Joanie Myburgh

Having previously provided guest vocals for post-punk artists Phobophobes and Boab, London-based indie-pop artist Joanie Myburgh has now released her debut solo EP Neurotica via Permanent Creeps Records. A cult-favorite in the London live-scene, supporting alternative rock acts like Black Lips and The Moonlandingz, Joanie infuses the grit and punk ethos of sweaty basement rock into her glittery, glamorous orb. She enlists UK-based artist and producer Jessica Winter, known for her moody soundscapes, who lays down stabbing, ominous synths that layer the four-track project with a spell-binding, dystopian edge. Joanie's lead track "Schadenfreude" shines as the apex of the project, its wicked and rapturous composition tottering between disco decadence and haunting apocalypse. "'Schadenfreude' interrogates the sickness of the modern age," Joanie tells PAPER, "where the downfall of celebrated women is entertainment." The sickly sweet delivery of the impossibly grim is tantamount to Joanie's magic. "Kerosene," with its luxurious music video directed by Ash K Halliburton, takes on the melodramatic world of the iconic '70s film Pink Narcissus. The intoxicating result captures the "intoxication, obsession and escapism" of the homoerotic oldie. From camp anthems to nihilistic eroticism, Joanie's overt interest in first-world hedonism creates thematic anchors in the project, using pop culture as kitschy, ironic breadcrumbs for contemplation. Her biting commentary, satirical edge and catchy lyricism push the strobe-lit dance songs and glossy production into exciting territory.