciara, Hugo and Charlie shook. "We honestly thought we were going to die," Ciara later told BBC News. Heather was absent from the near-disaster, though, having travelled between shows by plane with her girlfriend; it was the most visible sign to date of the band's creative factions
41
â
â
The confidence wasn't there before, and I'm not
good enough actress to fake it. - Heather Baron-Gracie 42 DIYMAG.COM
a
being splintered. By that point, she was already writing Pale Waves' follow-up album in LA without Ciara and co. involved. Even today, in London, the frontwoman admits: "I only really came back for the music videos." Despite her candour, however, Heather is steadfast: decamping to LA was not intended to be a slight. "I went to LA to see Kelsi," she says, referring to her partner, who has lived on the West Coast for nine years. "I wasn't happy. I had to go on that journey - it allowed me to breathe, and to naturally write music."
Stockholm Syndrome
Heather found her muse in Kelsi (and Pale Waves found Muse in the recording studio), but where did all these new sources of inspiration leave Ciara? "Me and Heather are both music writers," says the drummer. "I can't just stop that part of me." Salvation was found in Sweden, of all places. "I came across this guy called Theo," Ciara recalls, just days before the band's pivotal bus crash. "I was actually just buying weed off him, but he's a musician, and he introduced me to [pop artist] Taphia Mi. We met up the next day in Stockholm, and we just connected. Some things are just meant to be.
Kelsi's presence is hardly subtle on an album that is effectively a love letter to her. 'Easy' makes Heather's emotions clear ("Being in love with you is so easy," goes the chorus), while 'Tomorrow' even calls her by her name. The '90s-style video for 'She's My Religion', meanwhile, stars the couple as loversentwined in a blooming romance ("Ladies and gentlethems, stand for the lesbian anthem," one YouTube comment reads), and the duo are now co-directing the follow-up video for 'You Don't Own Me' together. She's not so much a creative influence, then; she's Heather's muse. "Oh my God, completely," the singer exclaims. "It's like I was a seed in the ground and then she watered me, and I became this flower!" What might sound like a case of the Yoko Onos, though, was not all black and white. As Heather explains, the road to Pale Waves' second album was really one of self-discovery; it took someone like Kelsi to "subtract the toxic things out of my life," she
â
affirms, but the journey also took inspiration from elsewhere.
"O
n a daily basis I receive messages that are [often] very intense," Heather begins, before pausing in thought. "Me and Ciara are in the LGBTQ community. We attract people who feel like outsiders, [especially] younger kids who are struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, or coming out to their families." It's a position that comes with a lot of responsibility, even pressure - and it's occupied a great deal of space on Heather's mind for some time. âIt's a blessing and a curse," she says. "I get this validation from people online all the time, and that's incredible, [but at the same time] there's a sense of responsibility on my end to not fuck things up for the people who want our support." One fan relationship was pivotal to Heather in reaching that conclusion. "She sent me a few messages, told me that she's gay. She came out to her mum and her mum completely disowned her, hated the fact that she was gay, kicked her out of the house. This girl was sleeping in the back garden, and now child support is getting involved and trying to take her to a new home." "It broke my heart," Heather continues, earnestly. "And so I knew that going into the second album I needed to find a voice for those people a lot more."
across the 11 songs of 'Who Am I?' - from the fierce bark of "sexuality isn't a choice" on 'Tomorrow' (a lyric Heather had plastered across her jacket at the band's gig at Londonâs Forum in late 2019), to the cooing refrains of 'Run To'. But it took time to feel comfortable being "the person the fans wanted me to be," she admits. "The confidence wasn't there before, and I'm not a good enough actress to fake [it]. "It took being in a relationship with a person that I'm in love with," she declares. "[I wanted to do it] in a healthy way, rather than 'I kissed a girl and I liked it'." Heather's creative bee-lining may have rocked the boat, but this, at least, was a message Ciara could get behind. They, of course, had been through a considerable transformation themselves recently. "It started with the bus crash," Ciara says, tentatively. "When something like that happens, it wakes you up. I started dressing more like how I felt inside afterwards, cutting off my hair, stuff like that. A lot of people have had those self-discoveries this year with the pandemic going on, and for me, mine happened to be that I'm not a girl. "That was a huge thing for me," they continue. "Being uncomfortable with having breasts and a womanly body, working out that I had gender dysphoria⌠It was like discovering that I was gay all over again."
In 2021, Heather has found that voice. She sounds stronger, more defiant than ever
I had gender dysphoria⌠It was like discovering that I was gay all over again. - Ciara Doran Working out that
"I'm working with Ariel Beesley, too, and she's awesome," Ciara concludes. "Working with other people is going to help Heather and me to write together in future. You learn how to get someone's art across the way they want, in their vision."
43
C
iara's pounding presence on 'Who Am I?', then, feels like a true hammering home of the album's values. But a musical transformation was needed to communicate that message honestly as well. For Heather, that would require a greater sense of control on her part after initial demos ended up sounding too much like what had come before. It meant taking inspiration from the artists Heather grew up with: Avril Lavigne, Courtney Love, even Liz Phair - âalternativeâ female artists each defined by their determination and emotional transparency. The '90s post-grunge, alt-rock sound felt throughout 'Who Am I?', then - from the acoustic strums of 'I Just Needed You' to the propulsive drums of 'You Don't Own Me' - feels decisive, and genuine. "I love that music too," Ciara is quick to point out. "It's about attitude, about screaming the lyrics out loud, rather than 'everyone, let's get in a circle and dance'." "Alanis Morissette was a key influence on the songwriting," Heather explains. She cites smash 1995 single 'You Oughta Know' as a direct lyrical influence on lead single 'Change' ("Would she go down on you in a theatre?" mirrors Heather's "But you still wanna go down on me" on the latter). But there was more to the relationship than just a creative spark. "We actually got Alanis Morissette's guitarist to play some of the lead guitar parts on the album," Heather enthuses, citing producer Rich Costey as the well-connected middle-man who helped piece things together in the LA studio. The album's recording - which brought the rest of the band into the fold - might have taken an even more unconventional turn in those strange days if it were not for the wonders of technology. "Every day Matt Bellamy would just come into the studio," Ciara recalls. "He was actually going to play bass after Charlie and Hugo went back," adds Heather, referring to her bandmates' return to the UK after things got ropey with the pandemic. "It would have been a cool story, but we managed to do it over the internet with the guys in the end." "In the end, we've all gone through massive changes in our lives," concludes Ciara of the various bumpy rides of the past year. "But we're more honed in on who we are as individuals now." "It's the title of the record," notes Heather. And you'd feel she's quite sure of the answer now. And as for the future of the band? "Me and Heather have been through a lot together," says Ciara. "This isn't the worst thing that we've been through." Heather, meanwhile, has no problem admitting that she's heading back to LA after the album is released - but this time it's because she's eager to get onto the next chapter. Whether that's making music with Kelsi ("We probably will, you know. Just like Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, it's inevitable") or making a head start on another Pale Waves record is unclear. But for now, 'Who Am I?' carries the most important message. âNormalising same sex relationships and speaking up about matters important not just to us, but our fans too, was a long time coming,â Heather concludes. â[This album] has done it justice. I'm glad I waited." âWho Am I?â is out 12th February via Dirty Hit. DIY
44 DIYMAG.COM
â
There's a sense of responsibility on my end to
not fuck things up for the people
who want our support. - Heather Baron-Gracie
The new album
Gadzook records
In print. Every month.
diymag.com/subscribe 45
With her gorgeous debut âCollapsed in Sunbeamsâ, Arlo Parks is offering up a glimpse of hope in the darkness, just when we need it most. Words: Sarah Jamieson. Photos: Alex Kurunis.
46 DIYMAG.COM
âI
t all feels a little bit overwhelming because Iâve just been sitting at home, playing Scrabble and just vibing,â laughs Arlo Parks. On surface level, her January sounds much like any other unassuming 20-year-old getting to grips with the new year. And yet, over the last twelve months, the London singer has managed to tick more off her bucket list than she ever couldâve imagined. Take her recent collaboration with fashion powerhouse Gucci, for example - an experience that saw her work with director Gus Van Sant and appear in one of their âOuverture Of Something That Never Endedâ shorts, starring alongside the likes of Billie Eilish and Florence Welch. Or perhaps her performance with Phoebe Bridgers, in which the pair offered up a haunting piano cover of Radioheadâs âFake Plastic Treesâ for a Radio 1 session. Or even just the small matter of having Harry Styles like her posts on Instagram. âThat was a special moment,â she almost-whispers giddily, âbecause I am such a
big fan.â The list of special moments for Arlo Parks right now seems endless. âItâs definitely been strange,â she concedes. Away from her multiple celebrity admirers, meanwhile, some of the singerâs other achievements already include winning the Association of Independent Musicâs One To Watch prize, becoming an ambassador for Independent Venue Week and being one of only three artists alongside Laura Marling and Nubya Garcia to play as part of Glastonbury 2020âs downsized edition. âThe beautiful thing about it is that I never expected any of it, so any of the incredible things - like working with Gus Van Sant, or singing with Phoebe - when those things have happened, Iâm just kinda like, âWowâ. Itâs so exciting,â Arlo smiles. âIâm just really grateful because I remember at the beginning when the lockdown was announced and I hadnât really written much of the album yet. It was like, am I gonna be creative? Is this project gonna become stagnant? Are people still going to be interacting with my work? The fact that people have been [doing that] on a greater scale than I ever couldâve imagined is incredible.â
47
A lot of it is about stepping away from negative situations and setting up boundaries and prioritising oneself.
