Cocknbullkid: Hold On To Your Misery – review
CocknBullKid, Anita Blay. Photo: John D McHugh
Cocknbullkid, aka Anita Blay, is East London born and bred. From her birth in Clapton, to teenage years in Hackney central, to joining Tribal Tree, the East London music project that spawned Plan B, the 25-year-old has stayed true to her roots and lives in Hackney to this day.
Even her new album, Adulthood, was put together in Dalston, by former Sneaker Pimp Liam Howe, and it is from this that her latest single Hold on to Your Misery was released.
It is what Blay calls ‘an anti-anthem’ and is about stopping putting so much value on being happy.
Undoubtably more mainstream than her earlier efforts, it is a light, breezy, lilting affair with a gospel influenced chorus that is surprisingly catchy. Fans of her earlier work may find its pop sensibilities disconcerting, but the subject matter, an ode to unhappiness, keep it more interesting than some bubblegum chart fare.
The remix package, however, should be enough to keep the DJs and more underground music fans happy. The Hot City version lays the vocals over four four beats, marimba rhythms and hands-in-the-air piano riffs, while producers of the moment Hercules and the Love Affair have created deep, acid-tinged, Chicago house roller. The Dreamtrak Diamond Sound mix is a more straight-forward organ-laden house joint with an epic breakdown. Overall, a worthy release from this proud daughter of Hackney.