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viewing 1 To 7 of 7 items
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CD
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MBS 2306CD
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Connected by mutual friend Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff) after a YouTube music video binge, the unlikely pair pool their disparate influences and experiences to break new ground. Described by a supporter as "21st Century '90s indie", the combination of Rat's iconic guitars with Laura's widescreen arrangements make for a refreshing rampage through themes of isolation, frustration and a craving for community. Laura says: "The title track 'One In A Thousand' sums it up. In a potentially very disconnected and lonely world, I hold onto the idea that every single one of us can hold a valuable place in our communities, offering the best of ourselves and receiving love and support in return. Instead of clawing our way up to a lonely pedestal to be one in a million, we can stand together and be one in a thousand." In spring 2020, as her previously busy world reduced to the size of her attic studio, The Launchpad, Laura started creating cut-up collages from Rat's intense, melodic guitar parts, building new sound spaces to voice her hopes, fears and frustrations but, more importantly, to offer a hand to the uncertain. In May 2021, her debut Penfriend solo album Exotic Monsters reached #24 in the Official UK Albums Chart, setting the stage for "One In A Thousand" to blossom into its final shape. As Rat considers the magnitude of releasing an album of new material 32 years after Ned's Atomic Dustbin's "God Fodder" blazed into the UK Charts at #4, he adds -- "I never thought I'd be sitting here again saying the words 'we've got an album coming out' -- and I can't tell you how utterly amazing it feels to say just those words, knowing what both of us have been through over the last three years. It's been a long time since I've done this, and I had to do a lot of soul-searching about whether I wanted to do this again." Mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton.
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LP
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MBS 2303LP
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LP version. White vinyl; gatefold; edition of 500. Connected by mutual friend Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff) after a YouTube music video binge, the unlikely pair pool their disparate influences and experiences to break new ground. Described by a supporter as "21st Century '90s indie", the combination of Rat's iconic guitars with Laura's widescreen arrangements make for a refreshing rampage through themes of isolation, frustration and a craving for community. Laura says: "The title track 'One In A Thousand' sums it up. In a potentially very disconnected and lonely world, I hold onto the idea that every single one of us can hold a valuable place in our communities, offering the best of ourselves and receiving love and support in return. Instead of clawing our way up to a lonely pedestal to be one in a million, we can stand together and be one in a thousand." In spring 2020, as her previously busy world reduced to the size of her attic studio, The Launchpad, Laura started creating cut-up collages from Rat's intense, melodic guitar parts, building new sound spaces to voice her hopes, fears and frustrations but, more importantly, to offer a hand to the uncertain. In May 2021, her debut Penfriend solo album Exotic Monsters reached #24 in the Official UK Albums Chart, setting the stage for "One In A Thousand" to blossom into its final shape. As Rat considers the magnitude of releasing an album of new material 32 years after Ned's Atomic Dustbin's "God Fodder" blazed into the UK Charts at #4, he adds -- "I never thought I'd be sitting here again saying the words 'we've got an album coming out' -- and I can't tell you how utterly amazing it feels to say just those words, knowing what both of us have been through over the last three years. It's been a long time since I've done this, and I had to do a lot of soul-searching about whether I wanted to do this again." Mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton.
