Bleach Lab have released a new single, ‘All Night’, taken from their upcoming LP Lost in a Ruth of Emptiness. It follows earlier cuts ‘Counting Empties’ and ‘Indigo’. Give it a listen below.
“I was (and still am) really into true crime at the time I wrote these lyrics,” frontperson Jenna Kyle said of ‘All Night’ in a statement. “I am attracted to mystery and suspense. I almost wanted to write a fictional story from the perspective of a person who has an unhealthy obsession with someone. I really wanted to write lyrics that at first few listens could be seen simply as romantic, someone deeply in love…but on the second or third listen the listener picks up on the darker themes.”
Lost in a Ruth of Emptiness is due out September 22 via Nettwerk.
Small designer brands face considerable difficulty when breaking through in the fashion industry that is dominated by haute couture and luxury brands. Consequently, fashion designer Yinan Mao recognized the significance of establishing a brand image that embodies irreplaceable uniqueness. This recognition became the inspiration of her latest collection DONG, which draws heavily from the culture of a traditional Chinese ethnic group.
The Dong, also referred to as Gaeml, is an ethnic group located in the southwestern China. Their villages are nestled alongside winding streams and picturesque mountains. Due to their relatively small population, the Dong community is not as widely recognized as some of the larger ethnic groups in the region.
“I was deeply attracted to the mysterious culture of the Dong, especially the way they dress. Even though they do share some commonalities with others, the fundamental differences made me even more curious about their lifestyle,” Mao explained.
In Mao’s research, she noticed the frequent use of embroidery and cloth-dyeing in their clothing production. They use a dark color base and add embroidery with light or silver threads on top of it. What Mao finds most appealing about their craft techniques is that they use ox blood and eggs to tap on the dyed cloth until a leather-like metallic shine appears.
As a designer that grew up with modern aesthetics, Mao integrated modern design languages such as 3D printing, knitwear, and laser cutting into her collection experiments to find the ideal balance between contemporary and traditional.
“Our modernized daily wear is completely different from the dressing style of the Dong people,” Mao pointed out, “I intended to combine the two styles to create a revised version that can be applied to modern society, so their clothing culture can reach a larger market and will be recognized by more people.”
Mao incorporated a gradient design into the vibrant colors, skillfully connecting the richly colored embroidery with the dark backdrop. She integrated the traditional silver ornaments worn by the Dong people into the fabric itself, blurring the line between accessories and garments.
In addition, Mao‘s exclusive tailoring technique redefined the original wrap-around dress, accentuating the female figure. She elongated the silhouette while retaining the pleated design, highlighting the graceful curves of women’s bodies and breaking traditional limitations.
According to Mao, the idea of gradient design came when she saw the hands of the females getting colored by the dyes. The color transition from their palms to arms generated an amazing visual effect. She collected the used silver ornaments from the market and reprocessed them before applying them to her design.The outcome of Mao’s efforts proved to be satisfying. She effectively showcased the traditional attire of the Dong people in a contemporary manner. This distinctive approach that is rooted in the culture of this ethnic minority highlights Mao’s creativity and sets her apart from numerous other independent designer brands.
The Japanese House has shared a new song from her upcoming LP In the End It Always Does, which has already been previewed by the tracks ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Sad to Breathe’. It’s called ‘Sunshine Baby’, and it features backing vocals from the 1975’s Matty Healy. Check it out below, along with a live rendition of the track.
In the End It Always Does is set to arrive on June 30 via Dirty Hit.
Brooklyn-based harpist and songwriter Rebecca Kitba Bryson El-Saleh, who records as Kitba, has announced their self-titled debut LP. It’s out July 21 on Ruination Record Co., and its lead single, ‘My Words Don’t Work’, is out today. Check it out and find the album cover and tracklist below.
“I tried not to put this on the album and was initially embarrassed to show it to Zubin Hensler, who engineered, co-produced, and mixed the record,” Kitba said in a press release. “The vulnerability of saying something this direct felt uncomfortable, but Zubin was supportive and (thankfully) insistent that it be a part of the record. There was an initial version (that got released on a benefit compilation for Whateverʼs Clever) that was just harp and voice, recorded together a foot from Zubin in the control room of his Sunset Park studio, but I had another more demoed out version that I couldnʼt get out of my head. This is the only song I have ever pushed to reimagine. I see it as being addressed to someone external or internal, about an inability to articulate oneself and the yearning felt when trying to convey anything that means anything.”
