New music review with singles from GHOSTWOMAN 'Levon' and The Menstrual Cramps 'Kiss On The Pitch'

Julia Mason aka The Decibel Decoder
2 days ago
5 min read

Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason (aka The Decibel Decoder) brings us her new music review with singles from GHOSTWOMAN Levon and The Menstrual Cramps Kiss On The Pitch

Artist: GHOSTWOMAN

Track: Levon

Belgium/Canada-based duo Ghostwoman release new single 'Levon' — Credit Ghostwoman

Ghostwoman, comprised of Belgium/Canada-based duo Evan Uschenko and Ille van Dessel, share new single Levon from their new album Welcome to the Civilized World out 5 September via Full Time Hobby. The band are also set to tour across Europe later this year.

On the track, Ille shares: “The first version of Levon was fabricated a long time ago but we basically threw it away, or kind of left it aside. Eventually, Evan wanted to do something with the demo again, so we rearranged the song, adding lyrics and the new guitar and solo. It was written in Canada and is named after Evan’s beloved dog Levon (who gets his name from The Band’s Levon Helm). We finalised it in Belgium, and that was that”.

Video director Ryan Faist said the following on the visuals: "Levon has the perfect bpm and rhythm to it for some sort of driving force. I kept thinking of someone just pounding on something, non-stop. I remember playing knife game as a kid and was always terrified of it. I started playing with a pencil on my desk and realized it's the perfect song for it. My friend went to a winery in the middle of nowhere in the winter and saw this beautiful trailer home behind it and sent me a photo. I met Will and Simon at a coffee shop and thought they were brothers. I loved their ease and energy so it felt more like we were just making a short documentary than a music video. The trailer had been vacant for a long time. There were 1000's of flies and dead insects all over the place. We kinda just hung out on this plot of land and watched them be bored for a day. It kinda reminds me of summers as a teen.”

Ghostwoman itself only exists because Uschenko and van Dessel were the ones “stupid enough to commit to it”. Conceived by Uschenko after cutting his teeth as a touring multi-instrumentalist, the project was brought to life in an abandoned farmhouse in Diamond City, Alberta. There, for two months, he would make the self-released, self-titled debut album which was produced and dubbed directly to custom-made cassette tapes. The music has always been beautifully inhospitable, earned only by those curious enough to seek it out. Expanded by friends on the Edmonton circuit, Uschenko took the project over the pond where he would meet drummer Ille van Dessel. Drawn to her talent and sheer excitement to make music which had been untouched by ego or cynicism, the two became inseparable. A new life had begun.

True to the band’s origins, Welcome to the Civilized World is the story of Canada and Belgium across the span of two years. The tape machine seemed to pick up different shades wherever they recorded, whether that was in the home of a close friend of Uschenko’s, for example, surrounded by creature comforts including Levon. Or in a cottage in Ardennes, Belgium during an interminable winter surrounded by blankets of snow; an hour’s walk away from anything civilized.

Ghostwoman Live Dates

August

10 - CH - PALP Festival Rocklette - Bagnes

23 - NL - Badlands Festival - Lottum

October

18 - NL - Paradiso | Tolhuistuin - Amsterdam

24 - UK - Hare & Hounds - Birmingham

25 - UK - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds

26 - IE - The Grand Social - Dublin

28 - UK - Stereo - Glasgow

29 - UK - YES - Manchester

30 - UK - Exchange - Bristol

November

1 - UK - The Garage - London

2 - UK - Patterns - Brighton

8 - BE - Sonic City Festival - Kortrijk

10 - DE - Gebäude 9 - Cologne

11 - DE - Molotow - Hamburg

12 - DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg - Berlin

13 - DE - Moritzbastei - Leipzig

14 - CZ - Fuchs2 - Prague

15 - AU - Loft - Vienna

17 - DE - Live/Evil - Munich

18 - DE - Manufaktur - Schorndorf

19 - CH - Bogen F - Zürich

21 - FR - Marché Gare - Lyon

22 - FR - Le Makeda - Marseille

23 - FR - Le Metronum - Toulouse

24 - FR - Rock School Barbey - Bordeaux

26 - FR - Stereolux - Nantes

27 - FR - Le Trabendo – Paris

* * *

Artist: The Menstrual Cramps

Track: Kiss On The Pitch

Bristol queer punks The Menstrual Cramps release new single Kiss on the pitch for Womens Euros — Credit Cheri Clouds @chericlouds + Dory Valentine @fishouttawatermedia

Bristol-based punk band The Menstrual Cramps are delighted to return with queer thirst Women’s Euros anthem Kiss On The Pitch, released ahead of the tournament via Alcopop! Records.

Commenting on the single, vocalist Emilia Elfrida says: “This song is about queer love, and my working class roots of growing up playing and going to football matches every weekend. It moves away from the toxic masculinity of football that I grew up with, and moves towards the inclusivity of women's football, the progression and successes that they continue to have, and ultimately, that I would like to date a footballer! Happy Pride and happy Women’s Euros!”

The band have partnered with Bristol anti-fascist, pro-inclusivity women’s team Easton Cowgirls for the single and will be donating proceeds from their forthcoming The Menstrual Cramps football shirts to the club.

“We wanted to showcase our hometown of Bristol and our amazing local community,” says Elfrida of the video, “including the incredible Easton Cowgirls football team and The Plough pub. The Easton Cowgirls are an inspirational football team; they are intersectional and anti-fascist, and they do so much for the local community and football in general. They are exactly what a football team should be in 2025! Our drummer’s fiancée, Cheri, filmed and edited the music video, which we filmed over two evening shoots at our local park, and of course, The Plough.”

Easton Cowgirls are a women’s/non-binary football club based in Easton, Bristol. They are part of a global network of clubs that recognise all people’s right to equality, irrespective of their age, class, culture, disability, gender, race, religion, or sexuality. Their anti-homophobic, anti-racist, anti-fascist and anti-transphobic ethos is at the core of the club and is what distinguishes them from other football teams. The club are currently raising money for their men’s 4th team, which is largely composed of asylum seekers - help is needed with transport and kit, and donations are welcome here.

A DIY queer punk band from Bristol formed in 2017, The Menstrual Cramps are known for their feminist, anti-fascist, and pro-choice stance. Their music is loud, raw, and unapologetically queer, making a powerful statement.