Boniface, a rising star in the world of music, has released a music video for his song It’s a Joke. The song is part of Boniface’s self-titled debut album which also includes songs such as Oh My God and Fumbling.
The video is now watchable via YouTube.
Part of 404 Guild, the South-London collective that started making waves with the release of two EPs last year, Elison 404 are the aptly titled project of members Sonny and Eliot. Their debut album Pebbledash, which we named one of the best albums of April, is the first full body of work to come out of the collective. Gliding through a diverse range of electronic and hip-hop influences, the album showcases a different side of the group, marking a shift away from the gritty, hard-hitting stylings that have defined their sound so far as they conjure a more meditative, dreamy aesthetic. Amidst haunting synths, evocative melodies, and vulnerable lyrics, Elison 404, also known as the Elison Research Project, explore their struggles with mental health, a subject that hits particularly hard following the tragic loss of 404’s Mina, aka Silvertongue, who took her own life in May of 2019. But the final message of the album seems to be one of hope rather than desperation, as the group holds on to mantras like “joy, not fear” on opener ‘Perfect Dark’ and “seeking tomorrow, together” on ‘PS2’, featuring fellow Dirty Hit signee Gia Ford. It’s a powerful sentiment that runs throughout the record, highlighting that sense of community that binds 404 together.
We caught up with Sonny and Eliot for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.
We met at school when we were about 10 years old. There’d been interactions here and there on the walk to and from school, but we became friends at an after-school reading club. We’d go home and watch Aliens on loop and play Metal Slug until our eyes bled.
We had this folder of things we’d made since we started living together. The catalyst for it forming as an entity was Sonny’s laptop breaking. We starting sharing one computer, everything we had became one. That’s when it started to feel like a different person.
Elison is a subsidiary of 404 Guild. I think everyone in the Guild has their own world, but together we have a solar system.
Elison started with an archive of material we’d built up over a long time. We had hundreds of demos, loops, fragments of writing that we rediscovered and began finding connections between. At the same time we were trying to reconnect with people in our life. On reflection that’s a big part of what the album’s about; connection with people, places, sounds – over time. A sort of emotional cartography.
The research that went into this project began as an aimless way to pass the time. Recording our EPs was a careful and meticulous process, which was probably necessary to facilitate a vision shared five ways. Pebbledash came together by accident.
It is the aim of Elison Research Group. No one wants to be alone, trapped in time.
Currently in the early stages of setting up a biological preserve on a island just off Costa Rica. It will be unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Background is an old personal project by Giordano Poloni, an Italian artist and illustrator. The illustrations are beautiful, full of vivid colours, bringing back a feeling of nostalgia and leisure.
Find more work by Giordano Poloni here.
Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist received quite the reception after its release. The film went on to win five Academy Awards including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Achievement in Directing. The film follows George Valentin, a silent film star, who falls with Peppy Miller, a young dancer. With the rise of Peppy’s career, things start to change as Valentin sees his career go downhill.
When it comes to sustainable fashion, many new labels have taken advantage of this movement that is getting so much attention. However, a critical element that is missing is the actual stylish fashion that draws people’s consideration. Other is affordability. And while a few sustainable fashion labels are producing even affordable clothing, a lot of them are struggling to create clothing that people find stylish.
Producing sustainable clothing is essential, yet fashion labels must also realise that people need stylish clothing, just making a simple plain shirt without any concern for cut or style, won’t get many fashionistas interested. Fashion labels must innovate in the space and produce clothing that not just lasts and is produced ethically but is also going to get the fashion lovers happy.
The criticism of this stance is that fast fashion is made for just that reason, to fit the trends and be fashionable. However, there are plenty of styles that can last a lifetime; we have to avoid being engulfed into the stream of 24-hour trends.
Another critical component that is making people go to fast fashion is the affordability of sustainable clothing. While there are a few labels that price their clothing fairly and without absurd margins, many price through the roof when it comes to their range. Yes, it does cost more to produce sustainable clothing, but labels need to consider pricing more competitively even if it cuts into their profits. Furthermore, the people in power must consider putting something in place that helps sustainable fashion labels grow faster and something that will help other brands transition to be more sustainable over a period of time.
