Billie Eilish – Album Review

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Give the album a listen while you’re checking out the blog post

Billie Eilish’s debut album ‘WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ was released three days ago and the seventeen year old is taking over the world. Currently, the album is set to reach number one on the billboard top 200 chart, proving the long perpetuated myth that young people are not interested in albums anymore.

Eilish herself has described the album as an ‘ambitious and immersive experience’ and she has definitely achieved that. The album is extremely experimental and each song offers something brand new and very different.

Normally with each weeks featured artist, I choose my top five favourite songs from the singer or band. For this one off special blog, dedicated to the brilliant album, I’m choosing my top five from the album! Check out the list below…

1. bad guy

Taken from the bad guy music video

The perfect introduction to the album. The song moves through so many different elements and is very fun. It perfectly summarises what will come next. The video, released the same day as the album, also truly encompasses the album as a whole, it moves through a range of different themes, introduces us to a whole range of characters and sides to Eilish herself. It also takes a dark turn at the end – reminding us of Eilish’s creepy brand.

2. when the party’s over

Taken from when the party’s over music video

when the party’s over is the seventh song on the album and is slower than the overs that come before it. It highlights Eilish’s talent and range more so than the over songs of the album too. It’s very raw and her vocals are beautiful. The song showcases Billie as an amazing singer, as well as the brilliant mind behind the experimental album.

3. 8

The eighth song on the title, aptly titled 8, is another slower song, with dreamy indie and Hawaiian vibes. The song starts of quite creepily due to the child-like vocals but the slowly moves into Billie’s normal style. The song is reminiscent of the interludes on Paramore’s 2013 self-titled album. The interludes on that album employ the slow, melodic ukulele to break up the heavy, high energy tracks that come before and after. Eilish does this in a similar way, placing the slow and calm song right in the middle of the album.

4. my strange addiction

The ninth song on the album is my strange addiction which uses samples from the US Office throughout the song. Many artists have chosen to take clips from film and TV and place them into songs. For instance Dan from Bastille uses clips from the film Psycho in his mix tapes, as well as Kanye West and Jay Z’s Ni**as in Paris, which is probably one of the most famous examples of this. Billie’s use of clips from the Office don’t necessarily make as much sense as the other examples (other than the fact that Michael Scott says Billie’s name at the start of the clip), but it fits really well.

5. i love you

The second to last song on the album, i love you, is slow and pretty. I reminds me of Wolf Alice and The Japanese House. It is a beautiful song with a deeper message than its pretty melody. It discusses loving someone you no longer want to love and the pain that comes with that. The perfect ending to such a brilliant album.

Dream Wife

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From left to right: Alice, Rakel and Bella

We grew up with very few female role models. We want to be what we needed as teenagers.

Bella for NME in 2019

Dream Wife consists of lead singer Rakel Mjöll, guitarist Alice Go and bassist Bella Podpadec. The band met in Brighton while studying at University. They originally formed to help Rakel complete a performance art assignment she had been set for a module, and also because they wanted to visit Canada together. Killing two birds with one stone, they formed Dream Wife and began touring on the other side of the Atlantic.

Their music is classically puck-rock – with some songs having a dreamy indie vibe due to the melodic backing vocals, for instance ‘Fire’ and ‘Hey Heartbreaker’. Other songs like ‘F.U.U.’ (standing for fuck you up) are more synonymous to punk as a genre. It’s loud, aggressive and very high energy. The bands self-titled debut album, released in 2018, moves from these high energy punk songs, to classic indie bangers, mixing the two together seamlessly.

The thing that is most interesting to know about Dream Wife is their Bad Bitches to the front policy. They make sure their gigs are inclusive spaces, especially for women and non-binary individuals. To make sure this happens the girls make sure that all their ‘bad bitches’ make their way to the front of crowd, often leading to all female and non-binary mosh pits.

As a young woman, one of the most daunting things about going to gigs, especially high energy punk and indie shows, is the mosh pit. Often filled with boys at least a foot taller than me, even the toughest music fan can be a little put off, therefore never getting to fully experience the show. With this Bad Bitches policy, everyone gets to have the same experience, in a fun and inclusive space.

