“I’m gonna be fine, I do this all the time it’s my only way feeling a sense of purpose now,” sings Penny Churchill, aka The Motion, on their latest single which we are happy to premiere today. Who hasn’t heard that unsettling kind of reassurance, bordering on phoniness and wishful thinking? On one hand, we are not fine. But maybe, just maybe, if we repeat it enough times, we will be?

With its lo-fi vibes and calming vocals (pay attention to how they hit the high notes at “I like the feeling and the buzz that I get from it”), “3AM” is classic bedroom pop. It takes the listener back to that super awkward, heart-wrenching, intense time that is being in one’s mid-to-late teens. The track was written by Churchill, who is not only a singer but also a music producer and engineer, and was mixed and co-produced with fellow south London composer Harri Chambers.

Churchill, who hails from the Isle of Wight but is now based in London (“I love it but it’s bad for you,” they say), looks back at the storm of teenage emotions in a way that is not belittling and condescending, but mature and reflective. The song is dedicated to their younger brother, who got into trouble one night when he came home at 3am – way past his curfew. “It’s not even about him but more about the self-realisation and seeing things that you’ve done being done,” explains Churchill. “It’s a flashback of yourself through someone else, as this is what I used to do.”

Produced in collaboration with Anxious Club, the music video to “3AM” sees the artist idle about a dimly-lit room in a way that only teenagers can truly perfect. Close-up shots of Churchill staring into a goldfish bowl are intercepted by old video recordings from their childhood: a family picture, a marching band, and a young Penny running around with a water gun on holiday in Cancun.

Despite reminiscing about the past, Churchill has concrete plans for The Motion’s future: “I have three more songs ready to go,” they say. “[“3AM”] was the last one from this kind of mood – the next songs are a little more upbeat.” They are also in the process of planning their summer festival schedule and releasing their own apparel clothing. Whatever The Motion does next, we are sure they are going to be just fine.
.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9SX_gBtRAo”]

Can you feel the anxiety invading your body and skin, penetrating your pores? With their brand new single ‘It Goes On’, Bat and Ball bring the stress high towards a crisis point, a climax, that will be particularly evocative for people who tend to excessively worry about small things until they become overwhelming. The lyrics deal with all viewpoints and it is like if your own anxiety was talking to yourself. The rough sound of guitars is also contrasting with the dark and oppressing softness of their previous singles.

Bat and Ball, the trio comprised of West Country siblings, Chris and Abi Sinclair, and Harri Chambers, are used to raise awareness about problematic topics that are caused by our modern societies. Their previous single ‘Worth‘ was a reflection about body image and the disempowerment of women.

[su_spacer]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/318947626″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[su_spacer]

‘It Goes In’ is the fourth single from Bat and Ball‘s upcoming LP due later this year via Hush tongue Records.

Connect with the band via Facebook and Twitter.

Abi Sinclair (vocals), her brother Chris Sinclair (electronics) and Harri Chambers (Keys) are the head of Bat and Ball, a trio that explores the dark side of pop music and turns into a quintet during live performances. They started to play as a band at Goldsmiths and from the beginning, their exploration of sounds and themes was on point as you can hear it on their 2013’s debut EP ‘We Prefer it in the Dark.’

Today, they are following up to the release of their new single ‘Worth’ with a video that the two Sinclair siblings directed themselves. The video is symbolic in itself and raises some essential points about the troubles that are caused by the pressures of body image in our society. Indeed, the concept of body beauty has changed with time and is still not the same everywhere on the planet. In the past for instance, slim people were considered as poor or sick. With the advent of consuming society, bodies became products like all the other ones and the concept of ‘body image’ is now shaped by cruel and restrictive marketing strategies. Don’t think that it is easy to be a free woman in 2017. We had a few words about those issues with Abi Sinclair from Bat and Ball; read the interview and check their brand new video below!

‘The media and advertising have created an unattainable, ridiculous beauty standard.’ Abi Sinclair from Bat and Ball

[su_spacer]
[su_youtube_advanced url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U_LGkD0Pog”]
[su_spacer]

HighClouds: Your new ‘Worth’ is clearly inspired by the troubles that can be caused by self-perception and body image. Does the track relate a personal experience?

Abi (Bat and Ball): ‘Worth’ is about me realising that on a daily basis, my friends and I were thinking about our self-worth; we were self-doubting and hating the way we looked. It became so normal that we didn’t notice it. Disturbingly, those who did have self-confidence and loved the way they looked, were shamed and even disliked for it.

Do you consider that women are particularly victims of those pressures?

Undoubtedly. From a young age, women are sexualised, objectified and taught that being a women is somehow shameful. Society tells women to be ashamed of natural hair, the size of their bodies and to feel guilty about food.

In 2017 are we enough informed about this problem?

No. People are more aware of it; feminism has joined mainstream conversation, which is positive! However, there is still a long way to go – toxic behaviours have been ingrained in our society for such a long time.

[su_spacer]

‘Our media, music & film industries and consumer markets need to represent the diverse humans we are and celebrate them.’ Abi Sinclair from Bat and Ball

[su_spacer]

How can women escape from those troubles as the concepts of aesthetics and sexual attractiveness are internalised?

It is incredibly hard. The media and advertising play an enormous part in internalising this. They have created an unattainable, ridiculous beauty standard.
For me, I had to surround myself with select media. I follow blogs that are feminist and body positive. You have to surround yourself with people who will be supportive of you and not further uphold negative ideas. Also artists like Lizzo, Mary Lambert, and Anna Wise are truly inspiring and I would highly recommend checking them out for awesome empowerment.

How could we change our conception of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’?

Big question! Here’s a first step. We need to stop forcing gender expectations upon children before they are even born. Everyone needs to be able to grow up with the freedom to express any gender or no gender. Our media, music & film industries and consumer markets need to represent the diverse humans we are and celebrate them.

[su_spacer]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/318947623″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[su_spacer]

Keep it up with Bat and Ball by visiting their official website and via Facebook and Twitter.