48 DIYMAG.COM
E
explains.
ven more remarkably, Arlo has done all this before even releasing her debut album. But pressing play on debut 'Collapsed in Sunbeams', itâs hard not to feel an instant sense of peace settle over you. Whether it be the soft crackle that lies underneath the winding guitar line of its first track, like stray flecks of dust on a vinyl, or the gorgeous poem that begins the record - an introduction, of sorts, as to where the album will travel - thereâs something intensely comforting about being welcomed into its hopeful warmth. âIt was actually the last thing I did,â Arlo says of the albumâs title track, which was written in the same bedroom as sheâs speaking from today. Unsurprisingly, the literary-minded singer was always keen to weave a poem into her debut, but it was only after the spoken-word track was written that it found its place to open the whole show. âIt just felt like a piece that invited people into my private world. Because it is so quiet and spacey and almost ethereal, it felt like quite a soothing way to transition into this world of vulnerability and all of these intimate stories,â she explains. Much like one of Shakespeareâs infamous prologues, itâs this opener that sets out the stall for the rest of the record: âCollapsed in sunbeams, stretched out open to beauty, however brief or violent. I see myself ablaze with joy.â A deft journey that sees Arlo delve back to her younger years and explore some of the darker moments of her life, âCollapsed in Sunbeamsâ nonetheless also strives to celebrate the simpler, more beautiful times we live through. Though breakthrough tracks âHurtâ and âBlack Dogâ, both of which tackle the debilitating impact of depression, are present, Arlo assures us that theyâre very much not the whole picture. âIt would be easy to colour the album with this brush of general melancholy and darkness,â she admits. â[But] a lot of it is about stepping away from negative situations, setting up boundaries and prioritising oneself - taking care of others, building relationships and learning from losses and negative experiences. Itâs supposed to be bittersweet and I think part of being a human being - especially as a teenager - is going through those losses and those first big moments. What do you learn from that and how do you move forward, and process traumas and turn them into something positive? Even the fact that I made this album - although Iâm talking about painful things, hopefully this a project that people will hold dear and feel comforted by in those dark times.â
B
orn in the early throes of March 2020âs first lockdown, when Arlo and collaborator Gianluca Buccellati began work in a rented Airbnb, the challenging situation at hand allowed for Arlo to truly absorb herself in the process. âThe fact that I was in lockdown and had nothing else to do other than sit and ponder what I wanted to say, and just pore over my journals, read and watch movies⌠I really felt like I was inhabiting the world of the record completely rather than having other external distractions. I think that itâs definitely an album that was written in a place of stillness and reflection.â Itâs this sense of reflection that runs throughout the album; across its 12 tracks, Arlo feels like our observant narrator, colouring in each songâs scene with her vivid imagery. No detail is left unmentioned, no character unnamed. âI was, at first, quite daunted by [the question of] what is the thread here? How am I gonna join all these experiences together, which are across different times in my life, different physical places, different people? But honestly, I just wrote the songs one by one,â she
âThe way that I am, I operate from a very gutbased, instinctive place and I donât really mull over things for a long time, for better or worse. For me, I just try not to get in the way of myself. Itâs interesting but while I was making this album, it was as though something was writing through me. I know that sounds very kinda hippy-ish, but sometimes I felt like I was almost just a vessel and all these subconscious thoughts were flowing out of me. I didnât want to get in the way of that, and I think thereâs something quite beautiful about those unfiltered thoughts.â
From working with Paul Epworth to her own writing styles, here are a few insights into the different elements that went into making âCollapsed in Sunbeamsâ.
⌠Her style of writing
Iâm somebody thatâs always gravitated towards more sensory writing. I love talking about food and nature and flowers, or the physicality of someone. I like talking about eyes, I like mentioning music and pop culture references; thatâs all just part of my tastes and thatâs just how it comes out.
⌠Working with Paul Epworth
And while some of the more painful moments of life do very much rear their head here - whether itâs struggling with overcoming hardship in âHopeâ, or the coming to terms with othersâ views of your sexuality that runs through âLet Goâ - the process also became a liberating one for the singer. âWhen youâre looking at difficult experiences, thereâs that feeling of, âOh do I really wanna dredge this back up again?ââ she agrees. âBut through the process of writing some of these songs, I gained a sense of closure surrounding certain things. I think that whenever I write a song about something, I move a little way forward in releasing that difficult situationâs hold on me in a way. Especially when I can find the words to encapsulate a very complicated set of emotions. I always feel afterwards like yeah, a bit of a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.â
U
nsurprisingly, thereâs something apt about such a thoughtful, consoling record as this being released right now. At a time where our worlds feel smaller and more limited than ever, âCollapsed in Sunbeamsâ offers both a sense of comfort, and a reminder that good times will soon return.
It was a lot of fun. Iâve always gravitated towards people who have quite a free way of making music. When I was working with Paul, a lot of the music that we made just came from jamming. I could tell how much he loved music, and thatâs something I look for in collaborators. There was no sense of ego there. It felt very easy and natural.
âI want people to realise that traumatic or difficult experiences are ones that you donât have to inhabit, you can work through them,â Arlo says of the message sheâd like to leave listeners with. âI want people to feel like itâs OK to be vulnerable, itâs OK not to feel excellent 100% of the time. And I just want people to enjoy it and feel warmed by it. It doesnât necessarily always have to be accepted with a level of âThis is life-changingâ. I just wanted it to make people happy, for people to cook to it, to hang to it, and just feel good whilst listening to it.â
⌠Arctic Monkeysâ debut album
As for how sheâs feeling about things in the lead up to the albumâs release? âI feel differently about it every day,â she laughs. âSometimes thereâs a sense of nervousness, sometimes thereâs just unadulterated excitement. Sometimes I forget that itâs happening and then I remember in the shower and I get really like, âAhhh!â.
I love that album! It felt like a very fluid series of vignettes, but for me, the experience was of playing it in one go and feeling like it was a full picture rather than a series of disjointed moments. Thatâs something that I wanted to do with my record as well.
⌠Lockdown V3
Iâve been doing a lot of writing and making beats, just trying to stay productive. Iâve been feeling quite inspired too, weirdly; I think for me a lot of inspiration comes when Iâm still and when my mind is kinda empty. Iâve been getting this thing where melodies are coming out of the blue to me, when Iâm just walking around the house or making coffee, so thatâs been amazing, just to have that spontaneous creativity is really nice.
âI think that whenever an artist embarks on a journey, you set intentions and you have goals and hopes for what might happen. The thing about art is that you never know how itâs gonna be received or whatâs gonna happen on the other end,â she summarises eloquently. âThe fact that I have always been - and will always be - completely myself, and that people are accepting my songs and myself as I am, itâs just so beautiful. The other day, I was reading my journal from when I was 14 or something, and I was like âI really want one stranger to say that my music has moved them in a wayâ, and thatâs happened times a thousand.â Even after a year like the one Arlo Parks has just had, with accolades and acclaim thrown her way from all corners, you can tell this one means the most. âCollapsed in Sunbeamsâ is out now via Transgressive. DIY
49
PHOENIX from
THIS TIME L AST YEAR,
SLOWTHAIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NAME WAS IN THE HEADLINES
FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS; FROM BREAKTHROUGH CHAMPION TO ALLBUT-CANCELLED
O VE R N IG H T, TH E
FUTURE LOOKED BLEAK.
50 DIYMAG.COM
NOW, ON SECOND LP âTYRONâ, WE FIND AN
AR TIS T FAC ING HIS DEM ON S BUT COMING
OUT FIGHTING. âLIFEâS
BIGGER THAN A TWIT TER
CONVERSATION,â HE TELLS DIY. W O R D S : P ATR IC K C L A R
K E.
PHOTOS: ED MILES.
the
FLAMES 51
fuck what people think of you, just do your thing, but also you want to clear your name because people are talking. In two seconds, youâve painted me with a brush thatâs made me into a monster. Anyone who knows me has an understanding that thatâs not what I am. I had to get my head around the fact that most of the time, people are waiting for you to fail.
If slowthai had his time again, he wouldnât change a thing.
âIf I did, I wouldnât be in the position I am. Iâd still be on SoundCloud releasing fully distorted songs,â he says with a sleepy grin on a Zoom call from his home studio in Northampton. âThrough every part of my journey, Iâm thankful for the people Iâve met, Iâm thankful for the people Iâve worked with. Everything. I never would have believed Iâd be in LA at Camp Flog Gnaw, eating mushroom chocolate, rolling around meeting Mos Def and being like, âIâm fucked, bro!ââ His beaming expression belies the fact that Tyron Framptonâs rapid rise has been tumultuous, to say the least. After a string of assertive self-released singles, brutal 2017 EP âI Wish I Knewâ and its follow up âRUNTâ, his thunderous debut album âNothing Great About Britainâ was a catapult to colossal acclaim. Its dynamism and bite had him hyped as the voice of a generation, and slowthai was more than happy to ride the wave. After the inevitable Mercury shortlisting, he caused a national furore by holding up a fake severed head of Boris Johnson while shouting âFuck the PM!â during a blazing televised performance at the ceremony. âHORRORâ exclaimed the Daily Express. âFURYâ blustered the Daily Mail. Precisely the desired effect, you imagine.
âIn life you have a couple of things you leave behind and thatâs your legacy. The way you treated people and the way youâre remembered. I never wanted to be remembered as someone thatâs just in it for themselves; Iâve always tried being selfless, to give people something they can hold on to and lift them up. So the moment when people shine you in a light where youâre one of the people sucking the life out of things and making it negative⌠yeah. Itâs gonna be a long day.â
T
hough he only just turned 26, slowthai often returns to the subject of how heâll look back on his life, how others will remember him after heâs gone, and how to make the most of every opportunity. Heâs keen to put last
He bristles when we ask him to describe the morning after. âIt was a LONG day man,â he says before a lengthy pause for thought. âMy thingâs always been like,
52 DIYMAG.COM
That said, when conversation turns to the standalone track he put out in response to the controversy, âENEMYâ, what feels like a lingering rage rises in his voice. The song, which arrived as the most antagonistic thing heâs ever produced, littered with seething bars - âFind out where you live / When's the timing's right, I forget, don't forgiveâ came with a feverish video of slowthaiâs gurning face leering in and out of darkness in sickly green light. âThat track is like, I know what I am, and I took things on board that I needed to do with myself, but you ainât the judge, jury and executioner,â he says. âYou ainât making my life any better so why am I sat here getting down about it? These people ainât got no heart, they ainât got no courage or pride. They ainât advocates of no change. Every one of these people, whether they have a blue tick or theyâre a troll account, I see every single one of them. They can keep that energy, because I know where Iâm going and I know who I am.â That track got all the anger about the events out of his system, he says. Now, he can look back at that night as a lesson. âItâs like those cliched motivational videos. Life can knock you down, but you get back up and you keep pushing. I realised I have to go harder, push and show people what weâre about. Soulja Boy said, âThey hate on me but they hated Jesusâ. Iâm not saying Iâm Jesus, but Iâm here to spread some light and love and energy and make peopleâs lives a bit easier.â
In February last year, however, there was controversy of a less advantageous kind. At the NME Awards, where he was presented with the Hero Of The Year trophy, a clip quickly went viral of slowthai aggressively launching a glass into the crowd and being held back by security as he tried to fight the audience, one of whom had called him a misogynist. Shortly beforehand, he was seen leering at host Katherine Ryan, saying âyou ainât never had anyone play with you like Iâll play with youâ as he pushed himself in her face. It appeared damning, and he was quickly condemned online not only by a right-wing press already out for blood, but by those on the left who believed a veil had been lifted on the ârealâ Tyron. slowthai apologised and asked that Katherine be awarded his trophy instead. âWhat started as a joke between us escalated to a point of shameful actions on my part,â he said in a statement. The comedian, for her part, said he hadnât made her uncomfortable. âI knew he had lost from the moment he opened his mouth like any heckler coming up against a COMIC - not a woman - a COMIC,â she tweeted. âI was operating 2/10. What a sweet boy. I defused it.â In time a wider context emerged, that it was an inebriated and misjudged attempt to riff on a comedic bit he and Katherine had already established throughout the night that he took way, way too far. Nevertheless, the events have become something of a permanent blot on his record.