I am not my body – I am somebody

Dream Wife // Somebody (2017)

Not only do they strive to make sure that their gigs are inclusive, the band cover and discuss a number of important issue, including feminism, the #MeToo movement and dismantling the patriarchy. The band are active supporters and contributors to Polyester Magazine which is a self-published, intersectional feminist fashion and culture publication aiming to bridge the gap between URL cyber-feminism and the IRL world. The magazine also has an adjoining podcast which is just as cool!

Polyester Magazine
Polyester Podcast
Dream Wife for NME Magazine (2019)

Dream Wife’s music videos are one of the best things about this band. You never know what to expect. Each one is wildly different from the last, and each one debuts a brand new style. ‘Hey Heartbreaker’ is completely animated and very Scott Pilgrim-esque. ‘Fire’ shows the three exploring the countryside and then discovering magic stones, unleashing their own powers. ‘F.U.U.’ shows the girls performing in a wrestling ring to an all female and non-binary crowd – as well as highlighting female wrestling talent and promoting body positivity. ‘Lolita’ draws heavily from horror movie imagery, with nods to films like the Blair Witch Project and The Craft.

My favourite video is the one for ‘Let’s Make Out’. One of the bands punkier songs, it shows the girls performing at a prom. Everyone at dance begins to make out with one another, regardless of gender. It is not often that queer visibility is such an integral part of a music video and a spectrum of different sexualities are displayed, which is refreshing to see and just another reason to love Dream Wife even more.

Dream Wife’s music video for Let’s Make Out (2017)

Dream Wife are playing at loads of festivals over the summer including: Live at Leeds, Stag and Dagger Glasgow and Dot to Dot festival all in May! Make sure to follow the band on their social media links below to keep up to date with shows and new music announcements! I’ve also added my top five Dream Wife songs to the featured artists playlist so give that a follow too!

Featured Artists Playlist
Dream Wife’s Twitter
Dream Wife’s Website 
Dream Wife’s Instagram

The Tuts

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From left to right: Harriet, Nadia and Beverley

The most diverse UK band since the Sugarbabes.

10mmballpointpen

The Tuts are a 3 tone DIY girl band consisting of front woman and guitarist Nadia Javed, drummer Beverley Ishmael and bassist Harriet Doverton. Nadia and Beverley started the band when they were teenagers and Harriet, from the band Colour Me Wednesday, joined in 2010. Their music has been described as punk-pop indie.

The band are overtly political with lyrics that focus on politics, class, race and sexism. Their strong political beliefs aren’t only represented through song. On social media, they can be seen discussing a range of issues, and generating a dialogue on topics that are often brushed under the carpet. In December 2018, the band joined forced with UK based #solidaritynotsilence to raise over £3,000 for survivors of abuse. They also sell merch with all profits going to solidarity not silence.

They’re not afraid of creating controversy either. At the beginning of 2019 the band declined the opportunity to represent the UK at the Eurovision song contest because this years host country is Israel. Boycotting Eurovision is a clear message that the band are showing their support for Palestine.

My favourite video is ‘Let Go of the Past’ which shows the band in sixties outfits and moves through a girls magazine similar to that of Jackie or Seventeen. The video is filled with sixties nostalgia and cleverly has the lyrics run throughout. It is a fun and smart, just like they are. The song is deeper than the brightly coloured video suggests, with lyrics about moving on and not letting past grievance’s hold you back from the future and ruin the present.

Their music is varied, from feminist anthems ‘What’s on the Radio’ and ‘Tut Tut Tut’ which details how the band will steal girl fans from misogynist boy bands to ‘1982’ which still has the classic punk feel expected from The Tuts but has dreamy indie vocals throughout the chorus. All the way through to slow and melancholic ‘You’re So Boring’ which is a lovely interlude on the ‘Update Your Brain’ album. The bands overall feel is very much punk. Not just musically but with their attitude and the way that they give a voice to issues surrounding sexism, racism and the powerful elite institutions running the country.

People powers knock down corporate towers.

