September 4, 2020 - Totally Wired Magazine

Why We Love: Sigrid

Norweigan pop star Sigrid has been hitting the airwaves since 2017 with her debut single Don’t Kill My Vibe, but has been making noise in and around her hometown of Ålesund since she was 16. Since her EP’s ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe’ and ‘Raw’ as well as her 2019 debut album ‘Sucker Punch’, she’s been building up to be one of the most iconic and talented young artists we’ve seen in a long time, being crowned BBC Music’s Sound of 2018.

In a pop world dominated by men, manufactured stars, overproduced inhumanity and sadboy folk cheeseballs, Sigrid is a breath of fresh air. Firstly she’s incredibly natural, from the way she dresses showing she’s a person just like you and I, the way she’s not oversaturated in makeup and product to make her look as perfect as ‘humanly’ possible, to the way she moves and dances around the stage to her own music like anyone in their bedroom would to their favourite band. Secondly, the amount of talent that resides within this one woman is insane, not only does she know how to write a tune, she actually writes her own tunes, spending time writing songs on her piano, and transforming them into synth pop anthems in the studio.

She’s given us songs like Strangers which in the charts reached the top 10 the week it was released, and Don’t Feel Like Crying, which turns a sad breakup song into a banger that makes you wanna dance with the biggest grin you can produce. Her vibe is infectious and her talent is undeniable. After hearing a few of her singles, her performance of Strangers on Later… with Jools Holland was what grabbed my attention and made me fully start to appreciate her as a pop musician. Her confidence and the way she absolutely owned the stage despite being fairly unknown at the time, her vocal performance which was completely on point, a voice that has incredible range, tone and even some raspiness when she wants to really shout, and her live music. Oh her live performances, not just some woman singing with a backing track, but with a full live band, which actually expands the sounds on her album, with electric guitars, vibrant synths, acoustic drums and her wonderful backing singer Kristina Skyberg who compliments Sigrid’s voice breathtakingly. Sigrid live is someone who deeply cares for the sound and ingenuity and it shows, her live band bringing her songs to life in a way that no upcoming pop star has done for years.

Quickly Sigrid became my favourite artist of 2019, and one of my favourite artists of all time. She’s someone who cares, cares for her art, her audience and works hard to make sure every aspect of it is fantastic. Here’s to a bigger and brighter future of Sigrid’s music. You can see her at the Reading and Leeds festival 2021 next year, but if you ever see gig tickets going for a Sigrid show near you, I implore you to just go, you won’t be disappointed.

Review: Declan McKenna – Zeros

The long awaited album Zeros from Declan McKenna has finally arrived and it packs a punch. And when I say long awaited I’m not kidding, with McKenna saying back in December 2019 that the album was mixed and mastered ready for release, and here we are in September 2020, after 2 release delays, finally with the album in our hands, and ready to stream.

We were treated with the gloriously Bowie inspired Beautiful Faces back in late January, a glam rock stomper that absolutely goes off, and shows a definite progression from the likes of his earlier work such as 2015s Brazil, but still pumping that distinctive McKenna sound. In fact one key element to the more matured sound McKenna’s pulling off with this one is the fact that previous work would have been recorded by himself track by track with his producer, whereas this time round, McKenna set foot to get a band together in a room and play the songs, so with a full band in mind throughout the entire recording and writing process, you can see how the sounds have gone from big to gigantic, and feel a lot more scratchier and raw, which compliments the soundscape of Zeros very well.

The album’s sound feels like it was pulled straight out of a 70s glam rock band, it’s authentic without shying away from modern craftsmanship. This ranges from the glittery candy rock of the likes of Rapture, to the phenomenal ballad Be An Astronaut, almost bleeding the inspiration of songs like The Beatles’ Hey Jude and Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, feeling as if it’d fit in on David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, but comparisons don’t do it justice, you can hear the influences sure, but this is NOT Declan singing over a song that sounds like it’s made for someone else, this is jam packed of McKenna’s very identity, an organic young adult’s exclamation about the world they’re encapsulated by, with issues of social media stigma to self retrospectives. One thing that is inherently Declan is his voice which has always been iconic. Let’s not beat around the bush here, the voice cracks that add to the depth of the messages he wants to get across to the pretty incredible range he has. But this album shows his growth and maturity, the once heralded voice cracks, now raspy broken screams throughout the likes of Be An Astronaut and Rapture. Declan also really flaunts his falsetto on this album, and it’s the perfect remedy for pop-rock hooks and is just an absolute delight to listen to.

There are definitely elements of folk thrown into the mix of the album too, sounds that aren’t too far fetched from the likes of Bob Dylan or Father John Misty. And I say thrown because as brilliant as this album is, it definitely feels like a 40 minute explosion. A coherent one, but an explosion none-the-less. The themes and the sounds scream disorder, in fact a word that could sum up this album is ‘Chaos’, it’s something that feels like it goes straight into your bloodstream, but the production wraps up Zeros and makes it all feel like a home for the tracks, or perhaps an intergalactic cruise ship chasing after the likes of Ziggy Stardust to escape the dystopian present we’re all subtly sinking into. One of the big messages embedded within the record is that of impending doom, lusciously soundtracked to upbeat melodies. Declan’s never been one to shy away from making political statements through his music, and Zeros is no exception. The opening track – You Better Believe!!! Greeting the listener with the wonderful opening line “You’re gonna get yourself killed” which in the current climate, has never been more true.

Zeros is a social commentary with a vibrant disguise, where upon first listen you’ll melt into Declan’s band’s 70s serenade, and where a deeper look takes a breath to show you the state of what’s around you and how the epidemic doesn’t just stop with the likes of COVID-19, but with the far greater things at stake that strike fear into every young person in the 21st Century. It’s a chaotically wonderful listening experience and you just HAVE to hear it for yourself. Album highlights are ‘You Better Believe!!!’, ‘Be An Astronaut’, ‘Beautiful Faces’, ‘Daniel You’re Still A Child’, ‘Twice Your Size’ and ‘Rapture’. So, if you’re not familiar with Declan McKenna, then get familiar. Trust me when I say you’re missing out otherwise. It’s glam, indie perfection, and was born to be dialled up to 11.

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