Curated by Monk
Welcome to a very special midsummer edition of the Singles Club, with this week’s playlist having a singular theme – and that is that every song features a female artist, collaborator, creator, musician or singer. This special feature has been inspired solely by the sheer wealth of female-led or -involved talent that is dominating the Überverse, and especially our overflowing inbox, at the moment. So, we thought we’d shine the spotlight into this particularly creative aspect of the metal, punk and rock genres and let the ladies exclusively bring da noize…
Joanne Shaw Taylor ‘Wishing Well’ (Journeyman Records)
One of the undoubted and undisputed leaders of the blues rock revival, alongside the likes of Samantha Fish, Elles Bailey and Erja Lyytinen, JST pays homage to the greats of the past with her raucous and affectionate interpretation of the Free classic:
Bonsai KItten ‘I Love That You Hate Me’ (Sunny Bastards Records/Cargo Records)
These Berliners bring a feel of the Thirties torchsong and an evocation of their home city’s underground speakeasy scene of a century ago to their brand of heavy metal blues:
Chrissy Costanza ‘7 Minutes In Hell’ (Self-Released)
The Against The Current singer dips her toes in into solo waters with her debut single, on which she collaborates with pop-rock duo Luke Eisner and Gus Ross, aka Voila, to deliver a darkly romantic twist on falling from grace in a exploration of one person’s idea of heaven can be another’s vision of Hell…
Deathless Legacy ‘Absolution’ (Scarlet Records)
Nobody does female-fronted symphonic power metal quite as well as the Italians, and one of the leading exemplars are Deathless Legacy, as they prove on this suitably powerful and evocative exploration of sin in all its forms and manifestation:,
Simone Simons ‘R.E.D’ (Nuclear Blast)
Another frontwoman ploughing her own furrow fronting a hugely successful metal band, Epica’s Simons has enlisted the help of power metal legend and longtime friend Arjen Lucasson to deliver her musical vision in an emphatically impressive style which will be familiar to fans but also sees her stamp her own inidviduality on proceedings:
Mothica ‘Mirage’ (Heavy Heart Records)
We’re starting a run of women who go by just the one name, as this Oklahoma introduces a country tinge to her exploration of themes of death and self-destruction in a surprisingly light and airy manner:
Dorothy ‘MUD’ (Roc Nation Records)
This self-styled “heavy metal cowgirl” certainly ain’t crawling in the dirt but holding her head high with this latest declarative offering which once again proves how she’s such a powerful force in the country rock crossover scene:
Liliac ‘Bad Boyz’ (Self-Released)
This group of five siblings – three brothers and two sisters – initially made their mark through viral cover versions but are now defiantly stamping their mark in their own right:
Petch ‘Black Neon’ (Fierce Panda Records)
This teenage Thai starlet was discovered busking on the streets of Bangkok shredding classic rock and metal covers. Having just opened for Placabo, to whose management company she’s now signed, this precocious young talent releases her debut EP next month and is currently working on her debut album:
Dampf ‘No Angels Alive’ (Silver Lining Music)
This is an emphatic stomper from a Swedish power combo who follow in the tradition of the likes of Lacuna Coil by blending operatic female vocals with their darker male counterparts, backed by grandiose symphonic hyperbolae. In fact, this reminds me very much of Powerwolf, who coincidentally are my #VideoOfTheWeek selection elsewhere on the site:
Tystnaden ‘Forsaken’ (Elevate Records)
These Italian power metallers stare deep into the heart of brutality and pain as an alarming norm with this powerful and insightful taster of upcoming new album ‘The Black Swan’.
Health (feat. Lauren Mayberry) ‘Ashamed’ (Loma Vista Recordings)
This reworking of the stand out single from the band’s last album, ‘Rat Wars’, sees them strip back their industrial gothic sound to combine it with a beautiful, haunting vocal from the Chvrches singer:
Kat Von D ‘Illusion’ (Self-Released)
The queen of disco goth returns with this first taster of her new album, which sees her pushing her musical and personal boundaries even further via collaborations with songwriters songwriters Shep Solomon and Fernando Garibay (known for their work with the likes of Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson, Natalie Imbruglia, etc) as well as Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy:
Gigi Gold ‘Hot Coals’ (Marshall Records)
Blending traditional folk and classic rock with effortless ease, the West Virginia singer’s just-released debut EP is described as “[a] five-track mini-movie [that] paints pictures of high speed desert drives with the roof down, smoke-filled speakeasies dense with Bond-esque intrigue, and tangled in all the highs and lows of a fated cinematic romance”.
Geneva Jacuzzi ‘Scene Ballerina’ (Dais Records)
“As soon as the beat drops/You’ll never catch her standing still/ Overstimulation/ Twirling like a rumor mill,” declares this Los Angeles synthpop/darkwave protagonist with this third taster from her upcoming third album, due for release at the end of monthL
Slackrr ‘Over And Over’ (SBÄM Records)
These Southampton punks certainly don’t live up to their name, as there is definitely nothing slack about either their work ethic or the quality of their music, as this first taste of their new album, due for release early next year, clearly demonstrates:
Stone Broken ‘Remedy’ (7Hz Recordings)
The heart of any band is the drummer, and one of the most powerful and accomplished I have come across in the past decade is Robyn Haycock, the surprisingly petite driving force behind these NWoCR champions, who are providing the #Remedy to all our rock ‘n’ roll ills with this characteristically infectious ‘banger:
Alunah ‘Trickster Of Time’ (Heavy Psych Sounds)
These Birmingham proto-psych rock stalwarts will be whipping up some ‘Fever Dreams’ with their latest album, of which this is the first taster:
Giant Walker ‘Silhouettes’ (Church Road Records)
This is the haunting yet enervating title track from the duo’s upcoming new album, stripped back melancholia combining and contrasting with a huge, potentially stadium-filling anthemic riff and a vocal that literally sends shivers down your spine:
Ancient Settlers ‘Coven Garden’ (Scarlet Records)
Women have always been able to punch above their weight in the melodeath genre, and Argen Death is clear and confident proof of that assertiion, with this demonically maniacal taster of their recently released concept album:
Bad Marilyn ‘Perfect Moment’ (Self-Released)
With my final selection, these Swiss power metallers have indeed crafted a #PerfectMoment in time with this fourth single from their recent album, which saw them stare into the ‘Eye Of The Snake’ when it was released in May:
So, there you have it for this special edition. We’ll be back in two weeks time with another eclectic playlist of the hottest sounds around. In the meantime, don’t forget to look out for our #DailyPicks, and check out our dedicated YouTube playlist, where you can watch all our choices back-to-back without the interruption of my inane waffling… So, remember, keep ‘er lit, keep ‘er between the hedges and keep on Über Rockin…
- Check out all our #SinglesClub selections on our dedicated YouTube playlist.
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