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Lead singer of the Sunderland band Chloe Gardner tells us about her top five favourite things as they release their debut single, Expensive Things
Sunderland outfit Chloe & the Brainwaves drop their debut single, Expensive Things. The song is about the psychological conditioning that is tied to our consumerist culture and features Lizzie Esau on backing vocals. Sonically it’s a haunting and expansive nineties-sounding pop-rock number complete with rolling chorus and ethereal harmonies.
Here, Chloe Gardner gives us her top five favourite things…
Album: Blue – Joni Mitchell
Disclaimer: this changes every day. There’s so many elements to countless bands and artists that inspire me, however, the honesty laid bare in Joni Mitchell’s lyrics which bounce back and forth between the point of her pain, loss and personal life is something I’d never heard before, I couldn’t keep it off repeat. Joni’s voice and songwriting are stunning, effortless and raw.
Childhood Movie – Free Willy
What a mint film. I wanted to be Jesse when I was around four or five when I first watched it on video. I wanted to care for a killer whale at the time which just so happens to be my favourite marine mammal. Star Wars has to be mentioned as I had an obsession when I first saw episode I, II and III when they were released late 90s/early 2000s. Absolutely epic when Obi-Wan fights Darth Maul after he murders Qui-Gon Jinn. Gutted. I cried a lot then would rewind the video and watch it all again.
Book: A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
It’s a spiritual one but not in the rainbows and butterflies kind of way, in a relatable sense. For anyone that doesn’t know Tolle, he speaks of self-improvement through accepting the moment as it is now, in all it’s happiness and misery reminding us that nothing lasts forever, even our best and worst days. I love the simplicity of it, he shares tools that actually do work. If you can’t be arsed to read a whole book I highly recommend having a listen to his clips on YouTube if it’s something you think might float your boat! One of my favourite quotes: “Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be.”
Beverage: Oat lattes…
…because nip milk is rank.
Songwriting & Playing Live
A double whammy to end. Music has always been my escape, from being bullied in primary and secondary school to generally feeling lost as an adult. It’s always made me feel like I belong. The people I’ve met in music are very very special to me and it wouldn’t be as epic playing without them (The Brainwaves) Alex, Lewis and Michael.
