Bel Cobain - Leader / Unsafe House (Double Single)
East London songstress Bel Cobain releases her double single, ‘Leader’ and ‘Unsafe House’, produced by Santiago Morales. Undeniably pure, ‘Leader’ is brimming with organic sounds and musicality from Bel and her close-knit band who fuse Latin and Afrobeat to create a jovial yet passionate foundation for her relatable lyrics to come alive. ‘Leader’ expresses the unspoken power of submission through a fresh lens of empowerment and sexual liberation, shining a light on the freedom of surrendering and allowing yourself to be led. Created at a home studio in an intimate affair, ‘Leader’ wrote itself through Bel in under an hour with her giving in to the magic and letting the words flow freely out of her. The song has shape-shifted over the past three years having previously been taken from Bel, to more recently her band helping to re-create the song stem by stem and in doing so, building Bel up bit by bit throughout the process. The performance is raw and free, and every musician has left their spirit in the music, every instrument speaks for the musicians that played it and all together it creates a journey that can transport you to a place surrounded by sun, nature and the sea.
On the B side, Bel delivers a haunting, psychedelic infused ballad with ‘Unsafe House’ continuing in the Latin theme with muffled percussion, Triphop elements and a bassline courtesy of Bel. ‘Unsafe House’ subtly tackles ancestral trauma and what it means to feel insecure in places you should feel safe. An intimate meeting of minds between Bel and Grammy recognised Trumpet player Juan Carlos Montiel, they take you on an emotional and rhythmic journey through time and space.
Surrounded by an air of mystique, Bel is akin to some of musics timeless voices and is her most joyful on stage with her band. Made up of; Benji ‘Chief’ Appiah on drums, Jonah Scott on bass, Santiago Morales on percussion, Charlie Tappin on keys, Keahnne Whitby on sax and Poppy Daniels on trumpet, they will be performing at Love Supreme this summer with other dates soon to be announced. Over the past year, they’ve been honing their craft with recent shows at Jazz Cafe and the Roundhouse building up their reputation as a live ensemble not to miss. They aren't just bandmates, they are a community who all help one another get through the complexities of life to create a movement that is rooted in the here and now. Bel has been making noise since 2019 when her breakout song ‘Introverted Stoner’ put her on the map followed by her collab with Lex Amor the following year which cemented her place within the scene.