Give Us Something Worth Voting For // The Tuts (2016)

My favourite song, ‘Give Us Something Worth Voting For’ is a UK punk anthem for the 21st century. Dealing with topical issues surrounding the government, liberal ideology and summarising how the corrupt system is influencing us at grass roots levels and how we can call for change. Even though the album the song features on ‘Update Your Brain’ was released almost 3 years ago, it is just as relevant now as it was then.

My top 5 favourite songs from the band have been added to the Featured Artist’s Playlist so make sure to give that a follow to discover those as well as ones from the 4 previous featured artists. All of The Tut’s social media links are below so check them out if you want to keep up to date with the bands music as well as help them topple the patriarchy!

The Tut’s Website
Featured Artist’s Playlist
The Tut’s Twitter
The Tut’s Instagram 

International Women’s Day 2019

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Empowered women, empower women

Happy International Women’s Day! This special, out of the ordinary blog post, is to celebrate today, as well as the amazing female artists we’ve seen so far and recap what they’re up to!

A balanced world is a better world. How can you help forge a more gender-balanced world?

– Celebrate women’s achievement. – Raise awareness against bias. – Take action for equality.

Taken from the International Women’s Day Website

The reason I have chosen to dedicate a blog post to International Women’s Day is because this years theme is #BalanceforBetter and I believe that this blog encapsulates the main points highlighted above. Each week a female artist is highlighted and her achievements are celebrated. I have achieved some backlash for focusing primarily of female artists and female fronted bands, but I believe what I am doing is important. There are no blogs out there highlighting specifically women in indie music, therefore I am raising awareness against this particular bias and, hopefully, taking action to move towards equality.

Week 1:
Nilüfer Yanya
Week 2:
Jade Bird
Week 3:
Anteros
Week 4:
SOAK
  • Nilüfer Yanya – my first ever featured artist’s debut album is being released in just 2 weeks from today and is currently on tour, playing at The Scholar (O2 Academy) in Leicester tonight.
  • Jade Bird – since the blog post on Jade was published 3 weeks ago, she has released the video for ‘I Get No Joy’ and is starting the US leg of her tour in 2 days. She is back in the UK on the 23rd of April playing Rock City, Nottingham. Her debut album is out on the 19th April.
  • Anteros – this London based four piece start touring on the 7th April by playing the Waterfront in Norwich. Their debut album ‘When We Land’ is out this month, and the official date has been announced as the 22nd!
  • SOAK – this weeks current featured artist. Her second album ‘Grim Town’ is out on the 26th April and her tour starts on the 3rd May running right up to the 31st. She’ll be touring the UK as well as hitting: Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Ireland, finishing off in her home town of Derry.

One last exciting thing to announce is the inclusion of a brand new playlist on the doyenne_music Spotify. The playlist, entitled ‘International Women’s Day’ (creative, I know) includes 50 of the best indie songs of the past and present from female artists and female fronted bands. From Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush, to Florence and the Machine and Lana Del Rey right up until today with Billie Eilish and Grimes. Make sure to check it out through the link below to find your perfect sound track for International Women’s Day this year!

Follow Doyenne on Twitter
International Women’s Day Playlist
Featured Artist’s Playlist
Up and Coming Playlist

SOAK

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‘Here’s the craic, it’s not cool, we should do something about it. The anti-equality shit that is going on is really fucked up”

SOAK cited in an interview for The Guardian in 2015
SOAK in a shoot for British Vogue

Bridie Monds-Watson, more commonly know by her stage name SOAK, is a 22 year old singer-song writer from Derry, Northern Ireland. She’s been likened to range of artists from Ben Howard and Laura Marling to Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her music could be described as ethereal folk or dreamy lo-fi indie, but under the beautiful and misty aesthetic her songs have emotive and prominent meanings.


SOAK appeared on the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2015’ long list when she was just 18.

SOAK’s videos very much follow this dreamy, surreal vibe. My personal favourite is the music video for ‘Everybody Loves You’, the first single taken from her second album ‘Grim Town’. The video consists of SOAK meeting 2 groups, a boy group and then a girl group dressed head to toe in pale pink tracksuits. Each member of the group has a caterpillar in a drug bag attached to a chain around their neck.

