Stars and spangles: “Elephant”: the video

Stars and spangles: “Elephant”: the video

Creativity Letterbox Releases Singles


“Elephant” by Obey Robots features on our album “One In A Thousand”, out 24th February 2023 and available here.


Someone said the thumbnail of this video makes me look like I’m in an episode of Doctor Who, and I am here for that.


VIDEO CREDITS
Directed, shot and edited by Laura Kidd.
Filmed in the corner of Rat’s messy attic in the Midlands and in the middle of Laura’s messy home studio in Bristol. Luna tried to get on camera, but it wasn’t the right time. Can you spot her in this one though?

SONG CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Bristol.
Mixed by Chris Sheldon at Red Cedar, London, mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton.
All music by Laura Kidd and Rat. Guitars by Rat.
All lyrics, arrangements, vocals, bass and synths by Laura.
Drums by Max Saidi.

NEXT

I’m proud and very thankful to be a fully fan-funded artist, so if you’d like to stay involved and continue to support the making of new music, writing and videos:

šŸŽ Get a FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

šŸŽ¹ Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club (returning soon!).

šŸ¤– Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

šŸŽø Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

šŸŽ„ Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

šŸ’¬ Chat with me onĀ Twitter,Ā InstagramĀ andĀ Facebook.

See you soon xo

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“Elephant” – Obey Robots

“Elephant” – Obey Robots

Creativity Letterbox Music News Releases Singles

Taut and propulsive, ā€œElephantā€ marries the pop nouse of XTC with the stop-start dynamics of 00’s post-hardcore mainstays Hundred Reasons before opening up into the kind of shimmering chorus that would have shot Obey Robots to MTV stardom had it been the 90’s.



āœ… Pre-order the Obey Robots album “One In A Thousand” now and receive this track PLUS four more immediately.

āœ…
Shop limited edition vinyl, signed CDs, cassettes, tees, hoodies, lyric books and guitar pick tins.


SONG CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd.
Mixed by Chris Sheldon. Mastered by Katie Tavini.

All music by Laura Kidd and Rat, all lyrics and arrangements by Laura Kidd. All vocals and bass by Laura, all guitars by Rat. Drums by Max Saidi.

Ratā€™s guitars recorded by Dan Austin. All other instruments recorded by Laura in The Launchpad, Bristol.

Single artwork by Laura Kidd, robot illustration by Alex Tillbrook.


LYRICS

Newspaper shouts that weā€™ve had enough
The radio says weā€™re all out of love
Donā€™t let them take what you worked hard for
Slaving away for your family
Thereā€™s nothing left for the strangers who bleed
Hold tight to the things that you value

Thank your lucky stars
Look to the future
Thereā€™s freedom in guitars

We try to get it right
Fight the forces on the other side
Just a little longer
Unbandaging our eyes
Count the seconds as they crystallise
Itā€™s just a little further

The government says weā€™re overrun
They get a break while you soldier on
Cos you donā€™t have the life that you deserve
Youā€™re working hard for your family
Thereā€™s nothing else, you believe what you read
This wasnā€™t given to you on a plate

Donā€™t politicise
Stick to the music
Dance for a little while
Always scraping the barrel
Parroting lines
Iā€™ve never felt so angry

We try to get it right
Fight the forces on the other side
Just a little longer
Unbandaging our eyes
Count the seconds as they crystallise
Itā€™s just a little further

Weā€™re wasting time
Donā€™t want to feel so bad
Weā€™re wasting time
And it was all we had

We try to get it right
Fight the forces on the other side
Just a little longer
Unbandaging our eyes
Count the seconds as they crystallise
Itā€™s just a little further

We try to get it right
Fight the forces on the other side
Just a little longer
Unbandaging our eyes
Losing hours as they hypnotise
Itā€™s always a little further than we can


NEXT

I’m proud and very thankful to be a fully fan-funded artist, so if you’d like to stay involved and continue to support the making of new music, writing and videos:

šŸŽ Get a FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

šŸŽ¹ Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club (returning soon!).

šŸ¤– Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

šŸŽø Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

šŸŽ„ Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

šŸ’¬ Chat with me onĀ Twitter,Ā InstagramĀ andĀ Facebook.

