Hen Hoose Collective - EP 1 (Hen Hoose) 
Release Date: Out Now
The brilliant Hen Hoose Collective is a Scottish label/safe space for female/non-binary-led artists and their releases are always a treat to receive. This EP ('EP 1' for the completists) features seven different tracks from a range of artists which acts like a tasting platter for some of the best and most innovative new artists around at the moment. First up is the dynamic duo of Lucy Parnell and Djana Gabrielle with their song 'The Lucky Ones', a song which blends smooth bedroom beats and subtle melodies with folk infused vocals and a tangible sense of loss. Tanya Mellotte and PAIX's 'Waves' has a future-as-seen-from-the-80s aesthetic with plodding synths and a deliberate beat that creates a bleak but intriguing soundscape for a film yet to be made.
'Night Is Calling' is the offering from Ray Aggs and Kathryn Williams and it exists in the seconds before the first rays of sunlight break the day and everything is still for a moment. It's the track of the EP for me as the pulsating beat and sparse electro melodies are given a soul by the vocals of Williams and a flurry of starling-esque strings. Shears and XZO team up for 'Let It All Go', creating a soulful take on alt-pop with a RnB influences while 'Brigid' by Cariss Crosbie and Elisabeth Elektra takes Kate Bush's vocals and lays them out a top a melody that is part Goldfrapp and part the Orb.
Penultimate track 'Look Up' comes from the collective talents of The Anchoress and Jill Lorean providing a playful, fairy spirited tune the dances on the harp strings and the heart strings to create the most delicate moment on the EP. The sitar opening of final track 'My Only Ghost' by BISHI and Inge Thomson lulls you in to a false sense of serenity before the throbbing electro engine joins in and the siren-song vocals lure you to your fate on the digital cliffs. Seven tracks creates by 14 artists all gathered on one EP under one Hen Hoose equals one hell of a record - you do the maths.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/Henhoose