This weekend, Kate will take the stage at Mighty Hoopla, joined by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, for a performance that promises to be unforgettable. There, she will debut the new song live for the first time. Speaking about the track, Kate says: “Using feminism to erase the rights of others is inherently un-feminist. ‘GERM’ is my response to the recent news that the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that the concept of sex is binary. Trans people were excluded from the conversation.

“I am left uneasy as I see behaviours we would otherwise or previously label as intolerance or bullying become normalised & even celebrated by the media & in society. I believe this will lead to more transphobia and more misogyny in the UK. I also believe it to be misdirected and not at all where feminist efforts should be focused. In fact, I don’t consider it to be feminist at all. The demonisation of entire groups of people, led by bad faith actors, is not a step forward but a huge echo of a past we should have moved on from.

“I owe so much of myself to feminism. Tarnishing the most important ideology in my life by denying the existence of trans women is something I take very personally.

“Denying that trans people exist and having a personal desire to remove them from public spaces because it makes you uncomfortable to share spaces with trans people is transphobic. Dismantling systems of oppression lies at the very core of feminism. If you are transphobic therefore you are not a feminist. Welcome to your rebrand GERM.”

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Irish indie rock band Pillow Queens dive into intoxicating feelings with punchy, cathartic track and official video ‘Heavy Pour’. ‘Heavy Pour’ is a track that lays the foundation for a story of unshakable conviction in the face of doubt and feeling inadequate. Sonically, lead guitarist and vocalist Cathy McGuinness shares, “It feels like a bit of a bizarre journey or a fever dream.” Opening with a 90s grunge vibe, twangy distorted guitars and open strings, it gets progressively heavier before a cathartic release. McGuinness says, “The guitar becomes more palatable in the middle eight, totally contradicting the previous section of discordant chaos. It then falls into a glorious half time with ‘oohs’ to support the instruments, giving a feeling of clarity and resolve before snapping back to the chorus.” Lyrically, lead vocalist, guitarist and bassist Pamela Connelly adds, “A lot of the lines in this song could convey the typical sweetness of a love song, but it has brief moments of outside perspectives that cast doubt over the conviction represented. The song tries to show the “heavy pour” as a compulsion that while having moments of joy, ultimately heightens personal insecurities.” The band also touches on gender and common misconceptions with the line, “I want more, but I’m not man enough.” Vocalist, guitarist and bassist Sarah Corcoran says talk regarding that line has sparked conversations about gender, particularly the tendency to equate masculinity with bravery. “Intrigued by this dynamic, we wanted to delve into and dissect the idea that one’s gender expression is impacted by their perceived level of courage. Spoiler: it’s not. All genders can be courageous and/or scared.” The track’s accompanying video, directed by Kate Dolan, is inspired by old silent films like The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari, Faust and Nosferatu. The idea for the video came immediately to Dolan upon hearing the track. Dolan says, “The song felt like a haunting and I felt the video needed to be something quite stylistic. I came up with the idea of the music video being a long lost silent film that has never been seen, a haunted piece of art buried in an attic somewhere. Then, as the band performs the cursed film is purged, burning up. The band are always up for having some fun so the shoot was a lot of fun and we played a lot on set.” The spooky video was aptly shot at Glenmaroon House in Dublin. The Tudor-style Edwardian mansion, dating back to the 1850s and once owned by a member of the Guinness family, exuded an eerie charm perfectly suited for the video’s aesthetic.

Babe Club says they were inspired by Mark Ronson and Lykke Li’s song ‘Late Night Feelings’ to make a new dance groove beat. While ‘Late Night Feelings’ is about heartbreak, Babe Club’s new single, ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,’ is about uncovering your deep dark secrets. Here’s what the band had to say about their new song: “We wanted to make a dance song that inspired people to get weird and mischievous. We abandoned the idea for a year, picking it back up while being inspired by how interactive and hype Chappell Roan’s songs get with the audience. Singer Jenna Desmond recalls channeling her inner weird Barbie-the damaged one- for the lines, ‘let’s just have fun, kill the lights now turn it up,’ in hopes people will be sweating out their demons with strangers on the dance floor. It’s murder on the dance floor.” [via Holy City Sinner]