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MBS 2104CD
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Laura Kidd is a music producer, songwriter and digital polymath based in Bristol, UK. Starting her music career as a bassist and vocalist for hire, she toured the world and achieved her childhood dream of appearing on Top Of The Pops (three times) with Tricky, A-Ha, Viv Albertine (The Slits), Lil' Chris, Alex Parks, and Duncan James (Blue), as well as singing on screen with David Bowie in the Ricky Gervais TV series, Extras. From 2010 to 2019 Laura created her own audiovisual world under the moniker She Makes War. In that time, she released four full-length solo albums and sixteen music videos. Since then, Laura has been making music as Penfriend. Part reinvention, part reckoning with a more confident, wiser self, her new project is a deliberate call for more meaningful connection at a time of cheap dopamine highs and increasing de-personalisation. The debut Penfriend record, Exotic Monsters, builds on Kidd's accomplished ear for melody and ambitious production style, marrying disparate influences from Tanya Donelly, Juliana Hatfield and Nevermind-era Nirvana to the gritty tension of Nine Inch Nails and Puscifer and synth soundscapes of Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, and Sylvan Esso. Written and recorded in solitary confinement during the drawn-out, tumultuous Brexit nightmare and well on into the Covid-19 pandemic, Exotic Monsters mirrors our dystopian world, posing questions and offering comfort, hope and a friendly shoulder to lean on. Drawing more from her wide-ranging reading list than her favorite bands, Laura deals with the grueling emotional matters of 21st-century life with honesty, grace and warmth, using fragments of prose from Ursula Le Guin, Barbara Kingsolver, Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, and Mark Westmoquette as jumping-off points. Inviting her loyal audience to be a meaningful part of proceedings from Penfriend's inception was central to Laura's refocused musical mission, so she created The Correspondent's Club. This friendly community is a natural evolution of a decade of wildly successful crowdfunding and a way to celebrate and appreciate the individuals who really keep the wheels turning -- music fans. In 2020, Laura launched podcast series Attention Engineer. Featuring deep conversations with fellow artists on creativity, grit and determination, guests include Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Tanya Donelly, Frank Turner, Bernard Butler, Nova Twins, Sadie Dupuis (Sad13, Speedy Ortiz).
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MBS 2102LP
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LP version. Space blue vinyl. Laura Kidd is a music producer, songwriter and digital polymath based in Bristol, UK. Starting her music career as a bassist and vocalist for hire, she toured the world and achieved her childhood dream of appearing on Top Of The Pops (three times) with Tricky, A-Ha, Viv Albertine (The Slits), Lil' Chris, Alex Parks, and Duncan James (Blue), as well as singing on screen with David Bowie in the Ricky Gervais TV series, Extras. From 2010 to 2019 Laura created her own audiovisual world under the moniker She Makes War. In that time, she released four full-length solo albums and sixteen music videos. Since then, Laura has been making music as Penfriend. Part reinvention, part reckoning with a more confident, wiser self, her new project is a deliberate call for more meaningful connection at a time of cheap dopamine highs and increasing de-personalisation. The debut Penfriend record, Exotic Monsters, builds on Kidd's accomplished ear for melody and ambitious production style, marrying disparate influences from Tanya Donelly, Juliana Hatfield and Nevermind-era Nirvana to the gritty tension of Nine Inch Nails and Puscifer and synth soundscapes of Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, and Sylvan Esso. Written and recorded in solitary confinement during the drawn-out, tumultuous Brexit nightmare and well on into the Covid-19 pandemic, Exotic Monsters mirrors our dystopian world, posing questions and offering comfort, hope and a friendly shoulder to lean on. Drawing more from her wide-ranging reading list than her favorite bands, Laura deals with the grueling emotional matters of 21st-century life with honesty, grace and warmth, using fragments of prose from Ursula Le Guin, Barbara Kingsolver, Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, and Mark Westmoquette as jumping-off points. Inviting her loyal audience to be a meaningful part of proceedings from Penfriend's inception was central to Laura's refocused musical mission, so she created The Correspondent's Club. This friendly community is a natural evolution of a decade of wildly successful crowdfunding and a way to celebrate and appreciate the individuals who really keep the wheels turning -- music fans. In 2020, Laura launched podcast series Attention Engineer. Featuring deep conversations with fellow artists on creativity, grit and determination, guests include Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Tanya Donelly, Frank Turner, Bernard Butler, Nova Twins, Sadie Dupuis (Sad13, Speedy Ortiz).