Kitba Cover Artwork:
Kitba Tracklist:
1. Tell Me What I Am
2. My Words Don’t Work
3. Peel Away the Rind
4. I’m Empty
5. Tied To Strings
6. Untie the Binds
7. This Body
8. It’s Just Me
9. Waiting
10. Spilling Out
11. Doing It Wrong
Hannah Jadagu grew up in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas, where she began experimenting with music at an early age before her hobby became a passion. After uploading a string of demos on SoundCloud, she recorded her debut EP, What Is Going On?, entirely on an iPhone 7, and released it fresh out of high school. The EP caught the attention of Sub Pop, who signed Jadagu just before her freshman year of college at New York University, where she studies music business. The 20-year-old is now gearing up to release her debut LP, Aperture, a captivating collection that moves through styles with ease while maintaining a strong indie sensibility. From the resentful, distorted ‘What You Did’ to the warped electronics of ‘Admit It’ to atmospheric tracks that call back to her earlier material, the album exudes an air of confidence even as it captures a period of turbulence and uncertainty. Aided by French producer Max Robert Baby and working, for the first time, in a professional studio, Jadagu showcases her unique eye for detail and melody, using it to zero in on the important things that get caught in the constant push-and-pull between light and dark.
We caught up with Hannah Jadagu for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about her upbringing, the making of her Aperture, the album’s progression, and more.
You’ve talked about your older sister being an inspiration for you growing up, and the song ‘Admit It’ is dedicated to her. Do you mind sharing some fond memories of bonding through music early on?
My sister and I, when we were younger, we would be in the back of the car, and we always had very similar music tastes for the most part, so I remember my mom would play something and we would both be like, “Ew, change this.” Or we’d be like, “We love this, play it again, play it again.” And as we got older, my sister was the one to venture into that alternative indie soundscape before me, because my sister is like two and a half years older than me. She was listening to all the cool stuff, all on Tumblr and that kind of era. So I’m really appreciative to have an older sibling who showed me all the cool tracks and is definitely a big reason as to why I make the music that I make today.
How did you realize you were deeply passionate about making music?
It’s funny, because when I was in middle school, that’s when I really started coming home and always making songs. It started off as a hobby, but when I transitioned into high school and was around 16, the only thing I would ask for Christmas and for my birthday was music-related gear. I remember I would come home and it was the only thing I did, and I found that it became a way for me to just channel whatever was happening in real life. That was a good outlet for me, and I think that was my big transition.
Did you feel the need to keep it separate from your family at first, even your sister who you looked up to?
You’re totally right, at first it was so secretive. I didn’t even show my sister my songs at first, and eventually my sister was the first person that I showed my songs to, just because I felt like they could relate. But I remember I would literally go under my covers and record very quietly – I would wait till everyone was asleep in the house. Luckily, that’s also when I was most creative, but I was super shy about it at first. I didn’t tell a lot of people for a long time. I was just privately uploading tracks to SoundCloud to listen to when I woke up the next day. It took me showing that first song and feeling like I wanted feedback and I wanted criticism, and that’s what helped me get more comfortable sharing my music because I wanted to make it better.
Is there a part of that secrecy that you still try to tap into when you’re making music?
Definitely, yeah. Even when I was demoing the album, I did it in this bedroom, which is in New York, and I have a roommate right now who’s, like, washing dishes, but I wouldn’t record until she left. I was still so precious about it and shy about it, because to me it is a very personal experience, and I just tend to be on the more shy side. Never when I make a song am I worried about the live rendition or who’s gonna hear it. I think sometimes you can be scared to share it because someone’s going to listen, but the process of making the art itself, I’m never worried about who’s going to hear it.
You wrote Aperture in this transitional period between graduating high school in Mesquite, Texas and your sophomore year of college in New York. Was there a part of you that was torn about whether to lean on reflecting on the past and your upbringing or capturing this new space you’d found yourself in?
