She’s Got Spies’ second album ‘Isle of Dogs’ refers to an area of London, Laura Nunez’s hometown, as well as the state of turmoil of the island of Britain. The follow up album to her debut Welsh language album ‘Wedi’, ‘Isle of Dogs’ features songs written over the last decade. She’s Got Spies is the project of Laura Nunez and her cast of collaborators. She spends her time between Cardiff and London, she’s multilingual and can sing in Welsh, English and Russian.
‘Isle of Dogs’ is a charming trilingual travelogue album, with most of the songs written on the move while travelling or whilst Nunez was living in various countries. She spent time in Russia, Vietnam, Italy, Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, and parts were also written in Cardiff, London and other parts of Wales and England. Threaded with Laura’s knack for a bittersweet earworm melody and surreal yet personal lyrics, these charmingly wonky songs are underscored with dark psych tinged sounds and an unsettled feeling which reflects the turmoil of current times.
With music hall style pianos, bounding percussion, fizzing guitars and a playful vocal, new single ‘Super Sniffer Dogs’ is inspired by Laura’s time spent visiting Poplar on the Isle of Dogs, an area of high contrast with the rich, banking area of Canary Wharf and large, destitute council estates. It’s about an imaginary dystopian festival with lots of restrictions in a high walled destitute area. Despite its serious themes, which is juxtaposed by a catchy singalong melody, it’s a joyous tuneful romp.
The delightful first single from the album, ‘Wedi Blino’, was released in 2019 and features a video filmed by Laura in Antarctica when she won a trip there in 2018. Meanwhile ‘The Fear’ is the newest song, written during lockdown. It reflects uncertainty of whether the record would ever see the light of day due to the pandemic, after the last days of studio time were cancelled as the lockdown started. It ended up replacing another song that was meant to be on the album that had not yet been recorded.
All songs are written by Laura apart from three co-written with Gruff Meredith (MC Mabon), who also co produced with Frank Naughton on them. Recorded in Tŷ Drwg studios in Cardiff (with additional recording in various locations including Moscow, London, Vietnam, etc.) with producer Frank Naughton. The album cover was designed by Laura and features a fox that visited Laura’s garden daily during lockdown that she caught on a night vision camera, and photographed remotely when he came to her doorstep.
She’s Got Spies band members include Gareth Middleton (guitar) and Mel Beard (glockenspiel/ keyboard) on some tracks, additionally with Pixy Jones (El Goodo) on guitar, Andy Fung (Derrero) on drums and producer Frank Naughton on piano, synths, guitar, bass, strings and percussion. She’s Got Spies started as a project by Laura Nunez in 2005 with Matthew Evans (Keys). Laura’s originally from London but moved to Cardiff and learnt Welsh inspired by bands such as Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals, Melys etc.
She’s Got Spies have recorded sessions for BBC Radio Cymru as well as having performed and been broadcast on Welsh television channel S4C. The band have performed at festivals such as Indietracks, Focus Wales, National Eisteddfod and Wales Goes Pop, as well as appearances in more far flung places including Russia, Bulgaria, Italy and even on an Antarctic expedition ship.
‘Isle of Dogs’ Tracklist:
1. Super Sniffer Dogs (2:31)
2. Mariah Pariah (2:54)
3. Despair Over Here (3:08)
4. All Outta Tears (3:38)
5. Harasho (3:22)
6. Vladivostok (3:18)
7. Vietnam (3:23)
8. Mank Shoreshank (3:08)
9. Cwympo (3:02)
10. The Fear (2:41)
11. Wedi Blino (2:30)
12. Where Did You Go? (4:04)
SHE’S GOT SPIES
‘ISLE OF DOGS’
Format: CD album, cassette and digital download (Vinyl release to follow)
Release date: 06/11/2020
Label: Self released on Zelebritee
She’s Got Spies releases her new album ‘Isle of Dogs’ on the 6th of November. It’s preceded by the single ‘Super Sniffer Dogs’ on the 23rd of October.
For further details please get in touch at:
Bill Cummings: soundandvisionpr@googlemail.
