Posts by Gemma Samways (@gemtriesharder )

Blonde Redhead are sourcing strength from the shadows

The volatile dynamic at the heart of Blonde Redhead worked, until it didn’t. Now, after a period of reset, the NYC legends are back with a new album that carefully balances conflict and resolution

Finding the light with Youth Lagoon

A devastating illness caused Trevor Powers to question everything. As he found his way back to music, reclaiming his former alias, Youth Lagoon, became a symbol of self-determination

Threads 2022: Jockstrap in conversation with Wu-Lu

London experimentalists Wu-Lu and Jockstrap talk post-genre practice, the challenges of touring today, and the rewards of altruism in this conversation taken from Issue 138

Sampa the Great: The Arrival

Zambian artist Sampa the Great found success journeying through cultures and sounds. Now, she’s tracing it all back to the source

Horsegirl are reviving the spirit of punk for a disillusioned generation

Barely out of school, Horsegirl are a band of friends on a mission. We meet the group for Issue 133

Rising: yunè pinku makes dance music for introverted ravers

For this month’s Rising feature, Malaysian-Irish producer and singer yunè pinku talks club culture, skiing and going where the wind takes her

Crack Cloud: Get free

With roots in addiction recovery, Vancouver collective Crack Cloud extol community, catharsis and positive change. Read the interview from Issue 124

Erika de Casier

Sensational 4AD

Dry Cleaning

New Long Leg 4AD

Claud

Super Monster Saddest Factory
Pume Blue In Praise of Shadows

Puma Blue

In Praise of Shadows Blue Flowers Music

LA Priest

GENE Domino
Porridge Radio

Rising: Porridge Radio

Porridge Radio have always been lo-fi by necessity, now they’re learning to embrace pop’s potential

Squid Parallax

Squid: Something in the water

Audacious and eccentric, Squid are part of an exciting new wave of British alternative rock

Tei Shi - La Linda

Tei Shi

La Linda Downtown Records
Biig Piig © Oscar Eckel

Biig Piig: Together, apart

After a nomadic upbringing in Ireland and Spain, Biig Piig found her home, and her sound, in south London

Rising Cuco

Rising: Cuco

A unique voice in the world of bedroom pop, Cuco has found a global fanbase with his sunny but sad take on the genre

BEA1991 Brand New Adult Review

BEA1991

Brand New Adult BEA1991

Nilüfer Yanya

Miss Universe ATO Records

Sasami

Sasami Domino
Empress Of © Daniella Zumaran

Empress Of brings hyperactive energy and heart-on-sleeve emotion to London

Chats Palace, London 28 September
© Ellis Scott

The Breeders: Together Again

The Breeders were integral to the 90s alternative scene, but then they stalled. Now, fresh from their first album release in a decade, they talk drugs, reunion tours and the slow decline of the music industry

St. Vincent

Masseduction Loma Vista
© Teddy Fitzhugh

The Inquisitive Mind of John Maus

The confounding musician searches for meaning with his first album in six years. We caught up with Maus, after a brief disappearance, to talk Screen Memories

Slowdive interview

Slowdive: Teenage Dreams Recovered

Savaged by the music press the first time around, Slowdive return on a wave of anticipation. We check in with a band relishing some overdue recognition

Preoccupations: regroup and forge forwards

FKA Viet Cong, the Canadian post-punk antagonists tell Gemma Samways about summoning strength from turbulent times

The Big Moon:
All Friends Here

In between roars of laughter, the hyped four piece talk stage invasions, super soakers, and a mutual love for Mellow Magic with Gemma Samways