I think it honestly came down to just whatever I was inspired by at the moment. For some of that album, there were songs from when I was graduating high school that I felt like I was beginning to relate to again, because I was leaving college after my first year to go on tour. So the sense of leaving again and making a new routine and starting over again was something that I related to, even though that was me when I was 17 or 18, and now I was 19, just trying to figure out the industry shit. I think those had a common thread for me, but then I was also learning a lot more about myself and my interpersonal relationships, and that was something I really wanted to focus on in terms of what it means to come into your late teens and your twenties. While I was in between touring, after I left school that year, that was something that I found was so easy to write about for the album, and it made a lot of sense as a common theme to explore.
During that time of leaving to go on tour, did it become clearer to you what leaving your hometown meant in the first place? Not just what it meant, but also what was worth holding onto, and what it was time to let go?
Definitely. Even now, I still think about that a lot, because right now I’m finishing up my second year, and I’m going to have to leave again in the fall to go on tour. It’s never an easy decision for me to leave school, because younger worked so hard to get here and my mom worked so hard to put me in this position, so any time I have to leave it’s definitely a really big internal conflict that I battle with. And everyone’s like, “No, it’s cool, you’re playing shows,” but it’s hard to let go, and I think any normal human is afraid of change. That’s something that I just happen to struggle with, that I always want to work through. But a big thing on the album is just understanding, well, if you are letting go, then what are things that you can take with you and that you can learn from and continue to implement in your life? And what are things that you don’t want to take anymore, boundaries that you’ve set up? How are you going to move forward in that way, whether it be touring or your relation to your people and your team or friendships in your life?
Is it easier to recognize now what those things were for you?
It’s a bit more clear now. I think I had to learn a little bit of the hard way the first time I went on tour. Everyone’s so excited the first time they go on tour because it is such a unique opportunity, and I love to perform, even though I don’t like all the other stuff that comes with it. [laughs] I definitely learn certain things; I’m more introverted so I need to recharge more, and that’s a boundary that I’ll establish, and that’s something that my team knows about me. Just being vocal about what you need and how everyone can work together to make it happen is a big thing that I took away.
What comes to mind when you think about your upbringing that maybe wasn’t as clear or really in your mind when you were going through it?
Something that I talk about on the album is just how embedded religion is into everybody’s lives. When you grow up in it, it’s almost weird how normal it is that no one questions anything. Especially growing up in Texas, the way that everyone was living, I started to realize that no one was asking questions, and I felt this sort of groupthink happening amongst everyone. That is something that I’ve begun to reflect a lot about, especially on the album, and even still now, how that plays into my life today and how it’s shaped me. Like we talked about earlier, certain things that I might take from that, certain things that I might leave behind. It’s something I’m still figuring out.
You talked about relating to some of the older songs in a new way, but did you also feel your personality or beliefs changing in the process of writing and wanted the album to reflect that?
I think I’ve grown in those ways of, I’m a bit more confident in what I want out of my life, but at the same time, I think I’m still very similar, and maybe I’m just more comfortable with who I am as a person. I’ve grown into who I am a lot more, and am more self-aware of my existence and what that looks like in relation to other people in the world. Obviously, when you make an album, you learn a lot about writing and the process and production and how to collaborate, but those might be the only freshest takeaways that I’ve added to my arsenal in general. I think I’m still me.
I’m curious how your relationship to your voice changed from your EP to your debut album. Some of that shyness seems to have gone away, but it’s also led to you being more vulnerable and manipulating it in different ways.
On that EP that I made, I tended to shy away a lot from letting people know what I was actually saying. A lot of people were like, “Love your EP, don’t know what you’re saying.” And now I’m like, “Do I wish they knew what I was saying?” When it came time to record the album, I was super intentional about knowing that I felt like I had a little bit more to say this time around, and I knew myself a little bit better, and I wanted that to be heard and understood. But also, I wanted it to still be intimate and vulnerable, and to showcase just how personal it was to me. Like you said, we played with a lot of manipulation on tracks like ‘Six Months’.
I was going to ask what inspired the experimentation on that song.