When youâre sure of what you stand for, what does it matter, man? Iâm not here to please anybody except people close to me.â
These arenât just words; thereâs indeed been a certain wholesomeness to slowthaiâs output online over the last 12 months. When there was talk of delaying the album due to the pandemic he posted a message explaining his decision not to do so. âI would hope that it can help someone as a distraction amongst the chaos and shift their mindset positively,â he wrote. He spends a lot of time replying directly to his fans and shares their work to his followers. âIf someoneâs sick at their craft, Iâve got 100,000 kids on Twitter. They could go to that guy and potentially be [a fan] for the rest of their lives. Itâs about joining, rather than being disconnected,â he explains.
February - âa little blipâ - behind him. âI had to rub all that shit out of my mind, because holding onto things in the past doesnât help you move forwards. Lifeâs bigger than a Twitter conversation.
Itâs antithetical to the darker side of social media he was on the receiving end of at the start of last year. âIâve definitely spent time in the deepest, darkest corners of the internet, and thatâs not where I wanna be,â he says. Itâs notable how often he uses words
deepest, darkest corners of the internet, and time in the
thatâs not where I wanna be.
â
â
Iâve definitely spent
Choose your fighter.
53
like âweâ and âourâ when referring to his achievements. âThereâs a team of people, man. Itâs not like Iâm the one guy.â
s
lowthai had been working on songs for his second record, âTYRONâ, as far back as 2019, but it started coming together properly in the weeks shortly after the awards. A double album titled after his birth name, the first half is the natural evolution of the assured, strutting artist at the heart of âNothing Great About Britainâ. The track titles are in all caps, the beats are hot-blooded and his flow highly concentrated as he re-asserts his dominance like a boxer picking himself up off the mat. On the pummelling âCANCELLEDâ and the hypnotic âMAZZAâ he holds his own, trading swaggering verses with Skepta and A$AP Rocky. Itâs only at the end of the first half, on âPLAY WITH FIREâ, that a hint of melancholy creeps in. âSometimes I feel like Iâve got my head in a blenderâŚâ he says, downbeat as cut up snippets of an inner monologue plagued with self-doubt and anger whirl about the background. The second half, with its track titles all in lowercase, plunges headfirst into that introspection. Over woozier beats he sounds more frantic and fragile, constantly flickering between longing, loneliness, self-doubt, nostalgia, melancholia and teeth-gritting resolve. âNo one I can lean on so Iâm limping with a walking stick / People keep talking shit I cut through the thick of it,â he raps calmly on âfocusâ. The poignant âpushâ, which features
campaign with âthe track furthest away from what weâve already doneâ. Its introspective nature means âTYRONâ is significantly less political than its predecessor. âI could focus on politics, but at this time where itâs not actually doing anything for me and my mental healthâs being tested just by myself, itâs more important to focus on how Iâm feeling than whatâs going on around us, stuff thatâs just gonna make it ten times worse than it is,â he says. When conversation does turn to modern politics, the mayhem over artistsâ visas to play in Europe post-Brexit, the free school meals debacle, the economy and the coronavirus, he sounds flattened. âOne guy becomes Prime Minister, heâs just as shit as the last one. People sign these petitions, [the government] donât even look at it. You can spend your whole life getting into it and arguing this point and that point and screaming it until youâre blue in the face, but thereâs more pressing issues right now than Boris and his grand plan of nothing.â Having built his career off the back
At least I know when I die, my
Dad was a bit of a mad cunt, but kids can go âYo!
he had a great time!â
Deb Never, is unlike any instrumental heâs ever rapped over, almost entirely acoustic. Closer âadhdâ, meanwhile, is a bleak expression of monotony that ends with a final howl of overwhelming exasperation. The split mirrors the two sides of the rapperâs own personality, introducing us to the more introspective Tyron Frampton alongside the swaggering slowthai we already know. âI donât always wanna be running around onstage in my boxer shorts. I donât wake up every morning like âYO!â and then skip down the street, you know what I mean?â he says. Further than that though, it also speaks to a universal truth - the dual personalities that exist in us all. âThereâs the side where you get dressed up to go out and have a good time, and the side where youâre at home just sitting around in your underwear eating crap food, having a shit time,â he suggests. âYouâre at your most real when youâre there, and not many people get to see that side.â It takes guts to reveal that hidden world to an audience of slowthaiâs magnitude. âBut whatâs the point in doing things halfheartedly? If you canât be yourself, whatâs the point?â The record was announced with perhaps its most tender track, the James Blake and Mount Kimbie-featuring âfeel awayâ, a song dedicated to and partly inspired by his younger brother Michael, who was born with muscular dystrophy and died aged one, devastating the family. Heâs an artist who plots his releases with precision. âYou canât just enter another dimension and understand it straight away. Youâve got to gradually bring people into it,â he explains. It feels significant that he began the
54 DIYMAG.COM
of political statements, however, does he not feel like heâs swerving the duties that come with his platform? âIâm not an MP, first and foremost,â he says pointedly. âI donât attend parliament, and even if I did would they take me seriously? I can shine light and teach people, but Iâve already pushed people in the direction and supported that cause. When the timeâs right Iâll be there, but nowâs not the time. I donât feel guilty because Iâve already done my part and Iâll continue to do my part. Iâd only ever feel guilt if Iâve done someone wrong.â
D
espite the fact thereâs a track called âCANCELLEDâ, and lyrics like âtermsââ chorus - âNo matter what they get my words twistedâ - the albumâs themes have nothing to do with that fateful night, slowthai asserts. âOther than âENEMYâ, thatâs that,â he says. âHold onto that forever if you will, but Iâm in 2077. Iâm cyberpunk right now.â In fact, most of the recordâs themes emerged well before 2020. âWhen you make music youâre
Behind the Bars âTYRONâ is full of choice words and memorable phrases - we picked out a few of the best. âSHOW ME YOUR FACE/ LET ME SEE WHOâS REALLY TRYNA STOP MEâ â âCANCELLEDâ slowthaiâs had his fair share of haters on all sides, particularly over the last year, and on âTYRONâ heâs coming out fighting against anonymous online trolls. âIâM HAPPY BEING THE FUCKING FLOWER BOY/ I JUST WANNA BE IN THE PUB WITH MY BOYS/ DONâT LET YOUR MATTRESS SWALLOW YOU WALLOWING THINKING WHAT YOU GONNA DO OR GOTTA DO/ FUCK ALL THESE EXPECTATIONSâ â âI TRIEDâ Under the pressures of his rapid rise to fame, has slowthai ever felt the temptation to shut down and run away? âEvery day bruv!â he tells DIY. âWho wants to be a responsible grown up?â âALL THE BEST SHITâS GOT SCRATCHES ON THE SURFACE/ WHATâS A FLIGHT WITHOUT TURBULENCE?/ A LIFE WITHOUT CIRCUMSTANCE?â - âNHSâ slowthaiâs been bruised and battered by his wild ride to fame and made plenty of missteps along the way, but if nothing else âTYRONâ is a proud declaration of every aspect of who he is, for better or worse.
predicting your turmoil, explaining where youâre at, but it makes more sense a month or a year later,â he continues. That said, âTYRONâ is tied directly to its time. After âNothing Great About Britainâ, slowthai initially intended to release another hard-hitting, politically driven record; a twosided, introspective album named âTYRONâ was originally going to be his third release. Given the upheaval of 2020, personally and globally, however - particularly when it comes to mental health - he quickly realised âit was more suited to whatâs going on nowâ. â[The next album] needed to be about personal experiences, and how youâre dealing with being so isolated from everyone else,â he nods. In the end, after a chaotic rise through the last two years and a dramatic fall last February, for slowthai the enforced downtime and introspection of the pandemic resulted in a chance to finally stand still and evaluate. The resulting album makes no apologies for whatâs come before; he means it when he says he has no regrets. Instead, âTYRONâ is an unflinching examination of who slowthai is and what he stands for, warts and all. âItâs not like I had some guide whoâs done it all before,â he says defiantly. âIâm a kid from a council estate in the UK where peopleâs only fun is what they make of it. So when Iâm where I am now and thereâs bright lights, what, Iâm gonna be a polite boy? Thatâs not me. I come from somewhere where thatâs not what you do. What is life without the fuck ups, man? At least I know when I die, my kids can go âYo! Dad was a bit of a mad cunt, but he had a great time! He done some real good things, he done some fucked up shit, but thatâs what itâs about, man!ââ âTYRONâ is out 12th February via Method. DIY
55
revie JULIEN BAKER Little Oblivions
(Matador)
âIâm telling my own fortune, something I cannot escape,â offers Julien Baker on âHardlineâ, the opening track on her expansive third studio album; a step away from the acoustic led singer-songwriter affair of her first two outings. Her words perfectly establish whatâs to follow across the recordâs twelve tracks, songs that continue to make often self-deprecating observations about herself and others that feel as vital as they are inescapable. Julien has forged a space from laying her demons bare and the hunt for some semblance of solace, and âLittle Oblivionsâ is no different. Like slow-burning debut âSprained Ankleâ and 2017âs âTurn Out The Lightsâ, Julienâs latest doesnât attempt to look for answers. By closer âZiptieâ, her outlook is as bleak as it has largely always been. âTired of collecting my scars,â she sings, âsomebodyâs got my head in a ziptie.â The lyrics are accompanied by an expanse of instrumentation previously absent from her sound, and drums drive âLittle Oblivionsâ forward with a disarming urgency. At times, the hushed subtlety of the two previous records is all-but forgotten, not least as âRingsideâ leans on heavy reverb and âRepeatâ turns to electronic pulses and distorted vocals. Itâs new territory for Julien, but one she traverses with ease, complementing her more overt tales of faith, inebriation and inter-personal relationships. Yet, following on from âTurn Out The Lightâs revelatory âClaws In My Backâ, thereâs a notion of an acceptance of her constant inner battle. In coming to terms with the co-existence of hope and pain, and in approaching her turbulent journey head on, âLittle Oblivionsâ celebrates personal endurance. âI donât need a saviour,â she affirms with an increasingly characteristic blend of resignation and self-assurance, âI need you to take me homeâ. On âFavourâ she questions âit doesnât feel too bad does itâ, instantly paired with a wounded caveat; âit doesnât feel too good eitherâ. Much like what has come before, itâs in this melancholic in-between that âLittle Oblivionsâ finds its voice; a soundtrack for those searching for hope in difficult times, particularly when the wider world has removed easy distraction from the pain. (Ben Tipple) LISTEN: 'Hardline'
A soundtrack for those searching for hope in difficult times. 56 DIYMAG.COM
ws Q&A Julien Baker talks the road to âLittle Oblivionsâ and switching up her approach this time around. Interview: Sarah Jamieson. Youâve mentioned that making this record, you were going through a period of self-reflection. Do you think that continued when you were writing? Did you find it a cathartic process? Definitely. Songwriting for me has always been this interesting place where, when youâre within the context of poetry or lyricism, thereâs almost a loosening of the social expectations around saving face, or not making people uncomfortable because thereâs a little bit of artistic license there. Within that safety bubble is where I can usually say things in songs that I wouldnât [usually] let myself confront, or that I wouldnât word that way; that Iâd find a kinder or more rational way to say. In songs I feel like I am permitted to say the irrational fears, or the things that are more tied to emotion, than to give a discourse on what I actually think is going on. Thatâs pretty freeing, because I spend so much of my dang time trying to be very clear about what Iâm saying, just because Iâm obsessed about it. In songs you can remove that apprehension.
