The new single distills the band’s aesthetic into technicolour brilliance, weaving together intricate piano lines, driving drums, and theatrical, emotive vocals to create a rich and compelling soundscape. As the track surges into its shout-along chorus, the band’s gift for infectious melody shines through, carried by taut rhythms and choppy guitar that echo the spirit of The Last Dinner Party. The second verse then takes an unexpected turn, erupting into a dazzling wall of arpeggiators that inject a renewed sense of energy and vibrancy, mirroring the electric dynamism of the band’s live performances.

Speaking about the single, the band explain: “‘Rosemary’ was inspired by one of our bandmate’s old piano teachers, who was awful to him. I started noodling around with piano motifs and the song came together almost instantly, expanding once we crafted the cutting synth line after the first chorus – that really cemented the dance-y groove underneath.

“Lyrically, it’s about the sting of resentment and disappointment when a close friend turns on you, talks behind your back, and leaves you blindsided. Everyone has experienced that betrayal, and this song is about cutting out those kinds of people and moving into a better space – ‘new world is coming through, the old is booted out with you.’

“Recording it was special: our head lecturer overheard us playing it in the college practice rooms and offered us free studio time, saying the idea was too strong to waste. We tracked it in our college studio with that same sense of spontaneity – it’s energetic, cheeky, and bold, like shaking off the negativity and stepping into something brighter.”

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Known for creating other-worldly pop music with industrial beats, this latest collection of vignettes are no exception. These songs move through the magic and playfulness of sparkling new love into the deep depths of heartbreak; finding strength and a sense of self again at the lowest of lows. “I’d been listening non stop to Dijon and ML Buch, so the energy in the rhythm and production is definitely influenced by them,” Aoife elaborates.

Talking about the focus track ‘Low Down’, Aoife says, “its about hitting rock bottom after a break-up, almost basking in it, and finding your power again – “but I’m coming back, like the phoenix, outta my blood bath”. I made it in between chain-smoking out the window and lying on my best pals green corduroy couch all summer; until I finally felt some strength creep back in. I wanted the production to have a bit of a Dijon or Frank Ocean feeling mixed with some hyper pop moments”.

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MRA is at turns both a call for compassion and to action, as much about EMEL using her voice as it is a rallying cry for her fellow women to do so freely. Released on International Women’s Day, ‘Nar’ (meaning ‘fire’ in Arabic) is no exception. “It’s about taking back control of our lives, our narrative, our color, our speech. We are building an army to reclaim women’s voices,” EMEL says.

The single and its accompanying video — directed by Inès Saidi, produced by Deena Abderrahim of Film DNA, and filmed on location at an old, women-operated textile factory in Cairo, Egypt and a village in the outskirts of Bamako, Mali — both speak to female revolutionary power. Saidi explains, “This power is not only embodied in the music video by the strength of the women depicted, but also by an unprecedented collaboration of African women, one from Tunisia, the other from Mali. The decision to shoot the video in Africa stems from a desire to reclaim Africanness while moving away from the exoticism to which African cultures are generally confined.”

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Cheery pairs cinematic instrumentation with relatable, introspective lyrics and captivating vocals to create a heart wrenching and full bodied set that has moved many audiences to tears. The abundance of transparency and sincerity in their performance gives Cheery a unique edge amongst others who instead parade cultivated theatrics.

New Cheery record ‘Bliss’, out on Spirit House records, explores new sonic territories with a larger energy compared to her past releases. With a powerful voice and a gift for storytelling, Cheery has established herself as one of the most exciting and innovative musicians in the Midwest, and a vital voice in the world of indie music. “‘Bliss’ is a reflection on what the word means, how it’s felt and how you make your own,” they say of the song.

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The single ‘Desiring Machines’, a reference to the philosophers Deleuze and Guattari’s books Anti Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus, explores how one’s own body is experienced as an object under the (male) gaze. Here Deleuze and Guattari’s idea of the rhizome is explored musically with a soundscape that grows and grows like the root-system that the two philosophers describe. A rhizome does not start from anywhere or end anywhere; it grows from everywhere and is the same at any point. As such, a rhizome has no center, which makes it difficult to uproot or destroy. Atka understands herself in that way.

Also referred to as the ‘body without organs’, Atka sings about this constant state of “meaningless” non-linear, unstructured, non-hierarchical flux of forming, deforming and reforming. In this understanding of the self, desire is not lack, which suggests negativity. It is affirmative in its state of movement and change – desire here, is always a desire of becoming. Inspired by the sculptures and installations of the French American artist Louise Bourgeois, Atka also describes the rhizomatic structure of the self as one that carries trauma experienced in the domestic realm. Lyrics like “There was a woven child spinning threads around the room” directly speak of Luis Bourgeois’ horrifying but eerie portrayal of domestic abuse and try to make sense of the female experience in the domestic realm and beyond. This is a story of her own experience and that of the women in her life.

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Building upon the momentum of their captivating first single, ‘Endless Night’, the song captures those fleeting moments of letting go, free from overthinking and regret. Its ethereal and anthemic quality is propelled by the cascading string arrangements of Randall Dunn and the fervent drumming of Matt Chamberlain.

Reflecting on ‘Time and Tide,’ Clementine Valentine explains, “Without giving too much away, this song is a kind of mantra of radical acceptance. Our songs usually overflow with words and imagery, this one we consciously left open – you’re invited to fill the space in between.”