See you soon xo

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Yes, we made these costumes ourselves…

Yes, we made these costumes ourselves…

Creativity Letterbox Releases Singles


“Porcupine” by Obey Robots features on our album “One In A Thousand”, out 24th February 2023 and available here.


The only reviews I care about are from music fans…here are some words on “Porcupine”:

“Damned fine. Catchy, driving tune allied to pleasingly daft day-go visuals” – author Ian Rankin

ā€œ90s guitar mated with 80s synth to make a 2023 musical gem of a baby.  love it.ā€ – TheHousePanther

ā€œan absolute hoot!ā€ – Jo

ā€œYou Robots know how to party!ā€ – Joe

ā€œAwesome riff, hilarious video, cracking song! Love it!!! ā€œ – Gary

ā€œSO FUN!  Love this!ā€ – Wendy

ā€œKiller riff, great vocal, and a hugely fun video to go with them. Well played, again. This album is going to be a belter.ā€ – Matt

ā€œPink wafers for the win.ā€ – PupGeorge

ā€œThat was absolutely bonkers and I love it!ā€ – Vince

ā€œWhat fabulous nonsense!  I will practice dance moves for any live performance you put on – even if I’m not attendingā€ – Shane

ā€œevery part of this is utterly delightful!ā€ – Dan

ā€œI am a porcupine!ā€ – Jez

THANK YOU


I’d had this video idea in mind for months, and when it came time to make it a reality the timing was perfect.

New Year, new outlook. It was time to throw off the bad bits of 2022 and be as utterly silly as we liked. Who cares?

I’m a porcupine! You’re a porcupine!

The song is about defensiveness (particularly on the internet); our seemingly innate urge to throw up our spikes right away to defend ourselves by caricaturing the opposition, magnified by addictive media.

We’re told “there’s nothing new under the sun”…bring me another song containing the words “erethizontidae” and “hystricidae” accompanied by a video featuring a cardboard robot party in the local village hall and I’ll agree with you!


PS the last few “I’m a Porcupine” tees are for sale here.


VIDEO CREDITS
Directed and edited by Laura Kidd
DOP – Sarah Smither
Camera and lighting assistant – Miles McDowell
Set photography, porcupine creation and general wonderfulness – Tim Bailey
Costumes by Rat & Laura (obviously!)
Filmed at Shirehampton Public Hall, Bristol

SONG CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Bristol.
Mixed by Chris Sheldon at Red Cedar, London, mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton.
All music by Laura Kidd and Rat. Guitars by Rat.
All lyrics, arrangements, vocals, bass and synths by Laura.
Drums by Max Saidi.

NEXT

I’m proud and very thankful to be a fully fan-funded artist, so if you’d like to stay involved and continue to support the making of new music, writing and videos:

šŸŽ Get a FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

šŸŽ¹ Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club (returning soon!).

šŸ¤– Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

šŸŽø Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

šŸŽ„ Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

šŸ’¬ Chat with me onĀ Twitter,Ā InstagramĀ andĀ Facebook.

See you soon xo

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Why I shot a music video using Quicktime player and made it look like a Zoom call…

Why I shot a music video using Quicktime player and made it look like a Zoom call…

Creativity Letterbox Music News Process Releases Singles


Originally released in December 2020, ā€œLet It Snowā€ wasnā€™t just the first Obey Robots single, it was the first song we completed (in December 2020!).

It was a test:

-> can we make music together?
-> do we love what we made?
-> does anyone want to hear it?

If the answer to the first two questions had been ā€œnoā€, you would never have heard of Obey Robots. And if the answer to the second question was ā€œyesā€, the answer to the third question would never stop me anyway.

Happily, the answer to the second question was HELL YES! – and the overwhelmingly positive response from music fans was the icing on the cake. A cake full of riffs! šŸŽ‚šŸŽø


For this new video, I decided to invite you in to get a sense of what the collaboration process was like for Rat and I.

By December 2020 weā€™d only met in person twice, so all communication was by email and occasional Zoom calls. We were always speaking from our individual creative spaces, which I think helped us both to feel more confident talking to someone we didnā€™t know that well.

I got so used to seeing Rat on my computer screen that it still surprises me when we meet up – heā€™s very tall!