The reason that I have chosen SOAK as my featured artist for this week in particular is because it is International Women’s Day tomorrow and as an artist, performer and individual she strives for changes to be made in terms of equality concerning a range of issues including women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance. Her song ‘Sea Creatures’ was written for a friend who was bullied for their sexuality and the video for ‘Reckless Behaviour’ deals with the sensitive topics of suicide, self-harm and mental illness.

The way that SOAK maturely and sensitively writes and provides awareness surrounding a range of topics that many artists wouldn’t dare to, is evidence enough why she should be the featured artist of the week over International Women’s Day. She is using her platform as a writer and performer in an important and meaningful way.

“Everybody Loves You retains that alchemy of old-soul wisdom and youthful positivity which are quintessentially SOAK’s own”.

Article published by XS Noize in 2018

SOAK’s second album, after the release of ‘Before We Forgot How To Dream’ in 2015, is being released on the 26th April this year and is titled ‘Grim Town’. She is then touring for most of May, with her first date in Liverpool on the 3rd and her last day in her hometown of Derry on the 31st. She will be accompanied by Pillow Queens as her support.

Make sure to follow SOAK on her social media links below to stay up to date with news on the new album as well as the lead up to her tour. My top 5 favourite SOAK songs have also been added to the featured artist playlist so give that a follow to discover what they are!

Featured Artist’s Playlist
SOAK’s Twitter
SOAK’s Website
SOAK’s Instagram

Anteros

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“Hailing from across the globe, and pulling influence from ‘70s new wave, ‘80s pop sensibilities, all the way through to the ‘00s grit-n-grind indie scene, Anteros spin it in a new and thrilling direction”

NME Article on the band

Anteros are a 4 piece band consisting of Josh Rumble on bass guitar, drummer Harry Balazs, Jackson Couzens on guitar and lead singer Laura Hayden. Residing in London now, originally the 3 boys are from all over the UK and Laura is from Barcelona.

From left to right: Harry, Laura, Jackson, Josh

Many of the bands songs revolve around the theme of being in your twenties, being young, making mistakes and attempting to grow from them. Lead singer Laura is also the main songwriter for the band and many of her songs touch on these subjects surrounding being young. One of the best, in my opinion, is ‘Call Your Mother’ which includes the lines ‘‘Call your mother she can’t make it better // Tell your father that you really fucked up’ which summaries how it feels making stupid mistakes and then having to relay these to your parents if you dare to.

Leading Lady Laura is the front woman and song writer for the band

Love, equality and Women Power: working together instead of against each other.

Laura talking about the Bonnie music video in an Interview for DIY

Many of the songs also focus on the typical aspects of your twenties too – falling in love, getting drunk, falling out of love. But the band also focus on a range of important political and social issues too. Last year they sold ‘Fiery Rose’ t-shirts (lyrics from the single Bonnie) and all proceeds went to Women’s Aid. The video for Bonnie, which Laura co-directed, also shows two women dancing together in a boxing ring – highlighting aspects like ‘love, equality and women power’.

As well as highlighting and providing a platform for women’s equality issues, the band are raising awareness around the harm that plastic is doing to the planet. They’ve explained in interviews that they are rallying for venues to cut down their use of of non-reusable plastics including plastic cups and straws. Their video for ‘Drive On’ – linked below – shows the band being consumed and suffocated by plastics, the perfect metaphor for the way we are heading if with do not drastically change our relationship with plastics.

The bands video for ‘Drive On’ carries an important environmental message about the dangers of polluting our oceans with non-reusable and non-biodegradable plastics

The band have supported the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, Blaenavon and White Lies and are heading out on their own UK tour starting on April 7th in Nottingham. The bands debut album is also being released this month! There is no official date as of yet but I can’t wait to hear more from this exciting up and coming band!

To find out when the album is released make sure to follow Anteros on their social media links below as well as following the Featured Artists playlist on Spotify which has been updated with my top 5 favourite Anteros songs.

Featured Artists Playlist
Anteros’ Twitter
Anteros’ Website
Anteros’ Instagram

Jade Bird

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“I write great songs and the mistakes make them even better. No one else could write a Morrissey song. I don’t want a middle-aged white man telling me how to write my feelings”

Jade Bird – Gaurdian Interview (2018)

Jade Bird is a 21 year old singer and song-writer from the UK. She is funny, smart, unappolagetic and best of all writes amazing and heart felt songs. Rolling Stone magazine have described her as an ‘indie-pop sensation with a punk edge’ but Jade’s music is much more than that.

