Listen: Whisper — Knife Girl

Having previously released music under the name Olli, Knife Girl is the latest musical creation from Helsinki musician Lili Aslo. Focused on performing songs with distinctive sonic character and organic feelings, her music boasts a sophisticated sound that blends retro inspiration into a modern aesthetic.

Whisper follows on from Knife Girl’s recent release, Oona, which is billed as an EP but at 10 songs and 35-minutes is more of a mini-LP. Regardless, Whisper is somewhat surprisingly a cover of 2019 track that itself takes inspiration from turn of the millennium trance. Where the original basks in its large drum rolls and pitched-up vocals, Aslo has totally shifted the song’s aesthetic to create something still recognisable, but uniquely its own thing.

Describing her version of Whisper, Knife Girl said:

“For the sound of this track, I took inspiration from various disco-funk records from the 1980s. Lyrically, it's a parody of the sexual and objectifying lyrics you would often find in those records.”

There is a strong punk-funk feeling about the resulting song, but underpinned with synths and clattering drums that create a loose, natural feeling in comparison to the original song’s stark, mechanical sound.

Watch: Flower House — Emilia Anastazja

Opening with the insertion of a cassette into a tap deck, it is instantly obvious that Emilia Anastazja’s Flower House is going to embrace heritage and retro aesthetics. And it doesn’t disappoint — it rides a melody that is constructed from a combination of pillowy-soft drums, dreamy vocals and playful synths.

Anastazja claims influences that include Jessie Ware, Mary J Blige and Whitney Houston. I think the sound is actually very close to long-time BlackPlastic favourite and Jessie Ware collaborator Dev Hynes. The overall aesthetic is very close to Hynes’ warm palette — it’s like falling into a warm robe having just had a lovely bath.

Based in London, Polish-Swiss singer, songwriter, and guitarist Anastazja has a somewhat similar sensibility to Hynes… She, too, takes inspiration from a diverse blend of genres, including soul, R&B, Disco and avant-pop. A youth spent surrounded by musicians and jazz, combined with classical training, ensured Emilia ended up committed to music long-term. Having had success and coverage from BBC 1Xtra and 6Music, she has also been featured by The Line Of Best Fit and Dummy.

The song is actually about the impact of gentrification and how that impacts communities, art and our collective memory:

“The lyrics are talking about my reflections and memories of an apartment block that I used to live in with my best friends, which was demolished in front of my eyes. It was a whole community of artists living there, and we always had an open door for everyone and the rent was almost for free. The house was demolished because the state decided to build some more overpriced modern apartments there. This home holds a special place in my memory and is often a place I look back to as the last real place I could call home. I wanted to express both my anger and my fantasy to ‘Burn’ down what now stands in its place.”

Watch: Sirens — Sunflower Thieves

I wrote about the beautiful music of Leeds-based duo Sunflower Thieves earlier this year, after I put them through at my stage of judging Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2020. Back again with a new single, and now a video, Sirens only reinforces in my mind how much promise and talent the pair, Amy and Lily, have.

Once again leveraging their trademark dream-folk sound, Sunflower Thieves have gently embellished their sound with the kind of subtle touches that add to the song without distracting from its emotional core. Amy and Lily’s vocal harmonisation continues to be the central draw, but gently modulated sounds combine with acoustic guitar, light percussive sounds and keys to add to the song’s melody.

Whilst it could be mistaken for a love song, the duo highlight that it’s really about friendship, perhaps irrespective of whether that exists within a purely platonic relationship or not:

“Sirens’ is a song about friendship, inspired by particular people. When things feel overwhelming, tuning into a relationship or friendship with someone who needs you can keep you grounded, and keep you both moving forwards.”

I’m lucky enough to have some of those people in my life, and I recognise and am grateful for the grounding security of those connections with people that endure. They can act as a form of gravity, stopping me from losing my bearings and my place when I require it most. I’ve missed Thanksgiving by a day, and I’m not American, but here it is anyway… Enjoy, and thank you.

Listen: The Windlass — Oribu

As it turns colder in the Northern Hemisphere, I am increasingly for comfy clothes, warm jumpers and thick socks. The nights have well and truly drawn in, and I find myself just wanting to wait the winter out.

Oribu’s new song, The Windlass, feels purpose-made for this time of year. Crisp beats, haunting synths and intimate vocals create the feeling of evenings walking alone, your breath visibly hanging in the air.

The production work is the real star of the show here. Blending elements of alternative hip hop and electronic music, the sound has a fractured and otherworldly aesthetic that suits the vocal performance perfectly.

Perhaps the sound of isolation is to be expected. The Windlass and Get By (the associated EP the track is from) were created during the first Italian lockdown. As a duo, producers Paolo Donato and Edoardo Staffa managed to work online together with singer Rocco Zilli, from the Italian band Mòn, to create The Windlass. The result is surprisingly cohesive — a cool, beautiful slice of frozen jazz-influenced electronic music.

Listen: F.E.M. — Lillies In The Valley Of Violets feat. Annie Maxwell

With an infectious and bouncy melody, the latest song from Lillies In The Valley Of Voilets, aka LIVV, shimmies gently between its crisp and punchy drums and glossy keys. It’s ultimately Annie Maxwell’s vocal that lingers after the song has ended, however — her flowing, stream of lyrics seemingly tumbling from her lips with a ferocity and honesty that never dulls.

Maxwell started collaborating with LIVV, real name Aaron Sternick, on her album Keystone and his debut single With You, which ultimately inspired F.E.M., as Sternick describes:

“While working on the [With You], we had a backup single from an early batch of pandemic demos. Annie sent me an incredible voice memo track with hooks galore, and in between the “With You” session we’d come back to this track and bounce ideas off one another. What I see now is that “With You” taught us a lot of lessons about production and developing hooks and grooves that we would apply with MUCH greater success to this new track.”

F.E.M. itself is a take-down of the tech-bro mentality, and it was a very deliberate decision for Sternick to have Maxwell’s voice front and centre:

“The project LIVV actually started as a much more angry concept — welcoming to all kinds of feelings of rage, despair, and loneliness as long as they weren’t coming from cis-male voices. Annie used this song as an opportunity to send up the Bezos/Musk/Zuck technoRATi and offer a healthy dose of appreciation for becoming less online. Annie never minces words or skimps on lyrical delivery, and I am extremely proud of how strongly the message of F.E.M.”

Check out F.E.M. below: