Warren Records
Present
And her debut album
– Release Date: 24th Oct –
Genre: Electro Party Punk, Techno / DnB, Spoken Word
FFO: Bob Vylan, Soft Play, Shelf Lives, Kid Kapichi
Label / Imprint: Warren Records
Format: Digital album
“Such a fantastic artist – I just love her voice” John Kennedy / Radio X
“One of the most exciting voices in the UK’s spoken-word punk scene” Green Banana
“She’s got mad potential” Laurie Vincent (Soft Play)
One of the most important artists in the North of England at the moment… is there a better wordsmith out there? I don’t think so!” – MixPosure show / YorkMix
Following last year’s Reading & Leeds Festival appearance with BBC Introducing, Hull’s much-loved spoken word artist Jodie Langford continues to electrify stages across the UK with her unique blend of electro party punk – and now, following stunning performances to packed venues throughout the year at The Great Escape (Brighton), Beat-Herder (Sawley, Lancs) & Humber Street Sesh (Hull) plus recent gigs with Get Down Services & Pussy Riot, Jodie releases her much-anticipated debut album Softly Spoken, out on Warren Records.
With production duties supplied by Jodie’s musical sidekick & Hull’s ‘King of Electro” Endoflevelbaddie, the album is a delicious combination of confrontational dissections of society, tongue-in-cheek references & interesting wordplay that’s coupled with a self-deprecating attitude. This is all complimented by a production sound that darts between thrashing post-punk sensibilities, fevered techno rhythms & filthy drum & bass chaos, uniting dancefloors with joy & fear, plus a sense of purpose & belonging, all delivered with the most honest northern attitude you could imagine.
Whether it’s suggesting we all put away our phones & live in the moment at gigs on Put It Down, being haunted by sleep paralysis on I See Only Red, living in sub-standard accommodation on RATZ! or the derogatory nature of lad culture towards women on Humiliate Me, Jodie lays it out for all to see, while taking a less serious approach on tracks like the John Cooper Clarke inspired S.T.B.Y. or the random word mash up vibe on Breastmilk Cheesecake.
Jodie’s thoughts on each of the individual tracks can be found below but regarding the album as a whole, she says “I’m so proud of this album & have a special love for every track on it. Endoflevelbaddie & I have kept pushing ourselves forward into a direction of high-energy tunes & rage-fuelled vocals which is a sound that sits comfortably with who we are. Baddie brings out the best version of me, inspires me to work harder & I’m so grateful to be working with such a skilful, passionate & energetic producer. As much as I am Jodie Langford, so are WE.”
As for Endoflevelbaddie, he feels “Jodie’s one of the most naturally talented lyricists I’ve met, coupled with her natural ability to command a stage & rule like a queen over her audience. Jodie has enabled me to develop the way I produce, encouraged me to provide backing vocals & I’ve even had a hand in some of the lyric writing which has been an honour. The album is the culmination of our creative relationship, shared passion for writing electric tunes & our enthusiasm for putting on high energy performances… WE ARE JODIE LANGFORD!”
Now a bit of history: Jodie is a local to Hull who began writing & performing at the Warren Youth Project in 2016 after dropping out of college. Writing became her outlet of expression as a young teen & she stumbled into the world of poetry & spoken word by accident, becoming quite prolific on the local scene.
Through a chance remix of one of her spoken word pieces by local producer Endoflevelbaddie for the 3 Minute Heroes project, they began working together to progress her career into the music industry & onto stages across the city.
They’ve now been writing & performing together for the past 3 years & Jodie’s presence on stage is electric, performing with furious purpose while still having a noticeably good time & getting crowds of unassuming punters to sing along to her trademark hooks. Right now, there’s no stopping them with more & more tracks & performances in the pipeline. Be sure to follow on your preferred social media for further updates.
Jodie’s thoughts on the tracks…
- S.T.B.Y – I’m a fan of John Cooper Clarke & I think his poem ‘TWAT’ is ace & this song is inspired by that. I don’t really have any enemies or anybody that I hate, so this track isn’t about anyone in particular but I just found it fun to play around with metaphors & similes, plus it’s a great release for me to just yell for a bit & pretend that I’m fuming. Bolognese-stained containers also really get on my nerves, so I wanted to find some way to fit that into a song lol!
