Fascinating and fast-rising Indonesian trio GRRL GANG are on a world-conquering
roll after releasing their critically acclaimed debut LP, titled SPUNKY! A swirling
collection of glam and glitter pop exaltation, irresistible fuzz and buzz tunes, with
hungry guitars flying all over the place and jumpy vocals/harmonies to spice it up.
The sassy spirit of Bikini Kill and 10 spiky crackers,
not longer than an average Ramones song.
Recently frontwoman Angeeta Sentana talked in-dept with legendary British
music bibleNME about all things good but also about all bad things from the
past, like mental health problems, alcohol abuse and writer’s block.
“I thought, ‘I’ve gone through so much shit in my life.
If I overcame that, I can overcome anything’”
Despite drawing anybody’s attention – indie and mainstream – right now,
and a big Southeast Asia tour starting this weekend Angee took the time for
a quick chat. Totally fabulous! But as usual, we start a Q & A with a slice
of music. We picked one of the rad singles from the longplayer.
Hello Angee,
When and how did GRRRL GANG got together?
“We first got together in 2016 at Jogja when the three of us were
still in college. I think each of us really wanted to form a band, and
I’m always grateful that we met at the right place at the right time.”
What’s the story behind the band’s name?
“It came from a jacket that I bought that had the name, “Girl Gang”, on it.”
Which track would you play to the people who never heard of you?
“I think “Spunky!” is a good start for most people.”
Your debut album SPUNKY! is out now. What does the title stands for, Angee?
“The title essentially describes what we want to convey in the album, which
is that you need to have a little bit of a “spunky” attitude to get through life.”
What did you want to express with the
album’s artwork and who developed it?
“So, we teamed up with Tiny Studio, our longtime collaborators, to design the album artwork. We just sent them the song files and asked them to visually interpret the songs.
We didn’t give them any prompts or references for it. What Tiny Studio wanted to express through the artwork is the emotional turbulences and inner turmoil that a young girl experiences.”
Were all three of you involved in the writing process?
“Yes, we planned to meet up at least once a week to sit down and
write the album together. I remember how hectic it was, especially
trying to work out each person’s schedules.”
Which music/artists inspired you when writing/making the record?
“The Go-Go’s and Sleater-Kinney inspired me
with their vocals, while Hole with their lyrics.”
Do all songs are in some way connected or do they all stand on their own?
“They are all connected in a single narrative, but I also wanted for the songs to
be able to stand on its own. Each song was based on a single event that I personally experienced, but we wanted to tie them all together and tell a story of how you can
find hope.”
RUDE AWAKENING is one of my favorite tracks.
What’s the song about and where was the video shot?
“Thank you! “Rude Awakening” is about realizing that you’re always
the odd one out, and how lonely it feels after said realization.
We shot the music video at Tiny Studio’s—the people
that worked on our artwork—compound.”
Suppose the album would be the soundtrack
for a movie, which want would it be?
“Shrek 2.”
What’s your ultimate goal, Angee
“To be able to buy a nice house from music.”
Thank you very much for taking the time for this Q & A, Angee.
May the road rise with Grrl Gang.
Angeeta Sentana (vocalist/songwriter): “Being diagnosed with any mental disorder is
not a nice thing to have. I’m still in the process of accepting it as a ‘normal’ part of my life,
but there are times when I would feel super down about it.”
TUTV: Mental health problems are a crushing drag (I know, I had them myself for years). This new stormer sounds as if Grrl Gang‘s Sentana want to shake them off. Better Than Life speeds for 90 seconds with all engines on. Its razzle-dazzle tempo makes your head spin uncontrollably while angry guitars and scary screams in the back can destroy evil demons. Stroke!
Info: Written and recorded over a five-year period, “Better Than Life” features some of Chris Shackleton’s most mature and versatile songwriting yet featuring ambitious sonics that take influence from alternative rock, post-punk, post-rock, krautrock and shoegaze. Lyrically, “Better Than Life” broaches on both the personal and the political with songs that focus on themes such as loneliness, populism, gentrification and just how far one is willing to go to find satisfaction in life.
Turn Up The Volume says: Expect an intriguing mix of moody moments (Coming Home /
In Your Hands / Ballad Of The Byford Dolphin / Hammerfest), guitar-driven riff-hook-and-lick knockouts that cut like a Swiss knife (Better Than Life / She Hangs On The Western Wall / Phantom Pains / Cigarette Machine) and a slo-mo closer (Basilisk) that could feature on
the soundtrack of David Lynch’sTwin Peaks TV series.
An overall versatile accomplishment that grows on you with every spin. A twists and turns record swinging from dreamy pop to fuzzing and buzzing rock and back. Don’t miss this! You don’t need a pool to throw a party with Better Than Life on the stereo. Best album October 2021!
After 10 years the sisters in arms want to inject their bond with new musical challenges
to keep their marriage alive and kicking (they’ll be always alive and kicking anyway).
Their new LP called, yes, Marriage and lands on 12 November.
The first taster is a slo-mo synth-vaccinated groove with Lindsey Troy‘s fully charged
guitars all over it and Julie Edwards, as usual taking care of the solid backbone drum
beat. Troy‘s vocals and Edwards echoing voice in the back give the song an extra thrill.