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MBS 1805CD
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Right now, the world needs a warrior. Town by town and tour by tour, She Makes War has been widening her battle stance and soothing tortured souls with her no-holds-barred, peaceful protest music. Armed with songs to persuade and words that bite then linger with the sweetest aftertaste, she has a message -- wake up world and Brace for Impact. "People still live in fear of persecution and violence every day for the 'crime' of being themselves," attests the nom de plume of melodic visualizer, storyteller and creator Laura Kidd. "With everything that's going on in the world, adopting a brace position to protect ourselves from external forces is more important than ever." From broken hearts to broken bones, Laura was given plenty of time for rumination when she broke her right foot moments before supporting The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Tumbling off a darkened stage during soundcheck, adrenaline kicked in and, ever the fighter, the show went on. With barely enough time to visit A&E, a face full of glitter and steely resolve, she performed a slew of summer festival sets and a BBC 6Music Marc Riley session sporting a fetching knee crutch. "Having my mobility stolen from me was exhausting and depressing. I'd come up with the album title while driving on tour, daydreaming about what it must be like to be in a high-speed car crash -- I'd wondered whether there would be time to apologize to my passenger if we got in an accident -- it was a bit dark," she recalls. "After struggling through the summer with that phrase in my mind, then finding it written in the venue toilets at the end of a tour in Brighton, it just had to be the album title."
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MBS 1805C-LP
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LP version on clear vinyl. Right now, the world needs a warrior. Town by town and tour by tour, She Makes War has been widening her battle stance and soothing tortured souls with her no-holds-barred, peaceful protest music. Armed with songs to persuade and words that bite then linger with the sweetest aftertaste, she has a message -- wake up world and Brace for Impact. "People still live in fear of persecution and violence every day for the 'crime' of being themselves," attests the nom de plume of melodic visualizer, storyteller and creator Laura Kidd. "With everything that's going on in the world, adopting a brace position to protect ourselves from external forces is more important than ever." From broken hearts to broken bones, Laura was given plenty of time for rumination when she broke her right foot moments before supporting The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Tumbling off a darkened stage during soundcheck, adrenaline kicked in and, ever the fighter, the show went on. With barely enough time to visit A&E, a face full of glitter and steely resolve, she performed a slew of summer festival sets and a BBC 6Music Marc Riley session sporting a fetching knee crutch. "Having my mobility stolen from me was exhausting and depressing. I'd come up with the album title while driving on tour, daydreaming about what it must be like to be in a high-speed car crash -- I'd wondered whether there would be time to apologize to my passenger if we got in an accident -- it was a bit dark," she recalls. "After struggling through the summer with that phrase in my mind, then finding it written in the venue toilets at the end of a tour in Brighton, it just had to be the album title."
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LP
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MBS 1805LP
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LP version on white vinyl. Right now, the world needs a warrior. Town by town and tour by tour, She Makes War has been widening her battle stance and soothing tortured souls with her no-holds-barred, peaceful protest music. Armed with songs to persuade and words that bite then linger with the sweetest aftertaste, she has a message -- wake up world and Brace for Impact. "People still live in fear of persecution and violence every day for the 'crime' of being themselves," attests the nom de plume of melodic visualizer, storyteller and creator Laura Kidd. "With everything that's going on in the world, adopting a brace position to protect ourselves from external forces is more important than ever." From broken hearts to broken bones, Laura was given plenty of time for rumination when she broke her right foot moments before supporting The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Tumbling off a darkened stage during soundcheck, adrenaline kicked in and, ever the fighter, the show went on. With barely enough time to visit A&E, a face full of glitter and steely resolve, she performed a slew of summer festival sets and a BBC 6Music Marc Riley session sporting a fetching knee crutch. "Having my mobility stolen from me was exhausting and depressing. I'd come up with the album title while driving on tour, daydreaming about what it must be like to be in a high-speed car crash -- I'd wondered whether there would be time to apologize to my passenger if we got in an accident -- it was a bit dark," she recalls. "After struggling through the summer with that phrase in my mind, then finding it written in the venue toilets at the end of a tour in Brighton, it just had to be the album title."
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