Australian trio Telenova returns with their latest elegant, disco track ‘Power.’ The song comes with an official video directed by frontwoman Angeline Armstong that is brimming with vibrant colour and otherworldly imagination. In a day of big announcements, the band has also shared news of their debut album Time Is A Flower (to be released on August 16 via Fiction) which will be played live across their forthcoming European tour which will see them touch base in London on October 1st at The Outernet’s The Lower Third. The track was co-produced by the band and Styalz Fuego who has also produced tracks for Troye Sivan, Tate McCrae, Odesza, Imagine Dragons. Speaking about the song’s creation Angeline explains “The song is a fable-like story of a flower in love with the sun, but the sun is setting. And the flower is afraid of being left alone in the darkness without the very thing that gives it power and strength. Of course, the flower unaware that the sun inevitably always rises again. The more we kept building out the lyrics the more Josh and I realized its a fairly multi-layered metaphor for love. Inevitably (and beautifully) people will hear different things in the meaning of ‘Power’, it resonates on a romantic-love kind of micro level, but can really extend out to a divine kind of love and existential longing – whatever your idea of ‘God’ or the universe or something ‘bigger’ it’s the cry of a human being out to whatever is out there, to like, not be abandoned basically, not be left to our own devices all on our own. And then we shroud that all in a big fun dancey disco tune – because why not.”

On her brand new single ‘Comic Trip’, Sylvie Kreusch nosedives into a fantasy world where anything is possible. It is a song that buzzes with colors, sensations and Big Emotions – with a stylistic nod to bands like The B-52’s and Stereolab. “On ‘Comic Trip’, I wanted to create a world where everything is possible, where reality and fantasy intertwine.” Kreusch says about her latest song. “The inspiration came from the nostalgia for my childhood, when I could lose myself for hours and hours, reading vintage comic strips in my grandmother’s attic. I was immediately reminded of those Roy Lichtenstein-sounds, which I added in both the arrangements and the lyrics.” With its bright, sparkling arrangements, ‘Comic Trip”’resonates like the pop music version of a retro sixties comic that’s brimming with spectacle, intrigue and suspense. Kreusch turns into a superheroine protagonist who jumps kinetically from panel to panel. “’Comic Trip’ harkens back to childhood, the days when you still looked at the world with wonder. I think we as adults can learn a lot from that.” Kreusch adds. “I am now in my thirties and everything is becoming slightly predictable. I now have a little more control over my life, so it is sometimes shocking when you lose that spontaneity. Being a bit more naive in the world, especially as a creative person, is a very important thing to keep doing. So that’s what I’m looking for now.” ‘Comic Trip’ is a very visual song, so there really had to be a video. The things I wanted to do weren’t that easily executed either. It is about children who completely lose themselves in comic books and look in amazement at a world in which everything is possible. I tried to put that world visually in a video. It turned out really cool, and it required a lot of preparation. It’s very conceptual, even though I don’t normally write like that. You constantly bump into things that are not feasible. There is certainly something of a Western influence in it: comics and Westerns are two worlds that often go well together. There was a lot of shooting in terms of choreography on a treadmill. The world I am in is a kind of desert landscape, in which things travel my way. And the children act as a shadow of me. Sometimes they follow me around and then they disappear again. That was maybe the hardest part: finding children in which gender and age looked fluid. That there is something very playful and young about them, but they are also very mature in how they move, in their way they imitate me a little bit. Part of the video for ‘Comic Trip’ was actually filmed on location, and partly animated. The idea behind it is that you’re not supposed to be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fantasy.”

