We Speak Music
Sohodolls return with ‘What Kinda Love’
Brand new Sohodolls single ‘What Kinda Love’ was written by central songwriter Maya Von Doll when she was in a really bad place in her life. She’d lost her job, was suffering from insomnia and anxiety, was out of a record deal and had just become a parent, and then lockdown hit and it seemed like her musical dreams were completely over. The track’s themes explore the feeling of your life slipping away and thinking the only place you’ll find excitement is in your daydreams.
Starting with gritty fuzzed-up riffs, ‘What Kinda Love’ drops into classic dark Sohodolls pulsating synth-based infectiousness, with their trademark sumptuous and seductive goth tendencies wrapping the listener in a thick gloss that’s hard to escape from without being addicted to the track.
“I wrote this song when I was in a bad place in my life. I had put on a lot of weight during my pregnancy, suffered from insomnia and anxiety, was out of a record deal and suddenly didn’t have the day job I’d always had. I had handed in my notice at my London office and was interviewing for new roles in the City when lockdown hit. I’d got to the final round of interviews for a finance firm and was banking on having a new career adventure but that all evaporated with Covid. I felt I was now in a lockdown within a lockdown. I had no music studio so I’d write this song on my walk to the supermarket in a scruffy tracksuit feeling invisible and like an utter unemployed failure. This was months before Bang Bang Bang Bang went viral giving Sohodolls a new lease of life and a new record deal.”, explains Maya Von Doll.
In Maya’s words, the song is about “how drained, weak and unfit you feel post-pregnancy, poorer and despondent. And with that came the fear that I was no longer independent, attractive nor strong. I had been feeling for a while that my dreams were over. I didn’t think I could ever find love nor be successful. So I thought ‘All of my excitement will now have to come from my imagination because it could never happen in real life’. And then I thought about that thought – the power I have always had to retreat into my mind and escape or exist there. I would pass attractive people that I would never meet and I thought it would be great to write lyrics about an invisible person relishing in her power of imagination. In it she could have anyone and do whatever she wants with them. She could also be the version of herself she accepts.”
A globally enforced lockdown revived Sohodolls classic ‘Bang Bang Bang Bang’ into an unexpected viral TikTok hit among the Gen Z glitterati and put Maya Von Doll back on track with her music career.It so happened that Madonna had posted a recording she made of her daughter Estere Ciccone performing her own original choreography to the track and as part of the ensuing TikTok trend ‘Bang Bang Bang Bang’ rocketed up the Billboard Top 50 and is now sitting on over 200m streams across platforms.
The new viral attention inspired Sohodolls to reform and release new singles ‘Letter To My Ex (Thank You Goodbye) and ‘Bad’ in 2022, which both picked up considerable press & radio attention, including airplay from Nels Hylton on Radio 1’s ‘Future Alternative’, Frank Skinner on Absolute Radio and features with highly regarded music blog Atwood Magazine. In early 2023 Sohodolls returned again to release a new re-write of ‘Bang Bang Bang Bang’ in a stand against gun violence.
Otabek Salamov (aka Needshes) produced ‘What Kinda Love’ and Future Cut (Lily Allen, Shakira, Rhianna) helped Maya Von Doll bring out the stomping hook in the track. It may also surprise some to know that 80s Billy Ocean track “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” is also an inspiration behind the song.
“There was a song in the 80s that had the hook ‘Get out of my dreams, get into my car’ and I thought ‘My life, my status is now the opposite of that 80s male rockstar” explains Maya Von Doll. “So, I flipped that sentiment to “Get out of your car and get into my dreams’ because that’s the only way I could ever have someone I desired”.
We Speak Electronic
Aaron Koenig Releases Ska Anthem for Geeks
Aaron makes music about meaningful topics that rocks and grooves – and sometimes it even skanks on a rock steady beat!
His new song ‘Geeks’ has been released on all major music platforms on November 15th. It is an anthem for the heroes of the digital age: computer nerds, also known as geeks. It is driven by an off-beat ska guitar, a sticky bass line and a groovy brass section. The icing on the cake is a jazzy saxophone solo.
“I have always loved Ska, I even saw the Specials, the Selecter and Madness live in their heydays”, says Aaron. “I chose the topic although I am not a geek myself, but I have a lot of sympathy for them. Geeks are often frowned upon because they can be socially awkward, but they are the ones who are building a better world. So I think they deserve an anthem.”
The music video is mostly made up of typography, minimalistic ASCII graphics and heavily pixelated images – it surely looks geeky! Watch it here:
Aaron writes catchy songs that are made for people who like meaningful, uplifting topics and guitar-driven, hand-made sounds. His musical journey started young but it wasn’t until he discovered Bitcoin and became so invested in it that he used music to express his new found joy.
“It’s mostly rock music, with excursions into funk, soul and other styles I grew up with. In general, it’s guitar-driven and hand-made, often with a punkish energy and beatlesque harmonies. What all my songs have in common are meaningful lyrics about being in the here and now, about transforming disturbing emotions into wisdom, about being in the flow, things like that.” says Aaron in an interview.
“I have always been making music and writing songs, starting with a punk rock band when I was 15. However, I never saw it as a career. I played in several bands in my teenage years and my early twenties, but after my media studies in Berlin and Rio de Janeiro I focused on other things. I first worked in TV production and then founded one of the first Internet agencies in Germany. I discovered Bitcoin in 2011 and became fascinated by it. I wrote five books about it, made lots of promotional videos and educational series for Bitcoin and blockchain companies, and organised events. I even wrote some songs about Bitcoin, which became quite popular in the community, like my Reggaeton about the Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. People always liked that my songs are catchy and provocative. It was by the end of 2023 that I decided to go full in on music. It’s what I enjoy the most, so now I want to fully follow my passion.”
Since May 2024, his songs have been streamed more than 250,000 times on Spotify and his music videos have been viewed more than 350,000 times on YouTube.
Read more about Aaron King: http://aaron-koenig.net/press/
-
We Speak Entertainment1 week ago
$um1: The Enigmatic Artist Redefining Music
-
We Speak Music1 week ago
Copper Lungs explores bold new sounds with their latest track Pieces of Me
-
We Speak Music4 days ago
Tony DeYoung: Defying Doubt, Redefining Success
-
We Speak Entertainment3 days ago
CONAN O’BRIEN TO HOST 97TH OSCARS®