PALE WAVES
Who Am I? (Dirty Hit) When Pale Waves released debut âMy Mind Makes Noisesâ under the wing of label-mates The 1975 three years ago, the Manchester bunch got a start most bands would kill for. Come album two, come the onus being less on the company they keep and solely on what the foursome - or more specifically, leader Heather Baron-Gracie - has to say. Where âMy Mind Makes Noisesâ borrowed from â80s new-wave and synth-pop, âWho Am I?â has a sonic palette cherrypicked from the most nostalgic elements of â00s pop-rock. From the first distorted kick drum on âChangesâ, flashes of Paramore, Avril Lavigne and the like are abundant. The production is tight and punchy; âEasyâ is an exemplary slice of romantic pop with a chorus so sweet itâs nauseating, while âTomorrowâ swims in anthemic optimism, getting its thunder from Ciara Doranâs drums. Heather is chief author of âWho Am I?â and as its title suggests, the theme of identity is a focus. On âSheâs My Religionâ, she uses female pronouns in a romantic context for the first time, and having publicly discussed her struggle accepting her sexuality, itâs a small but important change: not only does she sing about self-acceptance, she leads by example. Elsewhere âYou Donât Own Meâ is a guided missile aimed right at the patriarchy - âI know
itâs hard to believeâ, she snarls, âbut you donât own meâ. Thereâs authenticity in the way she addresses these topics: on âTomorrowâ, when she lovingly refrains âyouâre one of a kind just trust me, trust meâ (assumedly to a fan) it feels unfiltered and from the heart. You get the sense sheâs singing the words she could have done with hearing more in her own adolescence. Itâs a shame then that âWho Am I?â falters in its second half. When Heather dismisses money and fame for love on âI Just Needed Youâ, her usual dramatic flare is missing, making for a pretty average result. The same can be said for âOdd One Outâ, the token acoustic track which aspires to the soaring heights of Avrilâs classic power ballad âKeep Holding Onâ but without a strong message, ends closer to campfire cheese territory. It takes a certain wide-eyed energy to make cracking pop music, something Pale Waves definitely possess - and though âWho Am I?â isnât quite the bastion of empowerment it was intended to be, it has some glimmering moments. Coming of age is a continuous process, so title aside, you get the sense theyâre still not quite certain who or what they want to be. But theyâre definitely headed in the right direction. (Alex CabrĂŠ) LISTEN: 'Easy'
The process of making it ended up being much longer than your previous two records. Why was that? This was the first record that I made over the course of a year. I mean, I made a demo of âFaith Healerâ in January 2019 that was a totally different time signature and arrangement. I listened back to it the other day and was like, âOh god, Iâm so glad we tore that song down and started over.â I just havenât gone through that process before and itâs both because I was in that constant touring mindset before I even released âSprained Ankleâ - me and my school band were trying to get signed and were driving to every random town to play for twenty people - and then, songs had to be in a form you could just bring them into a studio and execute them perfectly because you didnât have the money or the time [to waste].
57
reviews FOO FIGHTERS
Medicine at Midnight (Roswell / Columbia)
Celeste begs for a return to smoky, underground stages.
Pairing up with Adele and Sia songwriting sidekick Greg Kurstin for a second time following 2018âs âConcrete and Goldâ, Foo Fighters unhatch a new groove on LP10 that expands their sound into - gulp - funk and dance territory. A move which on paper spells trouble, but in practice pays off. While its predecessor was indebted to Motorhead and pulled in classic hard rock influences, âMedicine At Midnightâ takes its cues from âLet's Danceâ-era Bowie. Opener âMaking A Fireâ is a pure glam stomp buoyed by a gospel choir; the purple shades of Prince shine through too. On âShame Shameâ, pizzicato strings unpick a moreish groove among handclaps as Dave Grohlâs vocals venture into a rare falsetto. A rare case of restraint from the Foos, it threatens to blow into overdrive at the turn of every bar, but holds back making it all the more enjoyable. The female backing vocals peppered across the LP make for a refreshing counterpoint to Daveâs bark, especially on âCloudspotterâ as the vocal lines intertwine elegantly together through cowbells and handclaps. This accompaniment contributes to one of the albumâs biggest curveballs, âChasing Birdsâ - a psych-flavoured slow jam cushioned by beautiful vocal harmonies. For the hardcore fans, thereâs still some trademark Foos to simmer in. âWaiting On A Warâ sits up there with their best ballads and âNo Son Of Mineâ pounds against a chugging, descending riff. With sticky melodies and a spring in its step, âMedicine At Midnightâ is an experiment that pays off, simultaneously adding a new shade to their sound and injecting a dose of fun and escapism when we need it most. (Sean Kerwick) LISTEN: 'Making A Fire'
DANNY L HARLE Harlecore (Mad Decent)
CELESTE Not Your Muse
(Polydor)
When Celeste unveiled the understated beauty of âStrangeâ towards the latter part of 2019, the track immediately propelled the US-born, UK-raised singer towards the UKâs most sought-after accolades. Over a year later, âNot Your Museâ arrives off the back of a BRITs Rising Star award win and topping the BBC Sound Of 2020 poll. Having taken a breath to decompress from the hype, her debut full-length sees her return with the lyrical openness and musical authenticity that underpinned her early material. Embodying the essence of her forebears, Celeste builds on a retrospective foundation of jazz and soul, pulled together with modern pop and R&B nods. The gentle simplicity of âStrangeâ runs throughout the likes of the delicately-rousing title track, sitting against the jazz club grandeur of âTell Me Something I Donât Knowâ and âStop This Flameâ. Even in its most radio-friendly moments, âNot Your Museâ turns to vast string sections and brass instrumentals that have in recent years only flirted with the mainstream attention Celeste invites. Her raspy tones give way to huge notes, effortless in their delivery. No moment feels forced or out of place, even as âBelovedâ fully embraces the past and âA Little Loveâ continues the series of sugary sweet festive adverts. Celeste begs for a return to smoky, underground stages, and much like the stars that paved her way, carries with her the bona fide class to make it all her own. (Ben Tipple) LISTEN: 'Strange'
58 DIYMAG.COM
Remember that fun time when we could all spend our weekends embarrassing ourselves in front of strangers while busting questionable moves on the dance floor? Well, Danny L Harle is bringing the club to our living rooms with long-awaited debut full-length âHarlecoreâ. Named after his signature rave-influenced style that the PC Music affiliate has become known for, across its 13 tracks, âHarlecoreâ delivers on its party promise, with huge adrenaline-fuelled house beats arming every twist and turn, sure to fill dancefloors once weâre allowed to return. But little distinguishes them from the classic club bangers we all know, âWhere Are You Nowâ and âOn A Mountainâ sounding much like something Cascada couldâve dropped in the mid-00s. More experimental and fun moments come with MC Boingâs tracks âBoing Beatâ and âPiano Songâ, which have more of the weird hooks associated with the PC Music legacy, while the hyperpop infused vocals of âAll Nightâ bring it into certified banger territory. But in a post100 gecs world where weâre all wanting that extra oomph with our dancefloor-fillers, while âHarlecoreâ may be primed to bring the party, itâs just not quite the mad one we were hoping for. (Elly Watson) LISTEN: 'All Night'
reviews THE STAVES
Good Woman (Atlantic)
KATY KIRBY
Cool Dry Place (Keeled Scales) American indie-folk has never been in ruder health. Katy Kirby is the latest in a long line of artists flying the flag, and on debut âCool Dry Placeâ, she wonderfully subverts the familiar tropes of the Christian music she was raised on. At first glance, itâs hard to spot her diversions from the genre, as well-worn country melodies sit above warm guitar arrangements. But that instant familiarity allows Katy to smuggle her unique touches into these tracks. Lead single âTraffic!â is the most obvious culprit, with autotune trickling into its precise, syrupy melody â not quite 100 gecs, but unmistakably there. Far from obscuring the emotional heart of the song however, when laid over organs and a choir, it knots together with the religious DNA of the album. Not all of âCool Dry Placeâ is quite so evocative, though; the line between subversion and pastiche is a hard one to walk, and the album lacks emotional punch. It comes closest on the title track, however, with gently flickering guitars collapsing into a whirl of feedback, as Katy asks over and over âwill you keep me in a cool dry place?â An understated mantra, but thatâs the core of this album - the power of the everyday. (Louis Griffin) LISTEN: 'Cool Dry Place'
Aside from their mystical 2017 collaboration âThe Way Is Readâ with yMusic, âGood Womanâ is the first proper Staves album since 2015âs âIf I Wasâ; an LP littered with gorgeous harmonies and acoustic guitar which ultimately remained very loyal to the folk blueprint. âGood Womanâ sees the trio progressing their sound with an appetite for experimentation and plenty of experience to stew over. The sisters battled the loss of their mother and break-ups in the years since, but on the flip-side welcomed new life with Emily becoming a parent herself in 2019. Known for the kind of flawless harmonies that only a tight-knit siblinghood could conjure between them, itâs a surprise to hear the trio manipulating their vocals on the opening title track. This move instantly marks a shift in The Staves we used to know - embracing an unpolished edge that on the opening title track gloriously melds with a slinky bass that elevates to a soaring crescendo. These surprise turns keep popping up. âBest Friendâ builds on a revolving piano loop heavenly harmonies stacked against a restless beat which doesnât let up until it gallops into an enormously satisfying finale. A sludgy guitar trudges as vocals abruptly seem to hit the red on âCareful, Kidâ as they muse about âcoming back round from a five-year reboundâ. Later, the stark âDevotion - all pounding piano and finger clicks - blooms beautifully under a restless instrumental structure that keeps you guessing at the turn of every bar. While this newfound energy makes for a thrilling listen, the likes of âNothingâs Gonna Happenâ and âParalysedâ shows the old formula still works its magic as acoustic guitar and vocals suspend beautifully across the tracks. After such a long time away, âGood Womanâ finds The Staves rejuvenated and inspired, treading new ground while retaining the identity that made them so loveable in the first place. For all the trials bestowed upon the trio in the past few years, they emerge positive and victorious, changing and creating music on their own terms as echoed on closer âWaiting On Me To Changeâ; âIâll change when I want to.â (Sean Kerwick) LISTEN: 'Best Friend'
Rejuvenated and inspired.