What was I doing? I remember I was like, “This song needs to have AutoTune.” In my mind, I just wanted to mess around with something and have fun. ‘Six Months’ started with dry vocals, and it was a lot slower and groovier, a Faye Webster kind of twang-inspired vibe. And then somehow it transformed into this chaotic beast, and I was like, if it’s chaotic, AutoTune is the best way to be chaotic and express your voice in a weird way that helps add to that sort of craziness. I decided I would have this AutoTune verse that was like, you don’t know what’s going on and you’re at a crossroads, but then the chorus, we take it away and you find a sense of clarity. I think that’s ultimately what I was trying to do with the vocals, but I also just love how it sounds.
You worked with producer Max Robert Baby on the sonic palette of the album. What aspects of your songwriting do you feel were unlocked through that collaboration?
Max introduced me to the world of using actual acoustic instruments, because previously, I was only privy to doing stuff on MIDI and inside of Logic. And while he operated out of Logic, he was such a big analog nerd, so a lot of the stuff that we did with the synths was analog. That was really cool, because you’re tweaking it in real-time, and it just doubles creativity when you’re in the room. Another thing we did that I love about him is he recorded the drum parts – I had never done that before, I’m used to using a drum machine. I think when you have live drums, it gives it such a harder-hitting feel overall, and it drives a song much more, which I felt like I was missing. In general, Max helped bring out the songwriting in a way that he added so many flourishes. I think we both kind of do that, but when I added flourishes back in the day – it was cool, but the way that he came in was just so unique and original, and it complemented a lot of what I brought to him already. He really expanded upon it in a big way.
When you were thinking about Aperture as a title, how did it shed light on and bring the themes of the album into focus?
My friend Sterling [Smith], he’s a close collaborator of mine and we did the album art together. He recently directed the ‘Admit It’ music video. He’s always talking about aperture, and eventually I would just wake up and think about the word. I was just doing my research – because I’m a music business major, I don’t know much about photography to lay it all out there – but when I was doing my research, it had multiple meanings, and I felt like a lot of times, in your own work, it can be interpreted many different ways. So that was something that opened up a gate of, “Oh, this could be the title.” Because when you make art and you put it out in the world, it’s going to have a different meaning to someone else than what it might have to you. But furthermore, just the fact that the basic meaning is like an opening, a gap or a hole – I felt like I was going through a lot of different gaps in my life, in a literal sense; going on tour, leaving school, leaving home. I felt like I was having a lot of different new beginnings and new doors opening. But also, it talks about the light that passes through. I think a lot of times, coming into your early twenties, I feel like that’s what it’s all about: just looking at what’s happened in your life and figuring out how to dial in on the things that matter and the things that don’t.
You spend a lot of the album confronting other people, but the two final tracks are framed more like an inner monologue. Why was it important for you to put the weight there towards the end?
In a literal sense, I felt like when it came to sequencing, I knew I wanted to start off with something that relates to me personally, but also could be an open question for anyone. And then we move through, and it’s like stages of grief: ‘Say It Now’, you don’t believe it, and then you have ‘Six Months’ where you’re bargaining, and then you have ‘What You Did’, where you’re angry, and then later on you see ‘Warning Sign’, where you’ve gained acceptance and you’re putting your foot down. And at the end of the day, it’s really just you and your thoughts, so that’s why I wanted to end it that way. You go through your day, you talk to a lot of people, you hang out with your friends, and, you know, maybe somebody on the street is a biker and wants to run you over.You experience a lot of emotions, but something that I realize is: you have to be able to live with yourself and what’s going on in this brain up here, and that’s such a battle that a lot of us face before we go to sleep. It’s also a call back to a lot of what the EP was. When I first started making music, it was super introspective, and I didn’t explore my relationship to other people as much. So I thought I would come back to the issues that I face within myself.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Julie Byrne has released a new single, ‘The Greater Wings’, the title track from her forthcoming album The Greater Wings. Check it out below, along with Byrne’s upcoming tour dates.
The Greater Wings, Byrne’s first new LP in six years, comes out July 7 via Ghostly International. It includes the previously released track ‘Summer Glass’.
