Jangle-pop duo Hobby Club release their cheerfully melancholic single ‘Bedroom’ from their first EP ‘Video Days’ released 8th March on Manchester tastemaker label Heist or Hit (Her’s, Pizzagirl). Inspired by Arthur Russell, The Beach Boys and Kate Bush, Beth Truscott and Joe Rose’s sound is as unique as their vision of the world – sharing an unusual eye condition they only discovered after meeting each other.
‘Bedroom’, whilst about a bedroom and written in one, was ironically recorded in guitarist Joe’s favourite childhood venue, an ex-shipyard canteen. Faced with the constant threat of closure he describes ‘long nights panic tracking till the sun came up toiling away endlessly in the hopes we would finish before the builders kicked the door in.’
A “by-product of a fleeting obsession with 80's children's tv show theme songs, especially Fireman Sam which has the most perfect guitar tone you could ever dream of” ‘Bedroom’ is the demonstration of Hobby Club’s mastery of musical juxtaposition. Joe considers how “whenever I dip into the bad times, I always seem to counteract it by writing frustratingly happy songs, maybe in some vein attempt to reinterpret nostalgia into something that doesn't leave a sour taste in the mouth.”
Deceptively cheery, ‘Bedroom’ is Beth’s personal account of heartbreak: “turning you from a reasonable human being into a crumpled heap of gelatinous matter and tears, incapable of making a phone call or keeping track of your personal effects.” The track’s upbeat façade represents a feeble attempt to remain composed, when actually “going home to a darkened room becomes the best option after any minor setback whatsoever.” Beth confesses: “this song, in essence, is me ripping my heart out and showing it to all of you, in the hope that the person who I wanted to see it the most would.”
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Danish band Rainbrother are releasing new single ‘Warriors’ taken from upcoming album Island. The band tell us the new track is about finding conviction in your beliefs, whether they be about love, human connection or politics. In the modern age of increasingly fragmented and disparate, they long for “the old days, back when life was simple and you understood what you were fighting for.”
Fronted by songwriter Bjarke Bendtsen, the five-piece explore themes of voluntary isolation, lost love and self-acceptance over the album’s ten tracks. In order to escape the rat race and record the album, the band relocated to the attic of an old farm along with producer Kennie Takahashi (Danger Mouse, Beck, Black Keys).
On tracks such as opener ‘Black Chemicals’, earthy, textured guitars are paired with distinctive vocal harmonies that are reminiscent of Fleet Foxes. Elsewhere on the record, for example on ‘Rio Rita’, more progressive elements come to the fore with clear nods to Pink Floyd and a wider palette of sounds, both acoustic and electronic.
Along with touring their native Denmark and the UK, the band have appeared at Bestival, SPOT Festival and SXSW – where in fact the band made the news on the BBC and CNN for an immigration debacle involving their front man Bjarke. When he was denied entry, they had to improvise and they used a pre-taped performance from him projected on a screen behind a drummer while they played their parts in sync.
The metaphorical ‘Island’ refers to withdrawing from the digital noise of the physical world, taking stock of what’s important and choosing to spend more time with the people that you really care for.
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HunBjørn is a new act on the Danish indie and electro pop scene. Her musical universe is both raw and vulnerable. Catchy melodies, dreamy waves of synths, vocals and distorted guitars in a tight setting of bass and beats. HunBjørn released her debut EP “In Vacuo” in September of 2018, which received great reviews in her home country Denmark and when the first single “A Flutter Of The Heart” was released earlier that year in May, it immediately got selected selected by the hyped music Blog Soundvenue as one of that weeks “Top Tracks”.
She grew an engaged fan base on social media quite rapidly by using new technologies such as a messenger-bot called the She Bear Bot, an interactive behind the scenes experience for her EP that fans could join, and personal V-logs about every song and the story behind it. Now HunBjørn is ready with a second EP with the title “Next Summer”. She produced the EP herself and had it mixed by Brian Batz aka Sleep Party People, with whom she also worked with on her first EP.
The first single will be the song “Who Are We To Love”, which draws an even more electronic and dreamy approach to her music. The single is released March 1st on the Danish label All We Are Music. “Who Are We To Love” is a love song to the environment – a post-it in the forehead on all of us, to remind us that the environment is the responsibility of all of us.
HunBjørn aka Ulla Pihl, former lead singer and songwriter in the experimental pop band Lima Lima is inspired by the sonic structures in music and by the transformation of an instrument’s sound by using effects. Her lyrics always circle the grey areas in life and the complex feelings in relationships between human beings in a complex world. She’s inspired by bands such as Blonde Redhead, Japanese Breakfast, Grouper, Beach House and Alvvays. The name HunBjørn derives from the Latin origin of her personal name Ulla and means “a small she-bear” in Danish. The name is the incarnation of courage, vigour and feminine strength.
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