Queers in the Club

Queers in the Club

by George Baxter

Performing Arts Music Commentary Music History

Season 1

February I 2022: Shamir, Kim Petras, Yeule, Madonna.

George rounds up the best new queer music from the first half of February, talking about new albums from Shamir and Yeule, an EP from Kim Petras, the library is opened up for Alabama Shakes before taking a dive into the world of the gay icon herself, Madonna. Strike a pose. Music Played: NEW TRACK 1: Kissing Lessons by Lucy Dacus Shamir – Heterosexuality: Caught Up Cisgender NEW TRACK 2: Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A) by Flume Kim Petras – Slut Pop EP: XXX NEW TRACK 3: Silver Into Rain (feat. Beabadoobee) by Luna Li Yeule – Glitch Princess: Don't Be So Hard On Your Own Beauty Eyes Taken from the Library: Gimme All Your Love by Alabama Shakes GAY ICON: Madonna Hung Up Vogue

January 2022: FKA Twigs, Lazarus Lynch, AURORA, Judy Garland (with Gareth Lewis).

Welcome back to Queers in the Club! This week is the first episode proper, as George recaps the best new music of the past month, selects an old track from the library and discusses the O.G. gay icon, Judy Garland. We've also got an interview with Gareth to talk about AURORA's album release performance! Music Played: NEW TRACK 1: More Pressure (feat. Kevin Abstract) by Kae Tempest FKA twigs – Caprisongs papi bones (feat. Shygirl) thank you song NEW TRACK 2: Go by Cat Burns Lazarus Lynch – Sanctuary Queen Mona Holy Ghost NEW TRACK 3: Lights Out by Fred again…, Romy & HAAi AURORA - The Gods We Can Touch Cure For Me A Temporary High Taken from the Library: JUST LIKE WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE by SOPHIE GAY ICON: Judy Garland Come Rain or Come Shine Somewhere Over the Rainbow

'Queer of the Year': The Top 20 Songs from 2021

Welcome to Queers in the Club! What better to start the year than reflecting on the one just been. George takes you through his personal top 20 singles from 2021 that have a queer feature. From hyperpop to post-punk, the list includes the likes of Angel Olsen, Arca, SPELLLING and Kim Petras. Songs Played: 20) Man in Me by Madi Diaz 19) Silk Chiffon by MUNA (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) 18) Zombie by Orla Gartland 17) My House by Jodie Harsh 16) Photo ID (feat. Dominic Fike) 15) Always by SPELLLING 14) Coconuts by Kim Petras 13) Don’t Go Puttin Wishes in My Head by TORRES 12) No Regrets by Namasenda 11) I Do This All The Time by Self Esteem 10) Blouse by Clairo 9) Paprika by Japanese Breakfast 8) Describe (A. G. Cook Remix) by Perfume Genius 7) Jackie by Yves Tumor 6) Haunted by Laura Les 5) Head Cheerleader by Pom Pom Squad 4) Incendio by Arca 3) Thumbs by Lucy Dacus 2) Like I Used To by Angel Olsen & Sharon Van Etten 1) Pay Your Way In Pain by St. Vincent

Review: Islands by Josef Salvat [RE-UPLOAD]

I was previously unaware of Josef Salvat until earlier this year, when I heard the song ‘Promiscuity’ on GAY TIMES’ Queer & Now playlist. I did some research and found that this was the lead single off his album Islands, released on February 18th. Salvat is an Australian singer-songwriter who, having previously been shackled to a major music label, is newly independent. The album Islands is relatively simple but effective pop music. It spans the colourful and the melancholic, as Salvat explores themes of his sexuality, regret and broken promises. Songs Reviewed: Promiscuity Sunbeams My Score: 6.5/10

Review: Squeeze by SASAMI [RE-UPLOAD]

Duality is at the heart of Squeeze, the second album by queer indie rock artist SASAMI. Just take the slightly threatening album art, in which SASAMI appears as a snake with the head of a woman, a representation of a deity from Japanese folklore, who would offer a small bundle resembling a baby to potential victims: the story goes that the spirit would kill those who discarded the bundle, but spare those who held the bundle. The conflict between explosive nu-metal rage and maternal gentleness is highly evident in this new album Squeeze. Songs Reviewed: Say It Call Me Home My Score: 7/10 (extra .5 for Call Me Home)

Review: LIFE ON EARTH by Hurray for the Riff Raff [RE-UPLOAD]

‘LIFE ON EARTH’ is the eighth album from Hurray for the Riff Raff, aka. Alynda Segarra, Segarra described this album as ‘nature punk’, not in that it’s a climate action album but it more so summarises the sound of this highly contemplative album backed by raw, earthy instrumentation. It’s a piece of indie rock that shimmers with Springsteen-esque hooks. Segarra is a queer woman who was born in the Bronx and raised by her Puerto Rican aunt and uncle, and themes of being a Latinx immigrant in the US make their presence known on this powerful project. Songs Reviewed: Pierced Arrows Precious Cargo My Score: 8.5/10

Review: Heterosexuality by Shamir [RE-UPLOAD]

On the album cover of Shamir Bailey’s February record, Heterosexuality, we see Shamir sat with antlers and hooves in a pink skirt. It’s a mythological being, undefined by gender. And if you couldn’t tell from such song titles as ‘Gay Agenda’ and ‘Cisgender’ the album Heterosexuality is ironically and unapologetically, queer. Spanning industrial, indie rock, folk and pop songs, Shamir’s approach to genre seems to be the same as their approach to gender – a transcendence above them all. Songs Reviewed: Caught Up Cisgender My Score: 8/10

Review: Glitch Princess by Yeule [RE-UPLOAD]

Yeule is an avant-garde, non-binary electronic artist originally from Singapore, whose whole musical ethos is based in the future. Glitch Princess was their latest project, dropped back in early February, and it sees Yeule building a cyber world, as the name might suggest. Through their electronic sounds and mechanical lyrics, Yeule moves into post-gender and post-human terrority, without sounding esoteric or cold. Songs Reviewed: Don’t Be So Hard On Your Own Beauty Eyes My Score: 7.5/10

Review: The Gods We Can Touch by AURORA [RE-UPLOAD]

AURORA has dropped a track called 'The Woman I Am’, from the deluxe version of her album 'The Gods We Can Touch' which I reviewed back in January. The album sees AURORA shedding some of her typically ethereal, reverb-y sounds for a more punchy, pop driven album. She retains some eccentric sounds that makes for enjoyable listening, such as the retro-pop lead single 'Cure For Me', inspired by the fight against conversion therapy. This feels particularly prevalent given that the UK government has green lit a non-legislative ban on conversion therapy, albeit not for trans people. Songs Reviewed: Cure For Me A Temporary High My Score: 7/10

Review: CAPRISONGS by FKA Twigs [RE-UPLOAD]

Fresh off the release of the 'papi bones' music video release, I'm reuploading my review of FKA twigs' latest mixtape, CAPRISONGS. As part of my January review, I took a look at the project, which featured collaborations with queer artists including Arca. An ally herself, twigs' previous music has been heavily influenced by avant-garde electronic production, classical vocal stylings and pop melodies. CAPRISONGS shifts towards lo-fi alt-pop sounds, incorporating elements of afrobeat, trap and R&B. Songs Reviewed: papi bones (feat. Shygirl) thank you song My Score: 9/10

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