MAD SOUNDS Jess Staveley-Taylor reveals some of what the trio had on the stereo around the creation of 'Good Woman'.
THE BLUE NILE - HATS
This album is so brooding and full of longing. The production laced with synths and drum machines is so beautiful and hypnotic and heartbreaking. It always makes me feel like iâm looking out of the window of the passenger seat of a car on a night drive.
THE WAR ON DRUGS - LOST IN THE DREAM
There is such a consistent sound on this album thatâs totally immersing. Thereâs a kind of âwall of soundâ thing they do that is so satisfying but with a very laid back feel. We've definitely referenced this for the more built-up songs on our record. And the guitar playing kills me every time.
ST VINCENT - MASSEDUCTION
The song 'New York' blew us all away when we first heard it. An instant classic. Sometimes when you hear a new song and you love it it kind of lights a fire in you to write. This album is so cool and so bold and the production is so smart. Itâs also pretty mad which is very important, too!
MISS GRIT Impostor (self-release)
Korean-American Margaret Sohnâs second EP under the Miss Grit moniker deals with feelings of displacement and questions of identity. Yet, though the particular isolation born from those ideas makes itself felt in the spacious, echoing sonics of opener âDonât Wanderâ, by the time âBuy the Banterââs gnarly riffs kick, thereâs more defiance to be felt here than defeat. Across âImposterâ, the mood seesaws between the two; âBlondeâ spirals from meditative beginnings into a cathartic purge over its nearly-six-minutes, while the powerful, playful guitars of âGrow Up Toâ and âDark Side of the Partyâ set Sohn up as a natural successor to axe queen St. Vincent. Miss Grit, you sense, could find herself on a similarly impressive trajectory. (Lisa Wright) LISTEN: âDark Side of the Partyâ
59
reviews
âHeâs a firestarterâŚâ
MOGWAI
As The Love Continues (Rock Action) Since their inception, Mogwai have paved the way for post-rockâs success, and much like most of whatâs come before, âAs The Love Continuesâ is an instrumental masterclass. âHere We, Here We, Here We Go Foreverâ is a full-on shivering nightmare, equal parts apocalyptic and beautiful. Meanwhile, âCeiling Grannyâ tries its best to destroy your eardrums with the loudest guitar groans this side of the Milky Way. As expected, the albumâs only low moment comes with the introduction of vocals on âRichie Sacramentoâ. Thankfully, this doesnât last long. The group are soon back on top of things with the majestic âDrive The Nailâ and weâre instantly transported back to their uniquely-formed wonderland. (Jack Doherty) LISTEN: âCeiling Grannyâ
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD For the first time (Ninja Tune)
'For the first time' is perhaps less an album to be enjoyed as a cerebral puzzle to be tackled. The record opens with the bewildering âInstrumentalâ in European klezmer style (as all great albums do) bubbling to a sax-charged climax before crashing abruptly into âAthenâs, Franceâ. Isaac Wood is a commanding narrator, and at times heâs almost funny: âDancing to Jerskin I got down on my knees / I told you I loved you in front of black midiâ, he rattles on the brazenly meta âTrack Xâ. Indeed, the whole group are incredibly proficient in their respective roles. Lewis Evansâ sax slathers âSunglassesâ in shrill catharsis, âScience Fairâ owes a lot to Luke Markâs jolts of electric guitar. But, at times, the outfit as a whole feel less than the sum of their parts. Theyâre certainly not incapable - violinist Georgia Elleryâs side hustle is in the wickedly experimental duo Jockstrap, while drummer Charlie Wayne formerly brought up the rear in the far more charming Ugly. But, like that one kid at school who would remind the teacher the homework was due, Black Country, New Road's seriousness and determined intellectualism is sometimes to their detriment. Not even an upbeat tempo can quite save closer âOpusâ from feeling pretentious rather than merely smart. Sometimes just too impenetrable, âFor the first timeâ can leave you wishing BC, NR would do away with the veneer of stoicism and give their obvious talents the freedom and ease to shine. (Alex CabrĂŠ) LISTEN: 'Track X'
WEEZER OK Human
(Crush Music / Atlantic)
Itâs never quite clear where Weezerâs self-awareness begins, as the LA quartet do have a tendency to have their metaphorical sonic punchlines fall flat. Their 2019 take on âAfricaâ might well have been an inspired, meme-friendly choice; the decision to follow this with an entire record of throwback covers (2019's 'Teal' album) was less so. And while the misfit nature of their first few records continues to resonate with ever-more youthful angst, their continued insistence on peppering power-pop riffs with autotune and overly-produced beats can make like a Steve Buscemi reaction gif. And yet somehow this is all where âOK Humanâ makes sense: can your metaphors possibly be overwrought, or your references too ham-fisted if theyâre accompanied by soaring string arrangements and the kind of piano builds the West End would welcome? Itâs the same melodies and patterns as the group have long favoured, but even the potentially cringeworthy âScreensâ (a song about, of course, how weâre all glued to them) barely raises a shrug when surrounded by such luscious, bombastic sounds. By focusing on minutiae, too, what is ostensibly a lockdown album (hello, reference to Zoom interviews) avoids cliche. Where blatant hopes of a return to before, the feeling of being trapped or wish to escape would be an immediate turn-off, Rivers Cuomoâs tales of listening to audiobooks (âGrapes of Wrathâ), or observing from his window (âHere Comes The Rainâ, âBird With A Broken Wingâ) make more like jazz-hands musical segments on a TV show than too obviously âman confined to home for months on endâ. Maybe itâs our months of confinement talking, but this time, the schmaltz is justified. (Emma Swann) LISTEN: âBird With A Broken Wingâ
60 DIYMAG.COM
SLOWTHAI TYRON(Method)
In the quest for personal change, acceptance is always the first step. More introspective than the politically-led âNothing Great About Britainâ, âTYRONâ sees slowthai striving to locate the greys between life's black and whites, offering up context to some of his less admirable conduct in recent years. If the first record was about action, this one is about thought - not an excuse for past indiscretions so much as the suggestion that sometimes, allowing people space for growth is perhaps more useful than indefinitely rehashing old immaturities. For a record born out of a humbled mindset, the first half doesnât pull any punches. In near-caricature of his âbad boy' image, âWOTâ âMAZZAâ and âCANCELLEDâ (all in caps for further hater-baiting) are trad braggadocio rap, the sort that will enamour Ty with international audiences. Itâs exciting to see him moving with the heavy hitters, but heâs perhaps a little too generous with the features - like an awkward teen excited to be allowed to sit with the older kids at lunch, he shaves
A remarkably efficient job of reclaiming his own narrative.