Most of the video was shot using Quicktime player. Weā€™ve all grown perhaps too familiar with the particular quality of footage you get on video calls, so I wanted to retain that to bring you right into the middle of things.

All the footage up to the instrumental was shot individually and separately: me in my home studio, Rat in his. And then – well, I donā€™t want to ruin the plot twist, youā€™ll just have to watch!

Being creative doesnā€™t require fancy equipment or a big team of people. You can achieve a lot with just an idea, some basic gear and the drive to complete something. Thatā€™s how our album was made, and how everything else weā€™re sharing is being made. Thatā€™s how Iā€™ve always worked.

This is real people making real music about real things. I hope you enjoy it.

Love,
Laura xo

-> PRE-ORDER “One In A Thousand” by Obey Robots now – out on 24th February 2023! You’ll receive four songs immediately, with another beaming into your inbox before the album release.

Thank you for supporting independent music!

NEXT

I’m proud and very thankful to be a fully fan-funded artist, so if you’d like to stay involved and continue to support the making of new music, writing and videos:

šŸŽ Get a FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

šŸŽ¹ Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club (returning soon!).

šŸ¤– Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

šŸŽø Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

šŸŽ„ Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

šŸ’¬ Chat with me onĀ Twitter,Ā InstagramĀ andĀ Facebook.

See you soon xo

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“Super Connected” – Obey Robots

“Super Connected” – Obey Robots

Creativity Letterbox Music News Releases Singles

A song about the cognitive dissonance of feeling ā€œsuper connectedā€: supposedly informed and part of a community via social media, yet deluded if we think typing words into a little box is enough to show empathy to people in very different situations to our own comfort. ā€œIf weā€™re super connected, why arenā€™t we all floating in the sea?ā€


āœ… Pre-order the Obey Robots album “One In A Thousand” now and receive this track PLUS “Not The Quiet Type” immediately PLUS a new song in your inbox every six weeks leading up to the release date of 24th February 2022.

āœ…
Shop limited edition vinyl, signed CDs, cassettes, tees, hoodies, lyric books and guitar pick tins.

VIDEO CREDITS
Directed and edited by Laura Kidd.
DOP – Sarah Smither.
Right-hand woman + set photography – Charlie Romijn
Set assistants/extras – Megan Green, Leanne Bond & Kit Crew-Gee
Set photographer – Kate Feast


Shot at Boom Satsuma, Bristol. Huge thanks to Freya Billington, Phil Zikking and David Neal.

SONG CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Bristol.
Mixed by Chris Sheldon at Red Cedar, London, mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton.

All music by Laura Kidd and Rat. Guitars by Rat. All lyrics, arrangements, vocals, bass, synths, drum programming and lead guitar by Laura.


LYRICS

I drew a target on the back of my neck
Cos some are more equal than others
Disaster junkies scrape bottomless feeds
As long as their self-satisfactionā€™s guaranteed

We hold on to life, like everyone tries
If weā€™re super connected
Why arenā€™t we all floating in the sea?

Stuck with myself, I run for my health
Cos these pretty flowers can kill you
Send bottles downstream in an alkaloid dream
Share in this delusion where no-one hears you scream

We hold on to life, like everyone tries
If weā€™re super connected
Why arenā€™t we all floating in the sea?

We hold on to life, like everyone tries
If weā€™re super connected
Why arenā€™t we all floating in the sea?


Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.

Have a lovely day! xo

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“And Peace” – (2019)

“And Peace” – (2019)

Albums Letterbox Music News Releases

When I decided to bring my She Makes War project to a close at the end of 2019, I created this eight-track retrospective featuring fan favourites from all four She Makes War albums. These songs were lovingly re-recorded in a stripped-back, intimate fashion in my home studio The Launchpad.

As I wrote at the time of release, “I want to celebrate a decade of independent music-making with the community who have encouraged me throughout the years. Iā€™m so proud of the music Iā€™ve made so far and so thankful for your ears and hearts! I put the choice of songs to a public vote in the summer, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend some time creating these new arrangements for you. Thank you x”

Stream the album in full below, pick up your copy on CD and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo


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“Disarm:15” – (2015)

“Disarm:15” – (2015)

Albums Letterbox Music News Releases

I released my debut album ā€œDisarmā€ under the name She Makes War in September 2010. Iā€™d been collecting the songs together for a couple of years, gradually focusing my mind, building my confidence and getting ever closer to making the music that was playing in my head a reality, a tangible thing others could listen to. Little did I imagine what adventures those songs would take me on, but Iā€™ve enjoyed travelling around the world watching them take on a life of their own ever since.