The ‘Time and Tide’ music video, directed by Auckland-based photographer and filmmaker Greta van der Star (known for her work with Kate Sylvester, Ingrid Starnes, Penny Sage), draws inspiration from the celebrated American artist and photographer Francesca Woodman. It artfully captures the emotions of isolation and confinement that emerged during the song’s creation amidst the Covid lockdown, portraying the essence of being confined within four walls and merging with them.

The Coin that Broke the Fountain Floor sees the duo working alongside NY city producer Randall Dunn (Oneohtrix Point Never, Danny Elfman, Jim Jarmusch) and legendary drummer Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Lana Del Rey, Fiona Apple). Final audio finessing came courtesy of Brooklyn mastering engineer Heba Kadry (Bjork, Beach House, Slowdive). The results are regal and richly layered, softly orchestral yet lithe and shimmering.

The Coin that Broke the Fountain Floor:

1. Gatekeeper
2. All I See
3. Time and Tide
4. The Understudy
5. Selenelion
6. The Rope
7. Endless Night
8. Actors Tears
9. All Yesterdays Flowers

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The music for ‘Baby Anymore’ began while the band was listening to Stereolab’s Dots and Loops on repeat. “We wanted to create a similar vibe [to Stereolab], but in our own style,” says keyboardist Jordan Clairmont, who composed the original demos that became the backbone of the track.

Vocalist Suzannah Raudaschl took this sonic framework and composed the lyrics. She says: “I wrote this song about being very good at loving someone in a certain context and feeling restless in the comfort of our routine. It’s confusing when feelings of doubt creep into a very loving and supportive relationship, but to me it was a sign that I needed to let things breathe. We learned to create more space in our relationship so our love could expand into it.”

On ‘Baby Anymore’, Raudaschl’s vocals expand beyond the floating melodies of Stereolab’s biggest hits. She ranges from elegant melancholy, to a downy whisper, only later to jump towards anxious heights. After a just-whispered “not your baby”, a mood-altering heaviness comes next, the chords reharmonized by producer Connor Head, drawing the tension of the track to its surface. “I think that’s my favorite moment on the album” says Raudaschl.

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Drummer Adrain Heim listened to the track and felt it differently: “I felt like in Joe’s demo the verse was actually the chorus and the chorus was the verse” says Heim. With this reversal in mind, Heim’s triplet shuffle enacted a more fluid and collaborative songwriting process that would come to define Cool Down. 

The band worked with the song in a rehearsal setting before bringing it to the studio and producer Connor Head. Head helped imagine additional sonic textures that unfolded the band’s nascent studio pop sound. Vocalist Suzannah Raudaschl took Leroux’ initial vocal melody and added nuance and layers of harmony. The final track lives somewhere between Men I Trust’s ‘Lauren’ and Khruangbin’s ‘People Everywhere (Still Alive)’, while existing as something exquisitely unique and joyful. 

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Glassy, ethereal synths and taut drums lay the bedrock for the track, while Hannah (Jakes) Jacobs’ distinct vocal sustains the emotional intensity throughout. The intricate arrangement is matched only by pecq’s remarkable songwriting, whose characteristic open-heartedness injects a sense of intimacy into the eminently danceable.

About the tracks Jakes says: “’It’s A Lie’ is about breaking out of a manipulative relationship and reprogramming your own identity, inspired by my experiences with cult environments and controlling people (plus a little bit of 11 and 1 in Stranger Things). I don’t know if I’ll ever fully reclaim my sense of self but I wanted to capture the power of starting to hear and trust your own voice again.

“I wrote the demo in my room when I was isolating, starting with a drum loop from Niko. Once we’d started producing it together, we realised I’d started at a random point in the loop, so Niko had to relearn it all for the final takes.”

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Against the backdrop of a horn-laced beat, Slipp sings of shorelines, greenways, and the secrets that nature holds, longing for human touch in the age of automation. “The world we live in is built for convenience and comfort, flashy, slick and hypnotic. Whether purposeful or as an unfortunate byproduct, person-to-person connection is in perpetual obfuscation,” Slipp explains. “I feel like I’m constantly fumbling around in search of a human touch, and when I find it, all I want to do is grab hold and hang on tight. ‘By Design’ is an exploration of relationships in an ever-automating world, and writing it helped me sniff out my most basic desire – to care and be cared for.”
 
Explaining the connection between the song and its video, director Haoyan of America says, “When Kristin and Cole mentioned to me about them living near Times Square, I thought it might make for a captivating location with so much going on and surprises around every corner. On our filming day, we stumbled upon a Diwali celebration that was so loud, we had difficulty hearing playback. During one take, a motorcyclist wiped out right next to us and we had to wait for a curious mob to clear to finish our shot. At another location, our wonderful PA Anne Chang serendipitously ran into friends who were running an art gallery inside of our subway entrance filming location. The chaos can be overwhelming at times, but the chaos can also be enthralling.”
  
Light Moves Around You:

1. By Design
2. You Should Know By Now
3. Light Moves Around You
4. Baby-By
5. Circling Down
6. When We Are Together We Are Really Free
7. Working On Me
8. Friendship
9. Testify
10. Fall Asleep

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