off a lot of his more endearing quirks in the face of A$AP Rocky and Skeptaâs solid appearances, allowing his guests to run the house. slowthai doesnât need to be anybody elseâs hypeman - this is his story to tell. The puffier-chested side of his persona is still perfectly enjoyable, but when he packs away his bluster for the second half of the record, he creates something truly memorable. Gentle, heartfelt singles âfeel awayâ and ânhsâ conjure disarminglysimple metaphor that puts you directly in his shoes, inviting empathy without pity. âDo stuff I regret / feel embarrassed tomorrowâ acknowledges âPushâ, an airy hook from LA's Deb Never providing gentle reassurance that redemption and self-acceptance are only as far away as the effort youâre willing to make. On âi triedâ and âfocus', he truly nails transatlanticism - languid R&B beats in the vein of early Kanye create plenty of space for him to roam around the blurry Polaroids of his childhood, piecing experiences together to figure out who he has become. Itâs âTake Careâ if Drake grew up on the estates of Northampton rather than Toronto, but more than that, itâs inherently 2021 slowthai, shedding light on the tricky nature of social-media-era finger-pointing without denying his own role in the cycle. Maybe it is precisely because of the contrast between parts one and two that âTYRONâ feels so poignant. At once the pugnacious punk-rapper with a point to prove and the quieter, introspective wordsmith-at-work, slowthai has done a remarkably efficient job of reclaiming his own narrative, demonstrating the value of both talking and listening. You can't have one side of him without the other, but maybe you donât need to - there is a lot to admire in this kind of openhearted stocktake. Where he goes from here is anyoneâs guess - all the paths are back open. (Jenessa Williams) LISTEN: 'i tried'
reviews
MAXIMO PARK
Nature Always Wins (Prolifica)
The last MaxĂŻmo Park record represented a line in the sand; the question thatâs been lingering since is whether or not it marked an ending or a beginning. After an entire career spent subtly layering their boisterous brand of indie rock with political undertones, 2017âs âRisk to Existâ was a mask-off moment, on which they made sense of a darkening Western world in confrontational and occasionally excoriating fashion. They set out their ideological stall furiously - physical copies of the album came with a pro-migrant, anti-Department of Work and Pensions zine that Owen Jones chipped into - that âRisk to Existâ could, as the name suggested, have been a logical conclusion for the band. Or, alternatively, the start of a new, less compromising era. Pieced together over the internet by cross-Atlantic necessity with producer Ben Allen, âNature Always Winsâ finds frontman Paul Smith on impassioned form both on political matters - the softly anthemic âWhy Must a Building Burnâ references both Grenfell and terrorism - and personal ones, too: beneath the freewheeling punk posture of âI Donât Know What Iâm Doingâ is an affecting reflection of the anxieties of parenthood. Thereâs no upturning of the bandâs musical blueprint, but their social conscience has earned them a third act, with âNature Always Winsâ a potent way to open it. (Joe Goggins) LISTEN: 'Why Must A Building Burn'
ARCHITECTS
For Those That Wish To Exist (Epitaph) Whatever form this ninth record ended up taking, it was always going to find Architects at a cliff-edge. 2018âs âHoly Hellâ was a scorched-earth treatise on grief that closed a trilogy of LPs defined by the 2016 loss of founder and guitarist Tom Searle to cancer. The Brighton outfit had resolved to continue in his memory: the question that remained was quite how. They have not done so gingerly; âFor Those That Wish to Existâ is both furious in spirit and epic in scope. A sprawling fifteen-track opus that runs just shy of an hour, it tackles the weighty issues of the day head on - political polarisation on âDiscourse Is Deadâ, climate change on âAn Ordinary Extinctionâ. It also refuses to shy away from the bandâs own reality in 2021, which is that they closed out the âHoly Hellâ era having just graduated to arena status. They nod to that here, including shrewd collaborations with new-found peers like Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro and Mike Kerr of Royal Blood. More telling, though, is the manner in which theyâve retained the punishing riffery and full-throated vocal intensity of old, but realigned them on a skyward, subtly anthemic trajectory that still finds room for experimentation - see the industrial-inflected âDead Butterfliesâ, for instance. Closer âDying Is Absolutely Safeâ, meanwhile, adopts a nihilistic lyrical outlook to make sense of a world in chaos, but sonically soars, with a sweeping string section hinting that from acceptance springs optimism. Itâs a neat summation of the contradiction at the core of Architectsâ recent career; the bleaker things get, the stronger they emerge. (Joe Goggins) LISTEN: 'Dead Butterflies'
DJANGO DJANGO
Glowing in the Dark (Because) Django Django arrived fully-formed with an unmistakable sonic identity which earned them a Mercury nod in 2012. The groupâs sound is so pungent with their own unique splash of airy vocals, glitchy electronics and rustic grooves, itâs sometimes hard to differentiate one track from the next. This is no bad thing if youâre smitten with their sound - and fourth album âGlowing In The Darkâ embraces a more rustic approach favouring dusty synths and guitar over the glossy sheen of predecessor âMarble Skiesâ. âSpiralsâ opens with a slowly accelerating arpeggiator that beams you directly into the world of âGlowing In The Darkâ, a thundering bass line lurks as Vincent Neff's trademark vocal traces something falling out of control; âhigher and higher in spirals, turning in circles in silenceâ. The shuffle of âGot Me Worriedâ certifies the groupâs penchant for playful percussion still holds strong. Charlotte Gainsbourg is a welcome guest spot on âWaking Upâ, soothingly circling Vincent's vocal around an acoustic guitar-strut peppered with some nifty keywork and chiming chords. But the groove-based, dance-leaning moments are where Django Django really shine though. The buzzy synth of âThe Arkâ intertwines with a spidering drum pattern that becomes increasingly hypnotic. Later, âHold Fastâ finds slinky basslines and chirruping keys colliding to stunning effect. Whether the groupâs sound prevails or begins to show its limitations remains to be seen, but when the songwriting and appetite for invention remains this strong, Django Django certainly have a lot more to give. (Sean Kerwick) LISTEN: 'Got Me Worried'
Q&A
Dave Maclean on the accidentally timely themes of 'Glowing in the Dark' and how they approached their fourth album. Four albums in, and presumably not under the most convenient of circumstances, in what ways did you approach the creation of 'Glowing in the Dark' differently? The album was made just before the first lockdown, but weirdly a lot of the themes strike a chord now. I think we felt some kind of looming chaos in the air due to the world going a bit nuts even before this. Extinction Rebellion, Brexit... all the stuff that was becoming a big part of our lives. The album has ups and down though like these lockdowns: moments of madness; moments of calm; moments of reflection. So we hope people are going to enjoy it regardless. Perhaps now we'll make a very different album. Would the idea that you may not be able to tour the record affect any decision making? We've always had this issue where we make a record with very little regard as to how we will play it live. Had we known fully just how that would pan out, we might have made a fully-
electronic LP or gone the other way and made a stripped-back acoustic LP that can be played much more easily without all the backline. How did you team up with Charlotte Gainsbourg? She came to mind when I heard the guys' demo of 'Waking Up'. They'd done a rough demo while I was in Scotland and I just though that it needed an extra dimension to it. I had in my mind this kind of road movie like 'Wild at Heart' when i listened and she seemed like the perfect person to approach. With four albums under your belt, you're now firmly part of the establishment - what do you think the Django Django that first formed would make of it all? I think we'd just be happy that we have our own studio space and have manged to be self-sufficient and doing our own thing for 10 years. I'd probably say 'What you only made four albums?' But yeah, i think we've done OK.
61
reviews
PEACE CHORD
FRĂNĂOIS AND THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS EUT
Party Time (V2) The first record from EUT, âFool for the Vibesâ, was feted for its unabashed unfurling of the kind of mission statement that Andrew WK would be proud of, so itâs perhaps not surprising that the Dutch outfit have chosen to play up to it on this followup, instructively titled âParty Timeâ. As was the case last time out, the stylistic remit is a broad one, with the unifying characteristic a swagger thatâs evident both in the instrumentation (sleazy riffery on opener âWhat Gives You the Kicksâ and âStuckâ, spiralling synths on âKiller Beeâ) and, crucially, in singer Megan de Klerkâs terrifically multi-faceted vocals. Sheâs capable of turning on a dime from oozing menace one minute (âWhen I Diveâ) to gleefully leading the pop charge the next (âItâs Love (But Itâs Not Mine)â, which sounds like The Breeders at their breeziest). Thereâs even room for vulnerability and introspection, on the admirable, if awkwardly positioned, âThe Buggs (Part II)â. More so than on âFool for The Vibesâ, the influence of the â90s hangs heavy over 'Party Time'; closer âBubble Babyâ channels The Cardigans, while Garbage lurk in the background any time Megan is on more confrontational form. Elsewhere, particularly on âHad Too Muchâ and the title track, some of Gwen Stefaniâs more melodic, honeyed turns as No Doubtâs frontwoman spring to mind. âFool for the Vibesâ was by no means groundbreaking and neither is âParty Timeâ, but now more than ever, what a treat to hear a rock record so upbeat - so unsullied by the world around it. (Joe Goggins) LISTEN: 'When I Dive'
(Unheard of Hope)
Banane Bleue (Domino)
Taking its title from a theory stating that the boundaries of Europeâs cities have blurred to form a single megapolis, 'Banane Bleue' draws on many layers of engagement. The connection with places is particularly vivid, influenced by FrĂ ncois living in multiple cities during the writing of the record. The notion of travelling within a location for example is evoked on the Ultravox-esque âDans Un Taxiâ, while the âcity made of booksâ and indoor eating mentioned on âGold & Lipsâ brings to mind the streets and suburbs the blue banana theory effects. The intimate is also touched upon, most successfully on âCoucouâ. A gloriously whimsical piece of pop, it has at its core an aloofness befitting the detailing of a failing relationship, sung in FrĂ ncoisâs ethereal, almost childlike voice. It isnât all suffering, mind you; âHolly Go Lightlyâ demonstrates the power of a willing sacrifice, FrĂ ncois declaring to his love: âIâm ready to follow youâ. Despite the swirling joy of âJulieâ also making for a high point, moments like these arenât consistent enough to propel 'Banane Bleue' towards its potential peaks. They do however show that, when he delivers, FrĂ nçois can still make pure, earnest, and enduring connections. (Ben Lynch) LISTEN: 'Coucou'
"Loss of love. The dying of my grandfather. The dying of friends to overdose. Seeing new countries. Bearing witness to celebration and trauma." These words by Canadian Daniel Robertson aka Peace Chord double as a profoundly personal roadmap to the themes that dominate his eponymous debut LP. In under twenty minutes, the musician who is also a member of the Vancouver-based Crack Cloud - wields vulnerability as pure power. Recorded in a shed behind the communal house where he and the rest of Crack Cloud reside, as well as in his parentsâ living room, these are seven masterfully muted paeans to the spectre of the recent past. From the minimalist piano motifs of highlights âJunoâ and âOmphalomancyâ, to the subtly hallucinatory layering on 'Spectral Processor', Daniel forges a feat of still, reflective economy that evokes everyone from Liz Harrisâ Grouper to Grizzly Bearâs Daniel Rossen. Whether by virtue of being a little clawing, a few releases in the vein of âPeace Chordâ havenât quite come off. But right up until the last dying whimper of outright peak âCrescent Sunâ, Daniel Robertsonâs debut proves an entirely believable release. (Brian Coney) LISTEN: âJunoâ
PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (What Reality?) Just as their name might suggest, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are, for the most part, a pretty âout thereâ sort of band. Bringing up the rear from their feverish Australian counterparts, the way for hypersonic, psychedelia-soaked garage rock has long been paved by a growing list of benchmark guitar outfits, with fanatical cult favourites, Pond and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard still reaching new legions of fans just as rapidly as they manage to churn out records. Hoping to catch up with the frontrunners, âSHYGA! The Sunlight Moundâ sets its sights on something larger by dressing up fuzzy, high-intensity pop songs into ambitious prospects of sold-out stadium performances. Whether or not these expectations are realistic, the band seem determined to believe in the hype. As it hurtles uncontrollably down the tracks, the album is an accelerating freight train of insatiable guitar hero pageantry that rarely slows to catch its breath. At their most outrageous, the theatrical, machine gun fire shredding demonstrations on âTripolasaurâ and âThe Terrorsâ more than satisfy a convincing mission statement. Unperturbed by overkill, the anthemic choral hooks and supercharged production values deliver a thrilling spectacle, even if the band are yet to realise their inflated ambitions. (Ollie Rankine) LISTEN: 'Tripolasaur'
CLAUD
Super Monster (Saddest
Factory)
âSuper Monsterâ, both Claudâs debut and the first full-length release on Phoebe Bridgersâ recently-launched Saddest Factory label, is classy and well-executed. Their brand of slick, understated pop could sit on a shelf alongside Haim, or Christine and the Queens: opener âOvernightâ is a sweet, breezy â90s throwback thatâs easy on the ear, while âThis Townâ grows from grimier beginnings towards another big chorus. Elsewhere, scratching below the surface, Claud bites as much as they balm, donât be fooled by their bubblegum delivery on the new-wave âThatâs Mr Bitch To Youâ, a wonderfully catty riposte from a jilted lover. While there could be a little more individuality on show to elevate Claud to their contemporariesâ level, âSuper Monsterâ shows promise of a burgeoning artist finding their own voice. (Felix Rowe) LISTEN: âThatâs Mr Bitch To Youâ
62 DIYMAG.COM
Peace Chord
KYNSY
Things That Don't Exist (self-release) With the arrival of last yearâs âCold Blue Lightâ and follow up âHappiness Isnât A Fixed Stateâ (both of which make a welcome return here), Dublinâs Kynsy staked her claim as a true indie scholar. Now, much like the brilliance of The Big Moonâs early material, âThings That Donât Existââs Strokes-recalling guitars and natural ear for a melody shine in that cleverly familiar realm: none of these four tracks are reinventing the wheel, they just do what they do undeniably well. On âDog Videosâ, itâs an early Lily Allen-like eye-rolling sprightliness; on opener âElephant in the Roomâ, itâs heart-onsleeve emotion that crescendos at just the right moment a la Maccabees; on the aforementioned âHappinessâŚâ, itâs jagged stabs of guitar straight out of the Casablancas rulebook. Kynsyâs already showing a knack for a classic. (Lisa Wright) LISTEN: âHappiness Isnât a Fixed Stateâ
BACK TO THE
DRAWING BOARD WITH CLOUD NOTHINGS
Q1: Where did you record the album?
