| September Girls — Age of Indignation (April 8th, 2016) |
September Girls — Age of Indignation (April 8th, 2016)
♣ Dublin indie stars deliver sterling second album...
♣ Irish all–girl outfit combine influences from the ‘90 shoegazers My Bloody Valentine, with Phil Spector–inspired harmonies.
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Album release: April 8th, 2016
Record Label: Fortuna POP!
Duration:
Tracks:
01 Ghost 6:38
02 Jaw on the Floor
03 Catholic Guilt
04 Blue Eyes
05 Age of Indignation
06 Love No One
07 Salvation
08 John of Gods
09 Quicksand
10 Wolves
AllMusic Review by Timothy Monger; Score: ***½
♣ Noisy Irish quintet September Girls shed any remaining indie pop affectations on their cavernous sophomore album, Age of Indignation. It’s a sound that was hinted at on their 2014 EP, Veneer, but arrives here more fully formed in a sprawling mass of tension and anger. While their debut was largely a self–recorded affair akin to the type of lo–fi, girl–group, and garage pop of bands like Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls, Age of Indignation’s vaulting presence was honed in a proper Dublin recording studio, though it would be a stretch to call the album polished. Managing to come across as both austere and feral, September Girls’ hall of reverb has increased in acreage, but they favor a more post–punk sound shot through with bright glimmers of harmony and savage stabs of static. Along with the more sober stylistic change comes a fierce new confidence as they attack weighty social and political subjects like on the ambitious, multi–part “Catholic Guilt” and punchy lead single “Love No One.” With four capable singers in bassist Paula Cullen, keyboardist Lauren Kerchner, and guitarists Caoimhe Derwin and Jessie Ward, September Girls are able to seamlessly swap lines and fall in and out of harmony at a moment’s notice, often within the same song, as on the standout cut “John of Gods.” At times, the heaviness of both the production and material weighs a little too heavily, begging for the kind of sunny pop touch the band has proven capable of, but ultimately, Age of Indignation is a significant artistic leap forward for the band. ♣ http://www.allmusic.com/
Review
ROBIN MURRAY / FEATURES / 06 · 04 · 2016 /
♣ September Girls have been through a lot together.
♣ Less a band and more of a gang, the Dublin group have travelled the world, spreading their indie pop gospel in the process.
♣ Returning to the studio last year, September Girls began assembling the follow up to their rightly lauded debut album.
♣ ‘Age Of Indignation’ is that follow up. Recorded at Orphan Studios in their native Dublin, it finds September Girls operating with confidence renewed.
♣ Referencing everything from modern feminism to the Easter Rising, W.B. Yeats to social media, it’s an ambitious but ultimately accessible return.
♣ Out this Friday (April 8th) via Fortuna POP! it’s an intriguing record, one to wrestle with. Clash has obtained the full stream, alongside a track–by–track guide penned by September Girls.
‘Ghost’
♣ ‘Ghost’ is about feeling marginalized or ignored in an environment where you should be treated equally, and struggling with whether to accept the situation for an ‘easier life’ despite experiencing its flaws. — Lauren
‘Jaw On The Floor’
♣ Inspired by feminists, the 1916 Rising in Ireland (incidentally 2016 being the centenary year) as well as equal rights activists all over the world. It is frustrating to see that while we’ve come a long way in terms of equality, we have a long way to go. There are forces who continue to push agendas to uphold privilege and the status quo, as well as the spread of misinformation about the meaning of words such as “feminism”. To continue to enact change we must continue to fight against apathy. — Jessie
‘Catholic Guilt’
♣ This song deals with anger towards the Catholic Church, particularly from the viewpoint of being a woman. The Catholic Church in Ireland still exerts a patriarchal force over women’s bodily autonomy, (evident from our draconian abortion laws) something which would be unthinkable in most other progressive countries. This force is exerted by the same Catholic Church who covered up years of child sexual abuse by its members.
