After an interview with Australian singer Sshh Liguz, it's easy to understand how she got her nickname – the girl can TALK!
“This is why they call me Sshh, because I'll give you a really long f#$%ing answer,” she says with an unashamed laugh.
Sshh is currently one half of an electro-punk duo (conveniently named SSHH) with her partner Zak Starkey, son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. SSHH have released their latest single 'Rising Tide', a pulsating dance track punctuated by raw, punk guitar.
SSHH (the band) have been in Australia supporting Primal Scream on their most recent national tour and Sshh (the singer) says the performances were an ideal pairing for them to introduce their blend of electronica and punk rock. “'Rising Tide' is an electronic single,” she says.
“But when you see us play live we're very punk rock and we're a little bit misleading in that way; that you think you're going to get a full-on dance act but actually we're a bit more punk rock. That's what was great about supporting Primal Scream because they have a very similar ethos.”
The single comes from their new EP of the same name, the follow-up to their 2016 debut release 'Issues', which featured cover songs played by SSHH and the original rhythm section players from the bands that wrote them. “First of all, 'Issues' was such a great experience working with all those different artists,” Sshh says.
“We really wanted to put out original music for a long time and it was actually meant to be the other way around that we were going to release original SSHH music first, but we were in the process of signing to a label, which was run by quite a famous singer but that label went defunct while we were in the process of making 'Issues'.”
With 'Rising Tide', SSHH have offered up an intensely potent concoction that's part frenetic energy and part love song, as Sshh explains.
“It's a bit of a f#$%-you song without being a f#$%-you song, because it was born from an argument that I had with Zak, but it's a love song. So it's a f#$%-you love song,” she says.
“We were driving home and it was raining and we were having a massive argument. I remember looking out the window and thinking 'God, I can't stop it raining and I can't stop the moon from shining but at the same time, even though you're being a dick, I can't stop loving you'.
“So that was where the basis of the idea of the song came from. It was one of those songs that was written really quickly as well, which is always a good sign when the words tumble out as opposed to it being forced, contrived nonsense.”
As for future releases, Sshh says she and Zak are planning a series of staggered EPs or as she calls them 'maxi-singles', featuring multiple interpretations of the one track. “Remember 'Slave To The Rhythm?' she asks, referring to Grace Jones' seminal 1985 album.
“It was one record but it was all these different versions of the same tune and they're so different that each tune becomes a new way to look at it.
“So we want to bring back the age of the remix and the age of interpreting tunes in different ways.
“We're going to be doing a series of these EPs because we want to do something different as well; it's not been done for ages and we're trying to shake things up a little bit in terms of coming in from a different angle. We like freaking people out in a good way.”