Q2: What is a âSound of Alarmâ?
Q3: What does âA Longer Moonâ look like?
Q4: What room was it, in âThe Room It Wasâ
CLOUD NOTHINGS
The Shadow I Remember (Carpark) Itâs been just shy of ten years since Dylan Baldiâs Cloud Nothings shattered any preconceptions that they were just another bedroom pop band, something largely attributed to the Steve Albinirecorded âAttack On Memoryâ. Since then, the band have regularly put out albums, with each release seeing them grow in scope, though arguably also mellow with age. Itâs interesting then, that on âThe Shadow I Rememberâ, the band should revert back to the methods and processes that shaped that seminal 2012 release, even going so far as to bring Albini back for studio duties. For this reason, âThe ShadowâŚâ is a record that feels rawer and more impassioned than anything Cloud Nothing have released in years. âAm I older now? Or am I just another age?â muses Dylan on opening number âOsloâ, a clattering and calamitous opener that flirts with melody and melancholic introspection with equal measure. Elsewhere âNothing Without Youâ takes the bandâs pop sensibilities and runs with them, employing the talents of Macie Stewart of Ohmme for backing vocals. The album treads familiar lyrical ground for Cloud Nothings, Dylan delving deep into ideas of crippling self-doubt and existential crises, delivered with an emotional intensity that lends itself perfectly to the rawness of the record and the ferocity of its production. And itâs also something of a return to the bandâs roots musically, though retains enough complexity and nuance to also feel like a step forward. âThe Spirit Ofâ soars with an inherent emotional optimism, while elsewhere â90s emo is channelled in the form of âAm I Somethingâ (Jawbreaker), or âOpen Rainâ (Rites of Spring). Raw and uncompromising, yet always harbouring a degree of melody, itâs the product of ten years of learning, and succeeds in deftly balancing subtle nuance with a sense of uncompromising aggression. Though it might well signify the end of the first decade of Cloud Nothings, it also earmarks the start of a whole new chapter, and if the rest of it sounds like this, then the band are in for another solid ten years. (Dave Beech) LISTEN: 'Nothing Without You'
JIMI SOMEWHERE
Nothing Gold Can Stay (Next Wave / Ultra)
Norwegian pop star Jimi Somewhere isnât known for having a genre so much as encompassing a feeling: nostalgia, and debut full-length 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' is, unsurprisingly, a reflective, almost dreamlike look back at growing up, marked by bright and cinematic sounds and sprawling melodies. Itâs at times gentle and airy, an easy-going blend of grooves, like on 'Jesus' and 'Tears'. Others, like the explosive 'Fireworks' or the bouncy 'The World', are more energetic. He flits between styles on a whim via comically-exaggerated electronic effects, from R&B-tinged electro pop to more rock and alternative ideas, particularly on 'Moonrise' and 'Bottle Rocket'. It's when Jimi sings with conviction and genuine desperation that 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' shines brightest, though, the singer's ability to convey emotions the most compelling aspect of the record through all the styles it tries on. (Aliya Chaudhry) LISTEN: 'Moonrise'
FRANK IERO AND THE FUTURE VIOLENTS
Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place (UNFD) Granted, the eighteen months since the release of Frank Ieroâs previous solo album âBarriersâ havenât quite gone to plan for any of us, but if thereâs one positive to emerge from the postponed My Chemical Romance reunion, though, itâs the brief dive into chaos that is Frankâs new EP. Very much a tale of two halves, âHeaven Is A Place, This Is A Placeâ showcases two distinctly different sides to his musical personality. While opening tracks âViolenceâ and âSewer Wolfâ are bludgeoning, ferocious offerings that slot alongside his previous hardcorelaced brand of punk, theyâre juxtaposed by an altogether more fragile second act. A tender cover of REMâs âLosing My Religionâ gives way to the soaring âRecord Enderâ, offering up a poignant, powerful note to end on. (Sarah Jamieson) LISTEN: âLosing My Religionâ
63
reviews
Coming Up
VIRGINIA WING private LIFE (Fire)
Cathartic, abstract and certainly treading off the beaten path, the tactile trio Virginia Wing present their latest, more unruly album 'private LIFE', tapping into a plethora of diverse weird and wonderful influences. Armed with the same definitive peculiar expressiveness as 2018âs âEcstatic Arrowâ, the Manchester-based band return with a Technicolor depiction of the meaning of life. Lead single âIâm Holding Out For Somethingâ preps the palette taking a smoother dive into the worlds of electro-synth pop and R&B than its counterparts. Having constructed a groovy, heavily â00âs inspired backdrop, vocalist Alice Merida Richards lays her spoken words like a montage of inspiration and lessons learned. âprivate LIFEâ scatters provocative statements and questions such as âIs This The Price of Living?â and âMoney In Your Pocket Is A Remedy For Every Crimeâ while exploring themes of desire, relationships, materialism and modernity. âSoft Fruitâ and âSt Francis Fountainâ stand out as anchors among the recordâs more experimental and eclectic offerings. Still avant-garde but adopting a more familiar melody, these two tracks bring the listenerâs senses back into focus after they may have been led astray by the various pulses and eccentric flickers and flashes. Fusing an eclectic mix of genres together, Virginia Wingâs definitive experimental style continues to be electrifyingly alluring. (Olivia White) LISTEN: âSoft Fruitâ
THE HOLD STEADY
SG LEWIS
Open Door Policy (Thirty
times (PMR/ EMI)
KINGS OF LEON - WHEN YOU SEE YOURSELF The Followills return after five years with their eighth full-length next month. Out 5th March.
LANA DEL REY CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB Evocative preppy vista or conspiracy-touting Karens out to lunch? Who knows. Lana's seventh is released 19th March.
Sonic polymath SG Lewis crowns a run of singles and EP releases with the dance-pop-cresting âtimesâ, teaming up with a host of big-hitting names on an odyssey into all-out â70s-struck splendour. Joining previous guest collaborators T.E.E.D and Clairo, Rhye makes an early appearance in guiding the laser synth-blasting âFeed The Fireâ, disco-dripping flair doubled down on via the Nile Rodgers-featuring âOne Moreâ, the Chic icon wielding his usual flawless, funk-flecked finesse to the max. âImpactâ finds Robyn and Channel Tres lending their input to a mind-melting electro-beat toting affair, a natural fit for the formerâs distinct vocals; while Roosevelt-esque âChemicalsâ charts a hyperspace-hopping jaunt, one that SG Lewis neatly commands in his own right. A certain unity and heart holds âtimesâ together, sleekly striding between house, chillwave and morphing electronic tiers; unapologetic in its dayglo-daubed invite to dance away doom. The in-demand singer-songwriter-producer primes himself for new heights here - tapping into the hedonistic spirit of Studio 54, while applying a gloss that is very much of today. (Chris HamiltonPeach) LISTEN: âOne Moreâ
Tigers)
In keeping with their moniker, The Hold Steady have become a byword for indie rock consistency over the years - always riotously good fun live, always solid in terms of their studio return, although perhaps lacking some of the incision of the releases that made their name; the state-ofthe-nation reflections of âBoys and Girls in Americaâ, and the freewheeling rock and roll of âStay Positiveâ. The return of keyboardist Franz Nicolay to the fold has apparently reinvigorated the band and steered frontman Craig Finn away from some of the more self-indulgent tendencies that had come to underscore both âHeaven Is Wheneverâ and âTeeth Dreamsâ. The panoramic fizz of âFamily Farmâ is case in point, all rollicking guitars and tense piano breaks, while the buoyant trumpets and swaggering riffery of âHeavy Covenantâ hark back to the juxtaposition between triumphant instrumentation and Craigâs nervy storytelling that came to define their best work. Thereâs little in the way of new ground broken here, but it's consistent nonetheless. (Joe Goggins) LISTEN: 'Family Farm'
NOTHING,NOWHERE.
Trauma Factory (DCD2 / Fueled By
Ramen)
ZARA LARSSON POSTER GIRL The Swedish pop sensation is back with her third studio album on 5th March.