Kate Nash has shared ‘Space Odyssey 2001’, as the latest single from her forthcoming album, 9 Sad Symphonies. The track sees Kate nash recount a first date with her now-partner and pokes fun at her own movie choice. “It’s the wrong film for a date, but I love the film. I like making jokes in songs. I like that there’s this beautiful love song but it’s also complaining about this critically acclaimed film being too long. I don’t recommend it for a first date,” she explains. “‘Space Odyssey’ is a love song about my partner who I was friends with for many years, but we met up at just the right time in the summer of 2017, both single and very unexpectedly fell in love,” Nash continues. “Romance came back into my life in this effervescent, joyful and healing way. I’d been through so much pain and toxicity. In the video, I arrive at this homestead having been through hell, exhausted and at the point of no return. I am rescued by a half man/half donkey. It’s inspired by Shakespeare and the way his plays use surrealism, fairy tale and classic love stories, but also the genuine complexities of human relationships. I’m taken into this homestead as I’m ready to give up and am healed by sunshine, friendship, food, joy, animals, nature and falling in love with someone you really don’t expect, which transforms me from a broken, bloody mess to a higher level self (in this case, a fairy).” [via Line Of Best Fit]

MOTHICA has shared another new single and video from her upcoming album Kissing Death. Following last month’s first single ‘Doomed,’ the artist unveils a song attached to her name, ‘Curiosity Killed The Moth’ – and as such, she says that it felt like an especially “daunting” one to write. “I thought of the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’ on the way to a session with David Burris and Alexandra Veltri, and we twisted it to be about a moth,” MOTHICA explains. “Like a moth to a flame. Icarus flying too close to the sun. “I’ve always wanted to write a song about moths, but of course, it being my namesake that felt like a daunting task. I wanted every song to feel like it was from a soundtrack since I knew I was going to do a music video for every song, and so it turned into this dark cinematic feeling that I really love.” [via Kerrang!]

Calva Louise has revealed the extraordinary cinematic Sci-Fi video for their new song, ‘Under the Skin’, and the news they have also signed to Mascot Records—home to P.O.D., VOLA, Defects, Conquer Divide, Dragged Under, and Oxymorrons,. ‘Under the Skin’ was co-written by Allanic and Pendulum’s Gareth McGrillen and is a mesmerising blend of raging metal riffs, swirling electronica, and Allanic’s extraordinary ability to flit between ethereal vocals and demonic howls. It swoons in and out of a stunning narrative, with melodic twists along the way that are penetrated by an attack of hypnotic aggression. ‘Under The Skin’ follows a complex Sci-Fi narrative and is the introduction of a conceptual storyline about the characters and their counterparts called the Doubles. Talking about the song, Allanic says, “The lyrics deal with the obstacles that arise between them as one is looking for freedom and the other is looking to perpetuate their consciousness, but the expectations are not the same for both sides.” The video is a feast for the eye and was directed and edited with VFX by Jess Allanic. This first single release is accompanied by Calva Louise’s most ambitious music video production, including a Sci-Fi movie-style short film telling a story about parallel dimensions where the characters are looking to perpetuate their consciousness beyond the real world.

Shannon & The Clams release their latest single ‘Big Wheel’ and its accompanying music video. The song will be featured on their upcoming album The Moon Is In The Wrong Place out May 10 via Easy Eye Sound. Kicking off with resounding Moog synthesizer instrumentals and vocals from guitarist Cody Blanchard, ‘Big Wheel’ chronicles the unavoidable passage of time and life’s impermanence. On the track, Shannon & The Clams showcase their remarkable knack for making big, devastating feelings more tangible through upbeat melodies and creating a place for listeners to celebrate life. In August 2022, singer and frontwoman Shannon Shaw’s world was turned inside out: with mere weeks to go until their wedding, the singer’s fiancé, Joe Haener, died in a horrific car accident. It was a devastating loss that hit Shannon & The Clams — who were all incredibly close with Haener — with cataclysmic force. Cue ‘Big Wheel,’ guitarist Cody Blanchard’s response to Joe’s death — a meditation on how time and reality become distorted in the face of sudden loss. The lyrics ruminate on the feeling of helplessness as time marches on after someone dies, like the feeling of being strapped into a ferris wheel seat that you don’t want to be on — as if you have accidentally gotten on the wrong ride and everything has “gone off the track” and you desperately want to pull the stop lever. The song also explores the impotent desire to rewind time and to keep the gap between “now” and “before” as small as possible, like the urge to keep a child at a certain innocent age before the harshness of the world turns them cynical. “See the boy waiting in line, weep for him on the other side.” The accompanying music video, directed by Vanessa Pla, is an eerie exploration of time visually reminiscent of silent era films. [via Concord]

