FEATURE:
Grammatically Correct
from the Nottingham-formed trio, London Grammar, came out on Friday. Californian Soil is a stunning album that sees the group regain some of the form that was, perhaps, lost on their second album, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing. That arrived in 2017. Since then, it has been a period of change and slightly turbulence for them. I would recommend people buy Californian Soil, as it is one of this year’s best albums. When it comes to the subject of experiencing upheaval and strain, this is especially true for the group’s lead, Hannah Reid. I want to bring in an interview where she discussed the misogyny that was aimed at her by various people in the industry. From views about her appearance to being silenced, Reid has had to endure a hell of a lot! Not that her story (sadly) is confined to her alone: so many women in the music industry have had to endure sexism and misogyny. Some of the struggles Reid has faced can be heard in the new album. Before I go on to that interview and writing why Reid is such a special artist and songwriter, I want to quote NME’s review of London Grammar’s third studio album:
“London Grammar’s third album ‘Californian Soil’ marks several shifts for the group. Sonically, it’s the most upbeat they’ve ever sounded, but it’s behind the scenes that the major change occurred, with vocalist Hannah Reid stepping up into a leadership position.
The indie-pop trio, made up of Reid and multi-instrumentalists Dot Major and Dan Rothman, first formed at Nottingham University in 2009. By the time they’d graduated and released their 2013 debut album ‘If You Wait’, they’d cemented their place as one of Britain’s buzziest bands. Global tours and awards nominations followed, and in 2017 their second album ‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’ flew to Number One.
Behind the scenes, though, things weren’t so picture-perfect. Throughout their time as a band, Reid had been enduring countless instances of music industry misogyny. There were the engineers who didn’t take her seriously, outfits she was pushed to wear, men she couldn’t show emotion around (lest she be considered “irrational”) and unsolicited comments about her appearance.
She was exhausted by the sexist microaggressions she’d had to put up with on a daily basis, and something had to give. As she told NME in a cover story earlier this year: “I did say to Dan and Dot, ‘I don’t want this to end, but something does have to change because I just can’t keep doing my best work or going out on the road if I’m going to come back and feel this way.’”
And so, as Reid stepped up into that leadership position, assuming responsibility for the band’s visual aesthetic, she also opened herself up more in her songwriting. While on previous release, 2017’s ‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’, Reid retreated behind the record’s gloomy instrumentals (“I wasn’t making myself very vulnerable and I didn’t feel like I was taking any risks,” she told NME), on ‘Californian Soil’ her lyricism is honest and direct.
The album sees Reid tackle toxic relationships (‘Lord It’s A Feeling’), break-ups (‘How Does It Feel’) and the death of the American dream (‘America’), fusing her searing honesty with romantic imagery.
This bold lyricism is coupled with lush and lively musical accompaniments. On ‘Californian Soil’, London Grammar have managed to distil the ecstasy that permeates the house-laced ending of the band’s 2013 single ‘Metal & Dust’, imbuing the album with this fizzing energy. This is particularly evident when the band are assisted by British electronic musician George Fitzgerald, who co-produced the jubilant ‘Baby It’s You’ and ‘Lose Your Head’ and brings buzzing late-night verve to the table. The slinky ‘Missing’, which meshes ‘00s R&B with ambient-pop, also sees the band’s ethereal soundscapes shaken up and coupled with slick electronic beats.
In comparison, the two tracks that bookend the record, ‘Californian Soil’ and ‘America’, embrace the more sedate moments of previous London Grammar releases. ‘Californian Soil’ is a steady, art rock cut, while ‘America’ channels Lana Del Rey’s spectacular ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’, Reid’s distinctive, powerhouse vocals performing gymnastics over stripped-back guitar twangs and dusky synths.
With Reid now stepping up as the band’s leader, London Grammar are revitalised. While previous album ‘Truth Is A Beautiful Thing’ was a sombre affair, a new energy saturates ‘Californian Soil’. Fizzing with club sounds and filled with bright lyricism, London Grammar are more confident, and more fun, than they’ve ever been”.
I am betting London Grammar, like so many in music, are eager to tour and get their new music to the people! Californian Soil has seen the trio pick up some of the best reviews of their career. Together with Dan Rothman and Dominic 'Dot' Major, Hannah Reid has enjoyed a lot of success and attention. Whilst I love what Major and Rothman bring to London Grammar, I feel it is Hannah Reid’s vocal brilliance and her songwriting that makes them such a strong force. It is shocking to read of her experiences with sexism and misogyny. In an interview with NME, Reid goes into more detail about what she faced. It seems that Reid taking the lead regarding songwriting has rejuvenated the trio somewhat too:
“It’s almost impossible for Hannah Reid to pinpoint a single moment of music industry misogyny that caused her to snap.