WILLIAM DOYLE GREAT SPANS OF MUDDY TIME Sounds like he's been spending hours dodging puddles while distancing in parks like the rest of us. Out 19th March.
64 DIYMAG.COM
Within the emo rap realm, Joe Mulherin has stood apart from his peers for some time. Thatâs true both in certain superficial respects - heâs a straight-edge vegan in a scene ravaged by opioid abuse, for instance, but also in meaningful ones, too; there has been an admirable restraint to his releases as nothing,nowhere. to date, with a focus on using his talent for storytelling to paint a nuanced picture of his emotional state, rather than allowing his emotions to run away with the narrative. With this fourth record, heâs showing real thematic ambition; âTrauma Factoryâ is intended as a fifteen-song suite that delves into the response of the human condition to pain and suffering, as well as the idea of healing through acceptance. The instrumental palette remains one that is simultaneously unshowy and also inherently representative of a deep understanding of his emo forebears; over the top of the soft beats are chiming guitar loops and woozy synth lines. When it comes off, the results are gorgeous, particularly on the twinkling âUpside Downâ and the MISOGI hook-up âPain Placeâ, with the latter playing like the albumâs concept in microcosm. Plus, thereâs evidence of genuine experimentation - âFake Friendâ channels pop-punk on its anthemic chorus, while the interlude âDeathâ nods to horrorcore and hard rock simultaneously. âTrauma Factory' is overlong and occasionally indulgent, but if those are the terms under which Joe is operating, then this daring, forward-thinking genre piece is worth the price of admission. (Joe Goggins) LISTEN: 'Pain Place'
reviews
SYDNEY SPRAGUE world (Rude)
MUSH
Lines Redacted
(Memphis Industries)
The spectre of Mark E Smith hovers over the land, muttering to anyone that will listen that we must respect his holy trinity, the three most important things in the world: Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Like many bands before and since, Mush live by these preachings. However, unlike many modern disciples of the discord, the group have managed to take The Fallâs signature sound and do something new with it, melding the chaos into something far more skew-whiff. âLines Redactedâ, their second album, leans heavily on the familiar regurgitated guitar riffs and Casio plonks of their debut, but adds an extra layer of urgency and lo-fi loveliness. The album release follows the incredibly sad news of guitarist Steven Tysonâs death late last year. Stevenâs jilted rhythms play a major part in the recordâs success, adding a pleasant uneasiness throughout. âDrink Your Bleachâ and âPositivityâ sway along like disturbed playground ditties, luring you into a false sense of security before youâre hit in the face with threats of guitar-based combustion. âLines Redactedâ proves that influence trumps imitation, every day of the week. If you believe in repetition, everything else will follow. (Jack Doherty) LISTEN: 'Drink Your Bleach'
SUN JUNE Somewhere
(Run For Cover / Keeled Scales)
Where Sun June's debut âYearsâ was country-inspired and steeped in nostalgic melancholy, âSomewhereâ feels quietly hopeful; much more interested in the here and now than what ifs and what could have beens. Indeed, where before there was an ever-present sense of yearning, here itâs replaced by a buoyant optimism, something which in turn stems from Laura Colwell and Stephen Salisbury becoming a couple between albums. Buoyed by newfound feelings of hope and of anticipation, the record thrives, and as a result feels more encompassing. Still, there's also uncertainty at play. âEverything I Hadâ or âOnce In A Whileâ embodies this dichotomy perfectly, and it's their combination of bright-eyed optimism and reserved melancholy that make âSomewhereâ the record it is. (Dave Beech) LISTEN: 'Once In A While'
AERIAL EAST
maybe i will see you at the end of the
Armed with rocky riffs and hypnotic harmonies, Sydney Spragueâs debut unravels in waves of angst, reflection and dark humour. âmaybe i will see you at the end of the worldâ feels like rummaging around in that old forgotten handbag you once threw in the bottom of your wardrobe, only to find an old journal you kept buried inside during your teen emo phase. Singles âstaircase failureâ, âsteveâ and the aptly named âi refuse to dieâ thus far perfectly capture the Arizona songwriterâs striking talent for stirring songwriting. With lyricism of an old, introspective soul compared to the likes of Phoebe Bridgers delivered with the alt-pop flair of Avril Lavigne, Sydneyâs stormy tales are vivid yet dreamy with equal measure. As we venture on the last stretch facing the âend of the worldâ, Sprague remains surprisingly vulnerable with quite the change of heart asking âcan you die of over empathy?â. Charmed with the same raw riffs and warming vocals, if it truly is the end of the world, weâll go out gladly driving on the highway in Sydney Spragueâs getaway car with her album booming on the stereo. (Olivia White) LISTEN: âI refuse to dieâ
Try Harder (Partisan) Stretching between Europe and the Southern states, a life defined by fleeting visits has left Aerial East feeling like a stranger in her own home. Being the daughter to a travelling military family, it shouldnât come as any surprise that after years of moving from one place to the next, prickly insecurities have compounded into a full-blown identity crisis thatâs left the singer-songwriter trying to consolidate her scattered roots and reconcile with the difficult memories of her youth. Spoken with soft sentiments of reassurance, delicate new album âTry Harderâ exists to sooth these vulnerabilities and dig out a space for where she truly belongs. Behind rich layers of chinking piano keys and dulcet strings, stories of cherished lovers and friendships flick through sepia snapshots of the places she once called home. The sprawling west Texas flatlands are projected in high definition through tender drips of nostalgia on âKatherineâ where fragmented remnants of a once-unbreakable bond between people still ebbs and flows within her mind. She laments the affection of a previous love affair on the grief-stricken, âAngry Manâ. As distant relationships begin to fade with time, so does her affiliation with the scenes where each had blossomed. Though often an album of departures, âTry Harderâ works to find new ground to walk upon. (Ollie Rankine) LISTEN: 'Katherine'
LAVA LA RUE
BUTTER-FLY (Marathon) Lava La Rue's 'Butter-Fly' is predominantly a celebration of new love: the anticipation, preoccupied thoughts, and of course the butterflies. The project sees the West Londoner exploring sounds reminiscent of psych-rock, all sun-drenched and windswept, overlaid with vocals which move from a spoken-word hum to dreamy melodies almost absorbed by their surroundings. 'Angel', with its guest turn from Deb Never, brings to mind late nights and early mornings with someone new, the bassline and wispy synths creating plenty of space for the bubble of early romance. 'G.O.Y.D' also ruminates on those fresh feelings, leaving no space for doubt as she asks: "Why be friends when we were written like a haiku?" It's intimate and intricate; the act of pouring your heart out and crossing your fingers. Making love original, on this release Lava is stepping into new sounds and showing off a versatility that cements her as one to watch for 2021. (Eloise Bulmer) LISTEN: 'Angel'
RHYE
Home (Loma Vista)
Isolation from the outside world has surely given even the most restless souls a newfound appreciation for their own domain. Perhaps Rhye ringleader Michael Milosh is one of the converted, as 'Home' taps into the healing aspects and the joys found within the family unit. âBeautifulâ finds Michael taking solace in the people around him, while the blissful âCome In Closerâ documents both the vulnerability and appreciation that comes from sharing your life with others. Neo-soul number âBlack Rainâ is a particular highlight, the defiant tone of the track inspired by his real-world close call with a California wildfire. In among the ever-present disco rhythms, ambient synths and Rhyeâs trademark ethereal vocals, you canât help forgetting your mouldy bedsit reality and instead tap into a sort of halcyon nostalgia. It's a powerful remedy. That isnât to say it's without its faults. Near the halfway mark it slips into more repetitive sonic patterns and this reduces the impact of several tracks, leaving the album markedly lopsided. It also rarely strays from Rhye's own well trodden path. Itâs comforting like an old blanket, perhaps a bit itchy in places, but when things get cold itâs just what you need. (Jack Johnstone Orr) LISTEN: 'Black Rain'
Intimate and intricate. 65
? ? ?IT?âS ?YO?UR? ? ? ? ROUND ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? quiz of A big inter-band pub
sorts, weâll be grillin
g your faves one by on
PAUL SMITH, MAXĂMO PARK
NO BROUW GHT TO YO U VIA ZOOM !
Where: Newcastle Drink: Coca-Cola Price: Available from his fridge
Specialist Subject: Middlesbrough F.C.
Q1: In which year did Middlesbrough win the League Cup (also known as the EFL Cup)? 2004? Yep! Very good.
Q2: Neil Warnock is the current manager of Middlesbrough FC but which team did he manage before taking over last year? Ooh, thatâs a tough one. He was in charge of Cardiff, but I wonder if he had a job in between⌠OK, Cardiff. It was Cardiff, yes! Q3: In the 1996-1997 season, the team had a deduction of three points after Christmas as punishment for failing to fulfil what commitment? They were supposed to play Blackburn Rovers! Everybody had caught the
flu⌠They did indeed.
Q4: Jonathan Woodgate was signed to Middlesbrough for a one-year loan from which club, back in 2006? Wow, thatâs tough. Now then, he was at Real Madrid⌠Did we really loan him from them? It was Real Madrid! Middlesbrough were in a higher position at that pointâŚ
Q5: Back in 1997, what were Middlesbrough FC the first football club in the world to do? Itâs not a good one⌠We lost two cup finals in the same season? It was actually much more positive! They launched their own TV channel.
4/5
66 DIYMAG.COM
e.
General Knowledge
Q6: According to Greek mythology, who was the first woman on Earth? Iâve actually just bought a book about Greek mythology but I havenât read it yet clearly. Athena? Pandora! Youâve opened a real Pandoraâs box with that!
win? I should know this because Iâm a big basketball fan⌠Iâm gonna say itâs five or six. Iâm gonna go with five? It was actually six! Half a point since you did deliberate between the two. Gutted!
Q7: Which of Shakespeareâs plays is the longest? Oh god! Iâm gonna go with Hamlet? What a good guess! It was Hamlet.
Q9: How many hearts does an octopus have? Two? Itâs three!
Q8: When Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls, how many NBA Championships did he
Q10: Which US city is known as the City of Brotherly Love? Philadelphia! Yes, exactly!
2.5/5
FINAL SCORE:
6.5/10
Verdict: Itâs clear where Paulâs allegiance lies with scores like that - a big round for the Boro fan!
67
RELEASED FEBRUARY 12TH
68 DIYMAG.COM
shop.slowthai.com