Julie Byrne 2023 Tour Dates:
Jul 23 Hebden, England – Bridge Trades Club
Jul 26 London, England – Kings Place Hall
Jul 28 Brighton, England – St Barts
Aug 18-20 Brecon Beacons, Wales – Green Man Festival
Sep 5 Seattle, WA – Fremont Abbey
Sep 6 Portland, OR – Polaris Hall
Sep 8 San Francisco, CA – Swedish American Hall
Sep 9 Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
Sep 12 Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
Sep 14 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s
Sep 19 Washington, D.C. – Songbyrd
Sep 20 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church (Sanctuary)
Sep 21 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Sep 29 Providence, RI – Columbus Theatre
Sep 30 Somerville, MA – Crystal Ballroom
Nov 16 Leeds, England – Brudenell Social Club
Nov 17 Glasgow, Scotland – Mono
Nov 18 Manchester, England – St Michael’s Church
Nov 22 Bristol, England – The Jam Jar
Nov 24 Limerick, Ireland – Dolans Upstairs
Nov 25 Dublin, Ireland – Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire
Nov 26 Belfast, Ireland – The Black Box
The British rapper slowthai, real name Tyron Frampton, appeared in court yesterday on two charges of rape of raping a woman in 2021. As NME points out, a number of major UK festivals, including Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds, appear to have removed his name from posters. The rapper has also been removed from Manchester’s Parklife festival. None of the festivals have made official statements regarding the changes to their lineups.
slowthai was released on bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in Oxford crown court on June 16. The artist denied the charges in a statement on Tuesday, writing: “i am innocent and i am confident my name will be cleared. until then i will apply my energy to ensure this is concluded swiftly and justly. i ask that my supporters don’t comment about this situation and respect the process and privacy of my family during this time.”
slowthai’s upcoming dates include a show supporting Blur at London’s Wembley Stadium in July.
Hozier has announced his new album Unreal Unearth, which is slated for release on August 18 via Island Records. It includes the previously released songs ‘Eat Your Young’ and ‘All Things End,’ while a new single, ‘Francesca’, will come out on May 19.
“It’s my great pleasure at long last to make the official announcement on the release date of my third album, Unreal Unearth…” Hozier wrote in a handwritten letter to fans. “I’m proud of this record and enjoyed watching it come to life over the past year. Thank you as always for your support and patience while it was coming to fruition.”
Origami Angel have announced a new mixtape called The Brightest Days, which drops on June 16. The 8-track effort was written throughout the spring and summer of 2020 and recorded in August 2022 with producer Drew Portalatin, with help from Jake Chekoway and vocalist/guitarist Ryland Heagy. It includes the recently released single ‘Thank You, New Jersey’, as well as a new track called ‘My PG County Summer’. Check it out below.
Last year, Origami Angel released two back-to-back EPs, the acoustic re:turn and the hardcore-leaning DEPART.
The Brightest Days Cover Artwork:
The Brightest Days Tracklist:
1. The Brightest Days
2. Thank You, New Jersey
3. Picture Frame
4. Kobayashi Maru (My Very Own)
5. 2nd BF
6. Looking Out
7. My PG County Summer
8. Few and Far Between
Grizzly Bear’s Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen have reunited to score Celine Song’s new A24 film Past Lives. Set for release on June 9 via A24 Music, the soundtrack features ‘Quiet Eyes’, an original song written and performed by Sharon Van Etten and Zachary Dawes. Today, they’ve shared two songs from it, ‘Why Are You Going To New York’ and ‘Across the Ocean’. Take a listen below.
The film’s official synopsis reads: “Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life, in this heartrending modern romance.”
Daniel Rossen released his debut solo album, You Belong There, last year. Grizzly Bear’s latest album was 2017’s Painted Ruins.
Past Lives Tracklist:
1. If You Leave Something Behind
2. Crossing
3. You Gain Something Too
4. Do You Remember Me
5. I Remember You
6. Across The Ocean
7. Crossing II
8. In Yun
9. We Live Here
10. Why Are You Going To New York
11. Staring At A Ghost
12. Bedroom
13. An Immigrant And A Tourist
14. Eight Thousand Layers
15. See You
16. Sharon Van Etten – Quiet Eyes