♣ The song references ‘Trasna na dTonnta’ a traditional Irish song that children learn in school as well as ‘September 1913’ the W.B. Yeats poem (of which one of the themes is the poet’s distaste for the Catholic bourgeoisie). — Paula
‘Blue Eyes’
♣ ‘Blue Eyes’ focuses on issues such as victim blaming and domestic abuse, framed within a fast–paced under two minutes song. Too often we focus on what a victim should have done differently, rather than addressing the overall societal issues that are often the root cause. — Jessie
‘Age Of Indignation’
♣ ‘Age Of Indignation’ is about the very ugly side of how many people communicate with the world these days through social media/the Internet. I wrote it after watching a documentary about revenge porn and how it ruins people’s lives. Unacceptable behaviour has a platform through this medium, bringing bullying and body shaming to new terrifying levels. — Caoimhe
‘Love No One’
♣ Commenting on the vacuousness of modern–day society and social media, ‘Love No One’ tells the story of a person so blinded by their own self–belief and vanity that they don’t realise they are the cause of their own misfortune. It mourns a narcissist’s inability to see true beauty when they are blinded by their own issues and self–importance. — Jessie
‘Salvation’
♣ ‘Salvation’ deals with the idea that we block ourselves from the truth or numb ourselves to it because the reality of certain situations is just too horrific to face. There is no future, and no salvation if people don’t live more conscientiously. — Caoimhe
‘John Of Gods’
♣ This is an anti–war, anti religion song. When Irish voters were duped into voting in favour of the Lisbon Treaty in 2008, after rejecting it first time around, we put our long standing military neutrality in a compromised position. This song centres on the idea that, if Ireland goes to war, our “God” won’t save us. — Paula
‘Quicksand’
♣ ‘Quicksand’ is about trying to pick yourself up when life keeps delivering blow after blow. How do you keep your head above water when you feel you’re caught in the undertow, and how much can you take before succumbing to negativity and pain? — Lauren
‘Wolves’
♣ This song is about falling in with the wrong people or habits. Being warned about something you’re also being blinded by. Then you when you come to your senses it’s too late and you’d rather the worst type of punishment than be betrayed by what you’d been warned about. — Sarah
♣ http://clashmusic.com/
_____________________________________________________________
| September Girls — Age of Indignation (April 8th, 2016) |
♣ Dublin indie stars deliver sterling second album...
♣ Irish all–girl outfit combine influences from the ‘90 shoegazers My Bloody Valentine, with Phil Spector–inspired harmonies.
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Album release: April 8th, 2016
Record Label: Fortuna POP!
Duration:
Tracks:
01 Ghost 6:38
02 Jaw on the Floor
03 Catholic Guilt
04 Blue Eyes
05 Age of Indignation
06 Love No One
07 Salvation
08 John of Gods
09 Quicksand
10 Wolves
♣ Noisy Irish quintet September Girls shed any remaining indie pop affectations on their cavernous sophomore album, Age of Indignation. It’s a sound that was hinted at on their 2014 EP, Veneer, but arrives here more fully formed in a sprawling mass of tension and anger. While their debut was largely a self–recorded affair akin to the type of lo–fi, girl–group, and garage pop of bands like Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls, Age of Indignation’s vaulting presence was honed in a proper Dublin recording studio, though it would be a stretch to call the album polished. Managing to come across as both austere and feral, September Girls’ hall of reverb has increased in acreage, but they favor a more post–punk sound shot through with bright glimmers of harmony and savage stabs of static. Along with the more sober stylistic change comes a fierce new confidence as they attack weighty social and political subjects like on the ambitious, multi–part “Catholic Guilt” and punchy lead single “Love No One.” With four capable singers in bassist Paula Cullen, keyboardist Lauren Kerchner, and guitarists Caoimhe Derwin and Jessie Ward, September Girls are able to seamlessly swap lines and fall in and out of harmony at a moment’s notice, often within the same song, as on the standout cut “John of Gods.” At times, the heaviness of both the production and material weighs a little too heavily, begging for the kind of sunny pop touch the band has proven capable of, but ultimately, Age of Indignation is a significant artistic leap forward for the band. ♣ http://www.allmusic.com/
Review
ROBIN MURRAY / FEATURES / 06 · 04 · 2016 /
♣ September Girls have been through a lot together.