Jade is already making a name for herself in America, playing her song ‘Lottery’ on The Tonight Show

Her songs move from slow and heartfelt ‘What Am I Here For’, to ‘Something American’ which has a strong country vibe, to loud and punchy ‘I Get No Joy’.

Her influences include …

  • Gillian Welch
  • Julien Baker
  • Bob Dylan
  • Neil Young
  • Black Metal Motorcycle Club

Jade’s music is difficult to define which is one of her appeals, you’re not quite sure what to expect from her next. As well as her music, Jade is an all round cool person. She’s determined and stuck to her style, expressing to potential producers that she didn’t want to fit into a formula with her music, and would rather create a new one.

As well as this Jade has discussed the pressures of being a young woman in the music industry. At just 21 she is incredibly strong willed and discusses ideas surrounding the vapidity of feminism today.

“I’m a young, independent girl and hopefully an example. You don’t need to wear a hashtag T-shirt.”

Jade Bird Guardian Interview (2018)
‘Love has all been done before’ video

The video for ‘love has all been done before’ is one of my favourites and shows Jade and her band playing in different rooms in a very 70’s house – it’s emotive and moves from a calm country vibe to loud and grungy.

Jade is currently touring the US until April 13th. Then she starts a UK tour with, Brit Award Winner, Tom Walker, 10 days later. Her debut album is out on the 19th April – basically April is a VERY busy month for Jade.

Be sure to follow Jade on her social media links below to be notified on news from her tour as well as to follow the build up to the release of her debut album. Also, make sure to follow the featured artists playlist on Spotify which now has 5 of my favourite Jade Bird songs added.

Jade’s Twitter
Jade’s Instagram
Jade’s Website
Featured Artists Playlist

Nilüfer Yanya

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Nilüfer Yanya is a 22 year old singer and guitarist from South West London. With an engaging and distinctive voice, each song has a different energy from the last but each one is a hit.

Nilüfer was featured as part of BBC introducing’s ‘Sound of 2018’ Long List and is fast gaining the praise and recognition she deserves. She is currently touring the US and Canada before heading back to the UK in early March. 

Her musical influences include:

  • The Pixies
  • Nina Simone
  • Amy Winehouse 

These strong influences can be heard in a range of Nilüfer’s work, which varies from slow and heart felt soul music like ‘Keep On Calling’ to upbeat and in your face ‘In Your Head’.

Channelling Pussy Riot vibes in the Small Crimes Music Video

As well as a diverse and interesting discography, Nilüfer’s music videos are also a work of art. Personal favourites include ‘Baby Luv’ which shows the singer enjoying the best parts of a sleepy sea side town and ‘Thanks 4 Nothing’ which tells the story of a creepy cult who dress solely in red, led by a Charles Manson-esque figure. Each shot in her videos are visually stunning and add an extra layer of meaning to her music.

Nilüfer is the featured artist of this week so make sure to follow her social media links promoted on the Doyenne Music Twitter so you can be notified when her first album is released on the 22nd of March this year (don’t worry I’ll be reminding you too!).

My top 5 Nilüfer Yanya songs will also be added to the Featured Artist playlist so make sure to check that out too!

Nilüfer’s Website
Nilüfer’s Instagram
Featured Artists Playlist
Nilüfer’s Twitter

Welcome to Doyenne…

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Doyenne, derived from the french word doyen, means the most respected woman in her industry. This is what the Doyenne blog is all about, highlighting the best female indie artists and bands around. Each week will be dedicated to showcasing the work of the best and coolest new bands around on the indie music scene.

A new blog post will be released every Thursday focusing on the artist of the week, someone to keep an eye on and soundtrack your weekend ahead.

Be sure to follow the blogs’ Twitter to keep up to date with the bands and artists featured on the blog as well as to be notified when the next post is put up. Follow the Doyenne Spotify page and playlist which are curated mixes of the featured artists as well as other bands you should keep an eye on!