As the fifth anniversary of Disarm came closer I started making plans to revisit some of the songs, tenderly reworking the tracks that feel the most resonant to my current self, and the ones I felt would benefit from a different sonic approach.

After releasing my third album ā€œDirection Of Travelā€ I felt it was high time to roll up my sleeves and tackle songs from my debut that never fully realised their potential. Itā€™s about wisdom and hindsight, I suppose.

As Kierkegaard said, ā€œLife can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.ā€

Stream the EP in full below, pick up your copy on CD and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo


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“Not The Quiet Type” – Obey Robots

“Not The Quiet Type” – Obey Robots

Creativity Letterbox Music News Releases Singles

“Featuring the iconic guitar sound of Rat (Nedā€™s Atomic Dustbin) and the compassionate melodic arrangements of Laura Kidd (Penfriend / She Makes War), “Not The Quiet Type” implores the listener to stop chasing perfection and step fully into themselves and their perceived imperfections.”

No experience is truly wasted. Try, fail and try again. Be yourself, fall in love, get it all terribly wrong and get back up.

Youā€™ve got this.


āœ… Pre-order the Obey Robots album “One In A Thousand” now and receive this track immediately PLUS a new song in your inbox every six weeks leading up to the release date of 24th February 2022.

āœ…
Shop limited edition vinyl, signed CDs, cassettes, tees, hoodies, lyric books and guitar pick tins.

CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Bristol. Mixed by Chris Sheldon at Red Cedar, London, mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton. All music by Laura Kidd and Rat. All lyrics, arrangements, vocals, bass, and synths by Laura. All guitars by Rat. Drums by Max Saidi.


LYRICS

Goodbye, a little sigh
Sticking fingers in my eyes
Out of time, out of sight
So I’ll try another night

I won’t regret all the hours that I spent
I’m not here to make amends
I am not the quiet type

Destruction makes us stronger
We will always get it wrong
So fall to pieces, fall apart
Weā€™ll stick it back together

Am I being interesting?
Turning cheek and fighting spin?
Finding comfort in my skin?
Imperfectionā€™s always in

I won’t regret all the hours that I spent
I’m not here to make amends
No, Iā€™m not the quiet type!

Destruction makes us stronger
We will always get it wrong
So fall to pieces, fall apart
Weā€™ll stick it back together

Destruction makes us stronger
We will always get it wrong
So fall to pieces, fall apart
Then get back up

Destruction makes me stronger
I will always do my best
So fall to pieces, fall in love
Weā€™ll stick it back together

Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.

Have a lovely day! xo

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“Brace For Impact” – (2018)

“Brace For Impact” – (2018)

Albums Letterbox Music News Releases

From 2009-2019 I made music under the name She Makes War, releasing 4 and a bit solo albums and playing nearly 600 shows.

“Brace For Impact” was the final full-length She Makes War album, released on 5th October 2018. Funded through Pledge Music and the generosity of music fans, it reached #15 in the Independent Album Chart and narrowly missed out on a top 100 placing in the Official Albums Chart. It was all very exciting for this indie artist!

As I said at the time, ā€œIā€™ve never wanted to wait around for the old guard to validate and endorse me ā€“ my whole career has been about making the art I want to and finding a way to get it to people.ā€ ā€œIā€™m here to share my stories and show my audience I hear and see them too. Itā€™s human nature, to want to know youā€™re not alone.ā€

Stream the album in full below, pick up your copy on CD or “dogface” splatter vinyl and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo


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“Seashaken” by the sea

“Seashaken” by the sea

Creativity Letterbox Releases

In April 2022 I spent a week in the Setubal area of Portugal, travelling up to my beloved Lisbon for several day trips. One breakfast time, after reading about the cavaquinho, an ancestor of the ukulele, I decided to go on a musical treasure hunt to find an instrument to play my song “Seashaken” on – by the sea.


“Seashaken” appears on my album “Exotic Monsters”.

Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.

Have a lovely day! xo

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