Expect a slash and trash jackhammer, an angry
spit and sneer storm, a Sturm und Drang uppercut.
143 seconds of furious frustration is what you get. Retro organs
clatter like if a nightmare is just around the corner, but Domestic
thunders like he’s a determined survivor who will not go down
just like that.
I listened to the title track of this London-based singer/songwriter’s new album
about 50 times, so far. It’s a guitar-driven riff-hook-and-lick standout that cuts like
a new Swiss knife with feverish and heartfelt vocals amplifying the dumbfounded
chorus. Holy smoke.
The rock ‘n roll swagger of Eddie Cochran, the surf guitar electricity
of Link Wray, and the fervent fire of Bo Diddley. Get the punchy
picture? This rollin’ razzle-dazzle riffage will boost your mood.
London’s funk-punk gang is gearing up
for their big breakthrough album.
This first taster is a trippy bass-driven disco groove you can sway
your hips to in the morning while waking up, in the evening while
getting drunk, and during the day when you’re getting bored.
When surreality becomes reality cry outs like these pop up to translate
alienated feelings that dominate your daily life. This club of two decided
to embed their frustration into a swirling dance stunner for our doomed
generation.
Pithy, peppery, and a blacked-out chorus that sticks as primo glue.
Add glamorous vocals and a glittering full-on wall-of-sound and the
final result is a supersonic stunner.
‘It’s Critical’ by SAVING JACKIE (San Antonio, Texas)
The heated rap-rock gang from San Antonio launched
a video for the title track of their debut album.
The clip is a clear-cut message regarding life-threatening diseases.
Flamboyant frontwoman Jenny 4C Ramirez emphasizes the fight
for your life bravery while making your blood stream faster through
your veins.
These young gunslingers rushed to indie stardom with their ace jazz and prog-rock influenced debut LP For The First Time.
Isaac Wood (frontman) about this brand new song: “it’s the best song we’ve ever
written. We threw in every idea anyone had with that song. So the making of it was
a really fast, whimsical approach – like throwing all the shit at the wall and just
letting everything stick.”
A blazing rock slam about the desperate need for stable emotional stimulation.
Blustering guitars, flurried synths, hot-blooded vocals, a discharging chorus, and somewhere in the middle a thunder and lighting guitar solo to electrocute all your
mind-destroying demons. Every time you take this medicine, you’ll get a kick out of it.
If you like British turbo Royal Blood
you’ll go berserk to this cracker too.
Instantly effective pop tunes like these make me smile
from left to right and back. Shiny guitars with shoegazy
sparks, a dizzy-making rhythm, happy-go-lucky sentiments,
and seducing vocals. A song that would turn Taylor Swift
into an indie star.
A crystal-clear structured protest against greedy political sharks and
megalomaniac charlatans oppressing people for their own devastating
agendas. Again Manimal and Samara show how to fuse poignant poetry
and versatile metal genres.
The fab goth-metal gang made an album with goth heroine Chelsea Wolfe
and Cave In‘s Stephen Brodsky. The LP, titled Bloodmoon: I will soundtrack
our nightmares from November 19 on.
Here comes the first piece Blood Moon. A classic mix of deafening bombast,
theatrical doom and gloom, barking voices (except for Chelsea of course), and
hardcore torment. A perfect Halloween monster.
White continues her sound-exploring search. Here she fuses
symphonic instrumentation with deep-bass-resonating synth
turbulence. Trippy, dissonant, and even claustrophobic when
short fragments of White‘s restless breathing emerge somewhere
in there.
The ongoing pizzicato violin play adds both an airy and eerie timbre.
I have no idea what the totally silent outro with some echoes of (what
seems to be) firecrackers in the very end, is about. What I do know is
that the first thought that crossed my mind when hearing this, was: Aphex Twin is back, in disguise.
Pretty quick into the song the early days of electronic
British legends Human League and Baxter Dury‘s synth
pop sensuality (especially the female voices) popped up
on my stereo in my head.
It sounds as if this Boston tandem warns us of Big Brother’s ambition to brainwash humankind with mind-altering chemicals with this darksome, yet instantly striking
electro jam. Haunting, feverish, and gloomy are the keywords here. Best played at
night while being dazed and confused by the surreal times we experience the past
18 months.
It’s been a while since I heard an epic belter that evokes
an image on the screen in my head of a massive stadium
filled with a sea of people holding their phones up with
shining lights and scream at the top of their lungs.
This powerful love ballad will
trigger your romantic side…
Turn Up The Volume: Expect an intriguing mix of moody moments (Coming Home / In
Your Hands / Ballad Of The Byford Dolphin / Hammerfest), guitar-driven riff-hook-and-lick knockouts that cut like a Swiss knife (Better Than Life / She Hangs On The Western Wall / Phantom Pains / Cigarette Machine) and a slo-mo closer (Basilisk) that could feature on the soundtrack of David Lynch’sTwin Peaks TV series. An overall versatile accomplishment that grows on you. A twists and turns record swinging from dreamy pop to fuzzing and buzzing rock and back. Don’t miss this! You don’t need a pool to throw a party with Better Than Life on the stereo.