Long live sustainable fashion.
In this segment, we showcase the best albums of the month. Here are our picks for April, 2020:
It’s hard to judge an album fairly when the hype surrounding it has been so overwhelming, but from its very first moments, the raw intensity of Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters is simply impossible to ignore. This is one of those records that instantly earns its place in history thanks to the sheer magnetism of its recordings and the fearless, yet fractured personality behind it. A tour de force from start to finish, the album is a culmination of everything that’s defined Apple’s legacy so far – musically, it builds on the experimental leanings of 2012’s The Idler Wheel…, but the songs feel more immediate and oddly catchy. For the most part, Apple relies on these ever-evolving piano arrangements and the pure dynamism of her voice, but it’s the percussion that’s the true stand-out here; there’s a serpentine quality to it that makes it utterly riveting as each song glides to the next. It’s Apple’s most intimate album, and yet unlike its inwardly-drawn predecessor, Fetch the Bolt Cutters finds the artist taking aim at the outside world as much as it pulls her introverted qualities further into focus, presenting itself as a biting indictment of modern society as much as a self-reflection on her own life and career. “Kick me under the table all you want/ I won’t shut up,” she proclaims on ‘Under the Table’, while on the virulent ‘Relay’, she chants, “I resent you presenting your life like a propaganda brochure.” It feels like she’s singing directly at you; there’s an uncompromising fierceness to her delivery that’s unparalleled, even as it becomes totally frenetic, like at the end of opener ‘I Want You to Love Me’. While the songs here may feel structurally simple at their core, moments like the rage-filled ‘Newspaper’ serve as reminders that Apple is perfectly capable of writing nuanced portraits of dysfunctional relationships, while ‘Ladies’ showcases her ability to appear both light-hearted yet sincere. There’s enough sonic variation to keep things interesting, but it’s the album’s razor-tight focus that makes it so effective. Even when Apple sounds like she’s spiralling out of control, she’s in complete command of herself and her surroundings. Fetch the Bolt Cutters isn’t a perfect album – its rough qualities are part of the appeal. But it redefines what a masterpiece can sound like, and for that, it deserves all the recognition that’s come its way.
Highlights: N/A
Following her promising 2017 EP RINA, Rina Sawayama comes through with a bold and ambitious debut that places her at the forefront of this exciting new era of pop. SAWAYAMA combines the now-refreshing maximalism of early 2000s pop and rock and fleshes it out with some more detailed, left-field production courtesy of co-producer Clarence Clarity, resulting in one of the most daring pop albums of the year so far. Much like Poppy and Grimes did with their latest records, Sawayama pulls from genres that seemed not just disparate but diametrically opposed two decades ago – from bubblegum to nu-metal – and mashes them together, all while staying true to her own character. Opener ‘Dynasty’ explores intergenerational pain with epic, glossy production that references the stylings of Evanescence, while ‘STFU!’ is the most obvious – and impressive – take on nu-metal that repurposes the genre’s aggression to make a statement against casual racism. The singer then goes on to deliver a slick, Britney-inspired cut about gender tropes and toxic masculinity (‘Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)’), a sincere self-esteem anthem that opens with a signature catchphrase from RuPaul’s Drag Race (‘Love Me 4 Me’), a love letter to her home country that takes its cues from Emotion-era Carly Rae Jepsen (‘Tokyo Love Hotel’), a heartfelt ballad about broken friendships (‘Bad Friend’), and a moving anthem about togetherness in the LGBT community (‘Chosen Family’). And somehow, it all comes together perfectly; there’s a sense of full-hearted commitment even to the most ironic tracks here, and nothing comes off as mere pastiche. It’s in the title – this is all Rina Sawayama.
