We Speak Music

Clandestina Arrives With ‘Politically Erect’

Published

6 months ago

March 9, 2026

Following years of travelling the world to perform, nomadic Swedish rapper Clandestina seems qualified to challenge it. This shows on her first EP ‘Politically Erect’ – a collection of incensed, politically charged songs that come from learning the issues we think are personal are truly universal.

Opener ‘Don’t Quit’ is a call for change, driven by a pop-leaning trap rhythm underscored by sparse piano beats. It is a rallying cry that evokes Logic’s commitment to social righteousness. While sincerely angry, it never lands as performative, but closer to Self Esteem’s unabashed honesty and subversion of pop standards. Despite intense subject matter, the closing line ‘The revolution can’t be without you/so don’t quit’ feels like a manifesto: a fitting way to start an EP unafraid to call out injustice in any form.

‘Man-Made’ continues her anger’s global scope, with trap beats meeting a twinkling piano line. There is a surprising degree of vulnerability in its lyrics exploring sexuality and hook-up culture that removes any preachiness and instead creates a personal connection. It feels clear this is personal catharsis for Clandestina, not empty catchphrasing.

While she has an evident ear for maximal bombast in hard-hitting tracks, Clandestina is determined to evade genres. Following cuts ‘Hymns to a child I love’ and ‘Soldiers’ dispense with any beats, allowing her lyricism and listener time to breathe. ‘Hymn to a child I love’ is fully a cappella, a moment of heartbreak that shows behind the beats she is genuinely affected by what is happening around her. ‘Soldiers’ follows the same format yet its production emphasises her rhythmic vocal as an announcement: it sounds like her voice is coming out of loudspeakers, hijacking militaristic speakers to plead for peace and understanding instead of violence.

‘Bigger Than Paris’ punches straight through the reprieve with pounding yet dreamy beats echoing Juice Wrld’s production choices. The sensitivity is gone and gives way for her anger to return in a despairing, furious song about the current climate crisis. In name-dropping natural disasters from every corner of the world, Clandestina seeks universality; showing us we’re in this together despite the division the world wants us to feel.

Mercilessly, closer ‘Landet Istid’ allows a slight moment of fun. It pairs salsa-infused dance with Kendrick Lamar-style chopped-and-flipped piano to give a wonky global groove. Despite the slight tonal jump from fury to something a lot lighter, Clandestina ends on something eminently human to emphasise joy; a reminder to dance even when things seem hopeless.

Across six tracks, Clandestina effortlessly melds fury, spoken-word, dance and hip-hop into a statement – one of hope and unity in the face of a system that profits from our division. We should all remain ‘Politically Erect.’

We Speak Music

Phoebe June Traces Love, Distance and Heartbreak on New EP ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’

Published

2 days ago

September 11, 2026

Joni Jones

For Phoebe June, some stories are easier to tell through music.

Her new EP, ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’, is an intimate collection that traces the emotional journey of a relationship from the exhilaration of falling in love to distance, uncertainty, heartbreak and, ultimately, learning to let go.

Inspired by artists including Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe June combines diary-like lyricism with melancholic ballads, subtle uptempo moments and an understated, emotionally honest production style.

At the centre of the project is ‘Thursday’, a bittersweet track about loving someone from a distance and holding onto the hope that the connection might survive.

Written after Phoebe left a country that held deep personal meaning, and left someone she cared about behind, the song looks back at the relationship from its beginning. Even its title is personal: the two first met on a Thursday.

The song captures the complicated feeling of walking away from something meaningful without believing that it necessarily has to be over. It’s about distance, memory and the possibility of finding your way back to someone, while recognising that hope only works when it goes both ways.

Across six tracks, the EP develops that story in sequence.

‘Everything You Are’ opens the project with the warmth of new love, while ‘Dead Sea’ explores the security of finding someone who helps you stay afloat through difficult times. As the story progresses, ‘Thursday’ introduces separation before ‘Getaway Car’ moves into the aftermath; unanswered questions, lingering attachment and the realisation that someone can profoundly affect your life while still being unhealthy for you.

‘One Day’ leaves the door open to the possibility of a future reunion, balancing hope with the understanding that some relationships may only exist in memory.

The EP closes with ‘Ophelia’, its emotional breaking point. Inspired in part by Friedrich Heyser’s painting of the same name, the track confronts the pain of feeling manipulated and unappreciated after giving everything to someone else.

The result is a project that deliberately moves from light to dark. Phoebe June considered not only the narrative but the emotional progression when sequencing the EP, allowing the brightness of its opening to gradually give way to the heartbreak of its closing moments.

Even the title reflects that feeling.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ takes its name from a flower, with the image of a gate separating two people becoming a metaphor for a love that remains beautiful but just out of reach. To reach over it requires effort, just as maintaining a connection across distance, uncertainty and changing circumstances does.

Ultimately, Phoebe June isn’t interested in simply documenting her own heartbreak.

She wants listeners to recognise themselves in it.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ is a collection about love, nostalgia, hope and regret and about what remains when something beautiful ends up on the other side of the gate.