Shoun Shoun is the project of Bristol-based Annette Berlin, who describes her band’s sound as “lo-fi anxiety and raucous tales of bad behaviour.”
They play a woozy, noirish, narcoleptic brand of Velveteen dream pop enveloping vocals with the detached ennui of Berlin’s compatriots Marlene Dietrich and Nico.
Stuttering drums, bubbling “liquid sex” basslines and skronky serpentine guitars create an air of unease while pretty synth melodies float overhead.
Berlin builds the tension as her vocals grow from a sensuous whisper to a stern, stentorian style reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux at her most imperious.
Jake Monro’s stuttering drums, Ole Rudd’s “liquid sex” basslines and Berlin’s skronky serpentine guitars create an air of unease while Boris Ming’s Numanesque synth melodies swirl like a gathering storm.
It’s no surprise to learn that the entire band’s musical background is in experimental noise bands in and around Bristol.
But while Berlin’s previous bands like Big Joan, Male and The Final
age dealt in confrontational textures and volume, Shoun Shoun is a far more intimate affair, with songs of alienation and redemption.
Drip is a new song about the hormonal rollercoaster that most women experience in their lives. “Being a woman is full of challenges,” Berlin explains.
“Right from the start our bodies keep changing and if we choose to or not, at some point we’ll probably experience pain, confusion, insecurity, depression and a general feeling of not being in control of our bodies or our minds.
“Every day can be a struggle trying to simply function as the outside world views us with suspicion when we don’t. It’s exhausting. It’s challenging. It’s a rollercoaster. It never stops. I haven’t found a solution, just a compromise. This is me trying to channel all of these thoughts and feelings into a song – Drip.”
The video articulates the theme: filmed in collaboration with 38 women, each one filmed her own clip, chose a lyric, location, outfit and setting; each of them expressing herself while remaining completely in control.