Highlights: ‘STFU!’, ‘XS’, ‘Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)’, ‘Bad Friend’, ‘Tokyo Love Hotel’, ‘Chosen Family’
“Joy not fear,” Elison 404 chant on opener ‘Perfect Dark’ amidst haunting synths and ethereal vocals, perfectly setting up the mood that runs through Pebbledash – melancholic yet hopeful. A subsidiary of the South-London collective 404 Guild, Sonny and Eliot of Elison 404 stray slightly from the abrasive, hard-hitting stylings of the collective’s 2019 EPs to embrace a more meditative, dreamy sound in the wake of the tragic loss of founding member Mina aka Silvertongue. On Pebbledash, they showcase their diverse range of influences, from lo-fi to hip-hop to garage, gliding effortlessly from one track to the next. Highlight ‘Chip Pan’ beautifully employs a eurodance beat to accompany the song’s otherwise introspective atmosphere, while tracks like ‘Skannerz’ and ‘F1 Motel’ combine modern hip-hop production with nods to the experimental UK electronic scene (especially the GLOO collective) to embody the all-encompassing sense of anxiety that comes through in the lyrics. What holds it all together is the vulnerability that permeates throughout the record, whether it’s on the evocative yet catchy ‘Harvest Assembly’ or the languid ‘Feeling of Presence’, which includes the poignant line, “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. Amidst chaos and uncertainty, Elison 404 find hope in togetherness: “seeking a better tomorrow, together” a computerized voice says at the end of ‘PS2’, a highlight in the tracklist that features fellow Dirty Hit signee Gia Ford’s soulful vocals while dynamically blending the different elements that make up Elison 404’s sound. Pebbledash is a mesmerizing debut from an outfit that’s certainly got a lot more in store for us in the future.
Highlights: ‘Perfect Dark’, ‘Chip Pan’, ‘Skannerz’, ‘Government Name’, ‘Feeling of Presence’, ‘PS2’, ‘Harvest Assembly’
BAD CHILD, a Canadian-born singer-songwriter, has released his single Behave. The song carries on after his successful 2019 debut EP Sign Up which included the beloved song Breathing Fire. With this song released, BAD CHILD will look to shake up the world of music with his distinct style once more.
This Is English is a superb comedy film which puts a twist on the classic British film This is England (2006). In this short film, a group of middle-aged men fight a war against misspelling.
Written by Liam Wilson
Directed by That Jam
A Blue Movies & Studio Yes Production
Producer Lucinda Hayden
Executive Producer Charlie Falconer
Executive Producer Adam Morley
Executive Producer Sam Ojari
DOP Mike O’Connor
Production Designer Myles Grimsdale
Sound Design Ben Leeves at Jungle
Editor Ella Oliver at TenThree
Jack Doolan
David Schaal
Donna Preston
Harry Sherriff
Dean Kilbey
Nick Pearse
Maria Hildebrand
Amer Chadha Patel
Paul Dewdney
Ben Higgs
Michael Haynes
Timon Woodward
Grace Davies, a promising artist in the world of music, has presented her latest single Amsterdam from her forthcoming EP Friends With The Tragic. The single delivers the mellifluous vocals of Grace that have been present in her previous songs such as Addicted to Blue and Invisible. With this song revealed, there will be a lot of growing attention around this exciting artist known as Grace Davies.
Talking about the song Grace said “Amsterdam is my Jolene… It’s incredibly honest. It’s about being so frickin’ in love that it hurts, and you don’t trust that something won’t go wrong. Amsterdam touches on jealousy within a relationship and normalises it. Not an unhealthy jealousy, but one that we all feel from time to time, and should allow ourselves to feel – without thinking that we’re ‘crazy’! Of course we may get jealous that the person we love most in the entire world is doing things without us, and of course the thought crosses our minds that we may possibly lose that person to someone else (or somewhere else). We’re human, and I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
SuperParka, a duo out of Paris, France, revealed their latest track Sunnn. The piece thrives on tremendous energy, experimental textures and Hip-hop drums; in fact, Sunnn is a refreshing song that delivers on many levels, including innovation and experimentation.
SuperParka are most widely known for their song Skip, which has reached over 2 million streams via Spotify alone. Skip was part of their 2018 mixtape Sushiboubou#1.
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