A key thread through the upcoming record is Jenna Kyle’s grappling with the fall out from a toxic relationship, but there’s also more universal moments too – such as on new single ‘Smile For Me’, where she recounts her frustrations and experiences of sexual harassment, exploring the tension between both the simmering rage and feelings of powerlessness these encounters cause.

On the new single, Jenna shares; “Lyrically, This was one of the most empowering but challenging songs to write on the album. The theme for ‘Smile For Me’ is of my own experience of sexual harassment, as well as experiences I know far too many women suffer themselves. Something I hear so often as a woman in public is being told to ‘cheer up, love’, if I’m not immediately, positively responsive to an unknown person’s advances. It’s completely deflating, infuriating and humiliating. The lyrics are intentionally directed at the culprits and offenders, words I would be too afraid to say in the moment if not for fear of the reaction.”

The post Bleach Lab share new single ‘Smile For Me’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

‘Counting Empties’ builds on themes of heartbreak and isolation laid out in previous single ‘Indigo’, and arrives alongside a stunning new visual. On the track, the band reflect on “how having a difficult relationship with alcohol can hinder romantic and personal relationships. A battle with your own mind to do better and a vulnerability of asking someone patience and forgiveness, although you may not feel you deserve it.”

With each consecutive release, the band have experimented without restriction, dipping their toes into unfamiliar genres to fully work out what kind of band they are, what works best for them, and where to go next. “We’re all very conscious about not making music that just replicates or sounds exactly the same as what we’ve done before,” guitarist Frank Wates reflects. “There have been a lot of quite big jumps in terms of influences and sound between all of our releases, and I think that’s an important part of our creative process.”

Lost In A Rush Of Emptiness:

1. All Night
2. Indigo
3. Counting Empties
4. Saving All Your Kindness
5. Everything At Once
6. Nothing Left To Lose
7. Never Coming Back
8. Smile For Me
9. Leave The Light On
10. Life Gets Better
11. (coda)

The post Bleach Lab announce debut album Lost In A Rush Of Emptiness & share new single/video ‘Counting Empties’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

The fusing of inner-dialogue with external commentary is a recurring motif across the If You Only Feel It Once EP. Continuing on themes from their earlier releases – there are still clear references to personal growth, finding inner peace, accepting solitude and heartache, and letting go of connections with people that you once considered to be important.

As well as magnetic frontperson Jenna Kyle, Bleach Lab is comprised of drummer Kieran Weston with his love for ethereal pop, guitarist Frank Wates’ knack for crystalline, dream-pop and bassist Josh Longman’s driving consistency and collaborative lyric work. 2021 saw the four-piece make their mark with the release of their first two EPs, A Calm Sense of Surrounding and Nothing Feels Real, the latter produced by Stephen Street (The Cranberries, The Smiths, Blur). With one eye cast towards the band’s enduring 90s influences present in previous releases, If You Only Feel It Once drives the bands vision forward – delving deeper into poppier, more modern sounds. It’s through this dichotomy that Bleach Lab shine, achieving their intention alongside producer Duncan Mills (Peace, The Vaccines, Jake Bugg).

We had a chat with Jenna all about what the band have been up to, the making of the EP, artists we should be checking out and more! Read the Q&A below.

Hi Jenna! How are you? How have the last few years been for Bleach Lab as a band? What’s the journey been like?

“Hey! I’m great, busy! The last few years have been a journey for sure, we’ve had so much going on from releasing 3 EP’s, our first UK Tour and finally getting out on the festival scene earlier this year. We’re loving it, it’s so rewarding to be able to get out and do what we love doing, meeting new people and sharing our music with those that want to listen.”

You’ve just released your third EP If You Only Feel It Once. What can you tell us about this collection of songs? How does it compare with your previous releases and what do you hope fans/listeners take away from it?

“This EP touches on the nostalgic feelings of home, finding home in other people and places. Looking for that feeling of safety and attempting to provide it for others. Again it’s more of an exploration into personal relationships, romantic and otherwise and navigating your way through them with all the hurdles they can and often do bring.

“In terms of comparison with previous releases, we’ve still stuck to our core sound. However, we have explored a slightly more ‘pop’ approach with this one. We’ve gone for a much fuller sound, using more synths and layers for texture. We wanted to strike a balance between modern sounds and 90s nostalgia. We hope our fans like it!”

Please take us through your songwriting/creative process for IYOFIO. Did you do anything different this time around? What was your favourite part and what did you find most challenging?

“We tend to have a similar approach to the majority of songs we write, an approach which was heavily influenced by the covid lockdowns. Mostly in that we tend to write our individual parts separately and eventually come together in the room. We have found this to be quite challenging as we’re not always certain if things will actually work sonically or in a live setting but it seems to be working for us so far!

“Lyrically, I am constantly writing down any and all thoughts I have day to day. I have an endless list of phrases and words that I write whole songs with. This EP touches on a lot of personal experiences for me, so I found it a very cathartic experiencing writing it.”

Which new bands/artists are you listening to at the moment? Anyone we should be checking out?

“I’m super into solo female artists at the moment but nothing very new! We have two great bands supporting us on our Autumn run of shows, She’s In Parties and Slaney Bay. Definitely check them out!”

Finally, what’s next for Bleach Lab?

“We have our Autumn run of shows coming up in November with our biggest show yet at Lafayette in London! But mostly we have been getting ready for next year. Let’s just say it’s going to be our busiest one yet!”

The post Getting To Know: Bleach Lab appeared first on She Makes Music.

The new single ‘If You Only Feel It Once’ explores one of the EP’s overarching themes; searching for the nostalgic feeling of home in other people and places. Frontperson Jenna Kyle explains; “The lyrics cover a lot of themes of finding a home, feeling safe, finding your way in life and feeling like you’re running out of or wasting your time on the wrong things or people. It’s an inner dialogue with yourself, and in my opinion ‘it’ is subjective and could mean a number of things depending on the listener. However, to me, ‘it’ is referring to ‘home’ i.e. if you only feel home once. It is quite a low mood track and there are quite obvious themes of depressive thoughts and some quite dark lyrics, however it’s self reflective and is meant to be somewhat encouraging.”

The post Bleach Lab release title track from forthcoming EP, ‘If You Only Feel It Once’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

Frontperson Jenna Kyle explains that new track ‘Obviously’ is a candid reflection on the aftermath of a unexpected break-up, and the inevitable cycle of blame and misdirected emotion that follows; “This track addresses the person your partner has left you for, you’re bitter, hurt and rightly or wrongly directing your aggression towards them instead. However in the chorus, it is a bit of a conversation with yourself, self-reflection and realisation that it doesn’t really matter what you say or do, your former partner still loves them either way.”

The post Bleach Lab announce new EP and share new single ‘Obviously’ appeared first on She Makes Music.