Zoë Dellaca - Ganser - The Busy Twist - Angela Soffe
Zoë Dellaca - Still.Background - Zoë Dellaca writes songs that make you want to cuddle up in front of the fire on a rainy night. Still is the first single from her debut album Sweater Weather. Hailing from Bunbury in WA, Zoë has been making her mark on the local music scene, playing regular shows around the south-west and peel regions since 2016. Still explores the darker side of the indie-folk genre featuring haunting electric guitar swells, moody bass and a raw, vulnerable vocal performance. The track is a soul-exposing song dealing with themes such as heartbreak. Still was recorded and produced in Zoë’s hometown of Bunbury by Nat Marshall at his studio Township Sound.
“Still is essentially about being hurt by someone you care about and allowing them to keep on hurting you even though you know you shouldn’t. Writing Still was a long process that happened over several months as I was able to gain some perspective. Completing this song was a very freeing experience for me, helping me to accept that it was time for my heart to move onwards.” – Zoë Dellaca.
Telling a story and creating an emotional landscape which others can relate to is one of Zoë’s main aims when creating music. She prefers for the lyrics and feel of a song to be the main focus, lending a stripped back feel to her music.
In 2017, she started chipping away at recording her debut album, Sweater Weather with local ‘Legend’ producer Nat Marshall. While still new to the scene, Nat has already proved himself to have extraordinary vision and helped to shape the songs that Zoë brought him into more than she could ever have hoped for. Centred around Zoë’s stripped back acoustic sound, the album incorporates sensual synths and catchy guitar riffs that complement her sweet and melodious voice.
Accompanying the upcoming release of her single Still in 2018, Zoë is excited to be playing a myriad of gigs at some of her favourite local venues where she will continue to promote her original music. FACEBOOK, WEBSITE.
There is a warm expansive feel to 'Still' from the opening notes. Zoe Dellaca's melodic and engaging vocals passionately drift gently above the music, and it's just so comfortable and easy to be drawn right into this piece and leave reality behind for a while.
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Background - Ganser are an awesome post-punk band out of Chicago. The band has just announced the release of their debut album Odd Talk (out 4/20 via No Trend Records) along with sharing its first single “PSY OPS.” This is a frantic, runaway train; half-growled absurdist vocals from Nadia Garofalo dance with chaotic, crunchy guitar riffs that are in a knife fight with an unknown assailant.
The music video juxtaposes a droll dream with its groove-based momentum - it’s a dance song for end times, with the video focusing on routine as spectacle. Directed by the band with camera work by Jason Kraynek, the individual members haunt a subject (Matt Blanton) preparing his morning's breakfast. He is observed and filmed as such, the paranoia of the song creeping into the cinematography. The absurdity and strange in the banal makes for a strange morning ritual. Coupled with Brian Cundiff’s sinewy, propulsive drumming, the rhythm section plays off the tension between danceable no wave and post-punk’s determined focus.
Throughout Odd Talk, Ganser’s amorphous sound takes on the form of their comedically grim, absurdist subject matter. Exercising both introverted melody and extroverted noise, the band finds meaning through echolalic shouts and murmurs. Garofalo shouts and barks with an acerbic edge, while Alicia Gaines' vocals soothe and swell. Mumbled, spit out, Ganser explores communication breakdown from beginning to end... seeking meaning in mess, they sort through syllables and signals to find the right words.
After a string of big hometown shows in Chicago supporting the likes of Ought & Snail Mail and Shopping (on top of their record release show @ Empty Bottle on 4/16), the band will also be heading out on tour in support of Odd Talk (all dates below). They’ll be performing a string of shows with Bloody Knives before heading venturing out on their own in the Southeast. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Ganser Tour Dates
3/09 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall (w/ Ought, Snail Mail)
3/28 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen (w/ Shopping, Tyvek)
4/16 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (Record Release Show)
4/25 - Detroit, MI - Outer Limits Lounge %
4/26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Howlers %
4/27 - Brooklyn, NY - Alphaville %
4/28 - Philadelphia, PA - Mothership %
4/29 - Providence, RI - Alchemy %
5/01 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Vitus
5/02 - Baltimore, MD - Sidebar
5/03 - Richmond, VA - Flora
5/04 - North Carolina TBD
5/05 - Atlanta, GA - 529
5/06 - Memphis, TN - Bar DKDC
% - with Bloody Knives
'PSY OPS' is a feisty post punk song, where energy and emotion collide, the vocals call out for attention, the music is urgent, in this shock wave of gorgeous chaos.
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Background - Since last releasing music in 2016, The Busy Twist have been busy been travelling, exploring and working hard on some of their most ambitious music yet, setting up new label, Busy Life Records, in the process.
Busy Life is a project focused on joining the dots between West African, South American, Caribbean and UK electronic music by developing a sound which not only melds the sonic genealogy of all four palettes, but also presents such crossovers faithfully. Developing an exchange with local artists that works in both directions is key to the label, and crucial to creating borderless music that can be shared with their family worldwide.
The label’s debut EP, ’Sunny Side’, is a record years in the making and highlights the ever-decreasing gap between UK and modern African music. Many of the ideas heard on ‘Sunny Side’ were born during their very first trip to Ghana, and have been continually refined as Afro and UK sounds intertwine year on year.
The EP is led by strong vocal performances from lead singer Zongo Abongo, an artist from Northern Ghana who has been part of the Busy Life family since its inception, and also features additional vocals from Kyekyeku and Siaka Djarra from Burkina Faso. FACEBOOK.
Global styles collect together on 'Sunny Side' and merge seamlessly into a feast of upbeat smile inducing music. The Busy Twist create a beautiful musical arrangement, the vocals add even more energy, and dancing becomes close to mandatory!
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Background - Angela Soffe was raised in the Philippines, but her father was American and her mother was raised in Argentina. She grew up speaking English, Spanish, and Tagalog, surrounded by Filipino and international friends. Her family was devoutly religious, and Angela would spend much of her life dedicated to the Mormon faith.
Angela found joy and musicality after escaping the religion and establishing healthy mental health habits to create a life of purpose and joy. Today, Angela is a galvanizing speaker, and soulfully rousing musical artist, sharing an uplifting story of recovery after abuse and psychological confinement.
"This song was written while sitting on a mattress on the floor one evening, in the aftermath of leaving a religion. The song is about feeling judged on a personal level, and the judgement we each carry around for humanity as a whole. It calls for social change and greater acceptance for the people who share our planet." - Angela Soffe on "Rocks" FACEBOOK.
'Rocks' opens with a flourish of folk vibes and Angela Soffe's elegant vocals add both power and melody. This is one of those songs that gently throws out musical hooks and before the finish, is cued for a second listen.
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