New album, new video, new merch and Loud Women Fest!

Well it’s been a long time since I posted an update on here (does anyone read band websites anymore? Everything is on social media…), which means there’s loads to update you on.

First, my new album! It’s been three years since the Pillow Fort EP and in that time I’ve been working hard on writing and recording. Whereas my first album, Connections/Departures, was partly co-produced with A Scholar and A Physician, this one has been entirely produced by me. That is, as well as writing all the lyrics and music, I programmed all the drum tracks, synths, etc., played most of the guitar parts (on a couple of tracks I told other people what to play) and decided how it should all sound together. Like before, I mixed the tracks with Oli Horton at Dreamtrak Studio, but this time round the mixes were much closer to finished when I brought them in. As a result, this album feels more my own – I got to exercise my control freak tendencies and develop my skills as a producer. I’m really proud of the result.

The album is called Sharp Minds, Raised Fists, and it will be out on 11 October on CD and download – in fact you can already pre-order it on Bandcamp. It features the singles you’ve already heard – They Cut, We Bleed and Terminal 4 – as well as Post-Patriarchy Disco, which you’ve no doubt seen me posting about for the last few months as I was crowdsourcing footage for the video, which you can now watch below. It features some heroes of DIY feminist music, including Petrol Girls, Miss Eaves and I, Doris, as well as a large banner constructed out of bedsheets, emulsion, washing line poles and bamboo.

To celebrate the video release I have also put some liberation disco-themed stickers and badges on my Bandcamp page, which you can check out here.

I will post more about the album in the coming weeks, including writing a bit about the themes it addresses and what inspired each song. In the meantime, I’m rehearsing for LOUD WOMEN Fest, which I’m playing for the second time this year on 14 September. I’ve had a long break from playing live, largely for health reasons but also to focus on recording the album. Now I’m back and with a new line-up! Two guitarists, Kim and Georgia, will be joining me on stage for the first time. There is an incredible line up of 20 female and non-binary -led bands and artists playing throughout the day, and the Fest will also be your first opportunity to get yours hands on copies of Sharp Minds, Raised Fists. You can check out the line-up and get your tickets here.

Much love and thanks to everyone who follows my music, it really means a lot. I’m really happy with the direction things are going and I feel like more good things are in store. x