- Breastmilk Cheesecake – I used the age-old songwriting technique of cutting up words & phrases from magazines & putting them in a random order to see what came out. Some lyrics are words from those magazines but the bulk of it is my own lyrics that I wrote after I got the vibe of what direction the song was going in. Even though there isn’t really a story & it’s just a mash up of cuttings from articles, the track has evoked feelings of betrayal, lies, crime & secrecy. In a way, we thought of it as a follow up to a previous track of mine Chaos Of Time, as it has similar messy / unhinged energy.
- The Biz – If you want to be a successful musician apparently you also need to be an influencer too these days. It’s not just about having fun with your mates on stage & sharing music with the world. Now, you must be all over social media, responding, replying, posting & giving. I’ve found this particularly difficult, especially as I’m such a people pleaser (which I’m doing inner work to resolve). I love performing & making music, but I am anticipating the stress of what is coming next after having a little taste of it already. This ain’t just a fun hobby – this is THE BIZ!
- Put It Down – This song is inspired by mine & Endoflevelbaddie‘s shared hatred of this new habit that people have of filming entire live performances on their phones. I’ve paid good money to see a live act that I adore & often I’ve been waiting in anticipation for that show to come round too – the last thing I want to do is view it through people’s phone screens or watch others fail & just drunkenly film the back of the head of the person in front of them. I love the feeling of being present at a gig & feeling that connection between yourself & the musicians on stage. I just think that getting your phone out for a long period of time is poor gig etiquette. Obviously, there are also positives to this, bands need footage of themselves performing live so that they can show other people that they’re actually good or to capture fond memories. The same goes for gig-goers too but in short… I don’t wanna see ya phone – I just wanna watch the band!
- RATZ! – A track that reflects on the state of shared accommodation that I’ve lived in. Ridiculously thin walls, rodent infestations & mould everywhere – the heating & hot water not working in winter – broken furniture – cheap décor – holes in the walls – strangers coming over for a viewing every few months & standing in your bedroom looking at you like scum – evil money-grabbing landlords – living with absolute randomers – showers that feel like someone is just pissing on your back – but somehow it still floods through into the kitchen! Hopefully people who live, or have lived, in a shoddy house share or student accommodation can relate.
- I See Only Red – This track encapsulates the endless times I’ve been haunted by sleep paralysis. I’ve often woken up to a lifeless body, unable to move, speak or scream combined with the sensation that something horrible & otherworldly is lurking over me. On occasions the room has turned blood red & I’ve felt like I’ve been dragged down the side of my bed – or I’ve seen shadow-like figures in the crevices of my room. When it happens, I feel this force trying to pull me back into a slumber, however I fear that if I fall back to sleep, I’ll die & so I just try to keep calm & stay awake. Sometimes I’ll have to get into bed with my mum because of how terrified I am, which is a bit embarrassing to admit at 25 years old!
- Humiliate Me – A track about my experience in a place I used to work at where women were often harassed, humiliated & preyed upon by other members of staff. This was normalised behaviour which happened to me when I first started there. It was all a part of the ‘lad’ culture. The women that were new were often referred to as ‘fresh meat’. The harassment, sexual comments & humiliating behaviour were often treated like a game & if you didn’t play along, you’d be ostracised. I’ve been reflecting on my time there & I’ve only recently realised how disgustingly I, & other women, were treated & how this has affected how I used to think, act & view myself. I would like to think this place has drastically improved now & that all employees feel safe & supported there.
- Bowling (Off with Her Head) – Bowling (title inspired by Anne Boleyn) is about misogyny. It’s inspired by the intense hatred some people feel towards women & how people wish to silence us, shame us, vilify us or wish us dead. The track also comments on how women are often viewed as having an expiry date. Why is it that when women age, change their appearance or don’t fulfil society’s standards of beauty, they’re classed as undesirable?
- Dance 4eva – This one is about the intimacy between two people on a dancefloor. It speaks of how songs can weave two souls together & make them escape from the pressures of everyday life, even if just for a moment. No matter how large the venue or event, no matter how many people you’re surrounded by, when you’re with the right person it can feel like the both of you are the only people in the room. I feel so free when I’m dancing with people that I adore & I often feel as though I don’t want those moments to end. In short, Dance 4eva is a love song.
- Shoutro – This is simply a shout-out outro to say thanks & let everyone we know how much we appreciate their support.
Connect with Jodie Langford
Contact
Photo Credits: Meg Morris