“We were sound checking for a gig, and I thought that the bass was too loud,” the London Grammar frontwoman remembers of one particularly egregious moment. At this particular show, her two male bandmates, instrumentalists Dot Major and Dan Rothman, were taken seriously when they asked the engineer for changes. When Hannah voiced her concern about the sound levels, though, she received an unwanted lecture on how bass actually works.
“Afterwards,” she says with an eye roll over Zoom from her home in London, “everyone complained that the bass was too loud, and I was like, ‘Yeah – I bloody said it!”
London Grammar first formed in 2009 after meeting at Nottingham University; a few years later, they emerged as one of the UK’s buzziest rising bands after the release of 2012’s ‘Metal & Dust’ EP, and (now Double Platinum) debut album ‘If You Wait’. Both were filled with the band’s intoxicating blend of art-pop – a fusion of trip-hop production, lush soundscapes and Hannah’s emotive, contralto voice. It was a sound that would earn them a slew of awards nominations (including winning an Ivor Novello for the emotive, ambient ‘Strong’), Glastonbury slots and gigs all over the world.
Behind the scenes, though, things weren’t quite so peachy. The list of sexist experiences Reid draws on for ‘Californian Soil’ is neverending. There was the mix-up before a gig when Hannah had to argue with a security guard to let her backstage to her own show, as they didn’t believe she was in the band. She later found out the staff member in question had told their tour manager that she was “a formidable young woman”.
“I was just like, ‘For fucks sake’. If I was fucking Chris Martin, he would not be called a formidable young man,” she reflects. “To me that’s just code for ‘bitch’.”
There were photoshoots where Hannah was pushed to wear certain outfits. She recounts one television appearance when she turned up to discover a rail of pre-approved ‘looks’: “One was like a glittery, very short gold dress, another one was red satin little shorts with like a little satin crop top. I do love fashion and I will dress up every once in a while if I want to, but Dan and Dot were definitely not having to put up with this. I will just wear what the fuck I want to wear, thank you very much.”
There were the industry men Hannah felt like she couldn’t show emotion around, lest she be considered ‘irrational’; the strangers who commented on what she wore online; the rooms she’d walk into with her male bandmates and feel like she had to constantly prove herself. Then there was the time that, after appearing on Radio 1 back in 2013, a tweet was posted on the station’s Twitter account that read: “We all think that the girl from @londongrammar is fit. Let us know if you agree.”
On album three, Hannah’s mindset changed: “I felt like, ‘You know what, that really didn’t work for me and I kind of have nothing else to lose now’. I want to just be completely vulnerable, say everything that I want to say and people will like it or they won’t.”
At the core of the switch was ensuring her experiences in the past aren’t replicated in the future. “I did say to [Dot and Dan], if I’m the leader, other people will have to respect me and respect us.”
Her bandmates were happy to let her take the reins. “Lyrically, [‘Californian Soil’] is very much about Hannah’s experience as a woman, and we wanted that message to come through as loud as possible,” Dot tells NME on a separate Zoom call alongside Dan a few days later.
Californian Soil’ is an album that’s begging to be enjoyed in sweaty clubs and as the sun sets over a festival stage. “It’s the most upbeat London Grammar have ever been,” says Hannah. Having sat on the finished album for 12 months, the band naturally intend to tour once it’s COVID-safe, but after the brutal nature of the band’s early tours, it’ll have to be done right.
But at least the hidden turmoil the band experience wasn’t all for nothing. “I think I’m a better person because of it,” Hannah reflects. “I think we’ll tour a lot less, but in a way I’m glad, because if I’m then looking at a schedule that I know is manageable, I will then be able to make each and every one of those gigs so special. If you end up in a place where you’re so exhausted or unwell, you’re not giving your fans what they deserve”.
I have been following London Grammar since their debut album, If You Wait, arrived in 2013. Songs such as Wasting My Young Years, Strong, Nightcall and Hey Now stuck in my heart and heart because of the amazingly soulful and powerful voice! Her delivery is so intoxicating and real. It is impossible not to be drawn to her voice. As a lyricist, I think that she is one of the most underrated in modern music. There is so much range on Californian Soil. So many terrific lines and words that can take you by surprise, draw you into another world or help you escape. I think the trio are a lot brighter, bolder and bigger than on the previous two albums. As a lead, there are few as hypnotic and talented as Reid! I think that Californian Soil is the start of a new phase for them. I am interested to see how Hannah Reid evolves and changes as a singer and songwriter. I think that she has so much more to say and offer us. It is angering to read what kind of attitudes she has had to face. The fact that she has gone through extensive periods of frustration and anxiety is upsetting. Maybe things are not completely reversed and better now, though it seems like there has been some improvement. Having just released an amazing album, there are few in the industry who can ignore Reid. She is one of my favourite artists in all of music…and every song she puts her voice to has a potency and beauty that few others can summon! I think she is a phenomenal songwriter. It will be fascinating to see where London Grammar head next. Critics are celebrating Californian Soil and calling it in a return and revitalisation. In Hannah Reid, we have one of…
OUR very finest artists.