♣ Less a band and more of a gang, the Dublin group have travelled the world, spreading their indie pop gospel in the process.
♣ Returning to the studio last year, September Girls began assembling the follow up to their rightly lauded debut album.
♣ ‘Age Of Indignation’ is that follow up. Recorded at Orphan Studios in their native Dublin, it finds September Girls operating with confidence renewed.
♣ Referencing everything from modern feminism to the Easter Rising, W.B. Yeats to social media, it’s an ambitious but ultimately accessible return.
♣ Out this Friday (April 8th) via Fortuna POP! it’s an intriguing record, one to wrestle with. Clash has obtained the full stream, alongside a track–by–track guide penned by September Girls.
‘Ghost’
♣ ‘Ghost’ is about feeling marginalized or ignored in an environment where you should be treated equally, and struggling with whether to accept the situation for an ‘easier life’ despite experiencing its flaws. — Lauren
‘Jaw On The Floor’
♣ Inspired by feminists, the 1916 Rising in Ireland (incidentally 2016 being the centenary year) as well as equal rights activists all over the world. It is frustrating to see that while we’ve come a long way in terms of equality, we have a long way to go. There are forces who continue to push agendas to uphold privilege and the status quo, as well as the spread of misinformation about the meaning of words such as “feminism”. To continue to enact change we must continue to fight against apathy. — Jessie
‘Catholic Guilt’
♣ This song deals with anger towards the Catholic Church, particularly from the viewpoint of being a woman. The Catholic Church in Ireland still exerts a patriarchal force over women’s bodily autonomy, (evident from our draconian abortion laws) something which would be unthinkable in most other progressive countries. This force is exerted by the same Catholic Church who covered up years of child sexual abuse by its members.
♣ The song references ‘Trasna na dTonnta’ a traditional Irish song that children learn in school as well as ‘September 1913’ the W.B. Yeats poem (of which one of the themes is the poet’s distaste for the Catholic bourgeoisie). — Paula
‘Blue Eyes’
♣ ‘Blue Eyes’ focuses on issues such as victim blaming and domestic abuse, framed within a fast–paced under two minutes song. Too often we focus on what a victim should have done differently, rather than addressing the overall societal issues that are often the root cause. — Jessie
‘Age Of Indignation’
♣ ‘Age Of Indignation’ is about the very ugly side of how many people communicate with the world these days through social media/the Internet. I wrote it after watching a documentary about revenge porn and how it ruins people’s lives. Unacceptable behaviour has a platform through this medium, bringing bullying and body shaming to new terrifying levels. — Caoimhe
‘Love No One’
♣ Commenting on the vacuousness of modern–day society and social media, ‘Love No One’ tells the story of a person so blinded by their own self–belief and vanity that they don’t realise they are the cause of their own misfortune. It mourns a narcissist’s inability to see true beauty when they are blinded by their own issues and self–importance. — Jessie
‘Salvation’
♣ ‘Salvation’ deals with the idea that we block ourselves from the truth or numb ourselves to it because the reality of certain situations is just too horrific to face. There is no future, and no salvation if people don’t live more conscientiously. — Caoimhe
‘John Of Gods’
♣ This is an anti–war, anti religion song. When Irish voters were duped into voting in favour of the Lisbon Treaty in 2008, after rejecting it first time around, we put our long standing military neutrality in a compromised position. This song centres on the idea that, if Ireland goes to war, our “God” won’t save us. — Paula
‘Quicksand’
♣ ‘Quicksand’ is about trying to pick yourself up when life keeps delivering blow after blow. How do you keep your head above water when you feel you’re caught in the undertow, and how much can you take before succumbing to negativity and pain? — Lauren
‘Wolves’
♣ This song is about falling in with the wrong people or habits. Being warned about something you’re also being blinded by. Then you when you come to your senses it’s too late and you’d rather the worst type of punishment than be betrayed by what you’d been warned about. — Sarah
♣ http://clashmusic.com/