Following last month’s single ‘Maverick’, self-styled brat punk Delilah Bon has unleashed another ferocious single in the form of ‘Finally See Me’. Taking inspiration from her school days, it’s a raw and riotous exploration of Delilah’s teenage school experience, and the mental health struggles she faced, feeling lost and alone as a free-thinker in a system that didn’t understand her. “This song is about craving recognition and validation,” says Delilah. “I receive messages from so many young people who feel just like I did back in school. They tell me they use my music to get through the day, which hits close to home for me. I remember spending lunch breaks hiding in the school toilets, listening to P!nk, just trying to escape the world.” [via Kerrang!]

Cross Dog is a noisy, experimental, bass-driven hardcore punk band from Peterborough, Ontario. Their music is played at ear-splitting volumes, but the band’s socially conscious messaging cuts through the noise loud and clear. Formed in 2013, the intentional omission of a guitarist from the lineup leaves Cross Dog lacking absolutely nothing. Affirming the power in the rule of three, Tracy A (vocals), Mark Rand (bass), and Mikey Reid (drums) explode with a multiplicative force that betrays the finite bounds of their instrumental limitations. Cross Dog’s newest album (and first for Stomp Records), All Hard Feelings (out June 7), sees the band maintain the sonic onslaught they’ve become known for, but with a few tweaks. ‘Hard Feelings,’ the first single to be shared ahead of the LP’s launch, is a pseudo-diss track that stemmed from Tracy feeling blindsided and betrayed. It encapsulates the moment when you are all pure and reactive emotion before you calm down and view your current situation through a healthier, more balanced lens. It’s the perfect “scream-it-in-your-car” song, so you don’t end up screaming it in someone else’s face.

Taylor Swift has released her first Tortured Poets Department music video. The visual is for the album’s opener, ‘Fortnight,’ featuring Post Malone. Watch the new video, written and directed by Swift and co-starring the musicians with Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, below. [via Pitchfork]

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“‘Millions of Heartbeats’ is a song about losing your spark,” Kate explains. “It can be difficult to find hope in a world that’s constantly bombarding you with bad news, chaos and capitalism. It’s scary when you lose that spark and can’t lift yourself out of a pit. It can feel like that light you once had might never come back. The button to the song is that there’s millions of heartbeats on this planet and that’s the reason we have to try. All we have right now is earth and each other. And that’s actually a lot. So just keep trying.”

Since first appearing in 2007 with her explosive debut Made Of Bricks, Kate Nash’s continually evolving career has been marked by her fearless approach to music and unapologetic storytelling. Her most ambitious and captivating work to date, 9 Sad Symphonies offers yet another sonic shift following her more ragey recent output, as she draws inspiration from old Hollywood glamor and vintage musicals. The album concept initially formed when Kate reconnected with Danish producer Frederick Thaae who she worked with on Only Gold, the 2022 musical co-created with Hamilton choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. The resulting record is filled with lush string arrangements and enchanting songs that may appear bright on the surface, but ultimately emerge as a deeply layered quest to find beauty in a chaotic world.

Her first full-length release since 2018’s Yesterday Was Forever, 9 Sad Symphonies is a testament to Kate’s resilience, creativity and unyielding passion. In addition to her music endeavors, she continues to push boundaries across multiple creative platforms, from her acclaimed role in Netflix’s mega-hit series GLOW to her award-winning documentary Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl. With each new project, Kate invites the audience to bear witness to her continuous voyage towards self-discovery and transformation, creating a deeply vulnerable bond that transcends music alone. On 9 Sad Symphonies she does this once more, cementing her place as one of this generation’s most unique and fearless talents.

“I’ve climbed through the sewers of this industry and so my goal is to make good music I believe in, to have longevity, and have good live shows,” says Kate. “I don’t feel competitive with the industry anymore. I’ve been in the game for twenty years, and I’m in my own league now.”

9 Sad Symphonies:

1. Millions Of Heartbeats
2. Misery
3. Wasteman
4. Abandoned
5. Horsie
6. My Bile
7. These Feelings
8. Space Odyssey 2001
9. Ray
10. Vampyre

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