Ġenn

ĠENN are a 4-piece, made up of, Janelle Borg - guitars (she/her), Sofia Rosa Cooper - drums (she/they), Leona Farrugia - Vocals (she/they), and Leanne Zammit - bass (she/her). Majority queer, the first iteration of the band started 10 years ago in Malta, before moving to Brighton, where they met Sofia. Still Brighton based, they are Anglo-Maltese, with Jamaican and Portuguese roots.

With a tour taking place next month, today they share new single ‘Rohmeresse’. It’s a shape-shifting track that moves through the influences and locations of their collective upbringing. With the band’s mixed heritage, they’ve always had a collection of influences running through their veins and ‘Rohmeresse’ sets a scene for ĠENN’s ability to weave comfortably through an ever-moving cinematic landscape.

On the song, vocalist Leona Farrugia said, “I’ve often felt a pressure running through everyday life: a pressure to be productive whilst being true to oneself. Modern life can be very dissociative and small tasks become a real burden to uphold. I wanted to capture these thoughts through the track, whereby these emotions gradually build to a point of ecstasy.”

The track’s title nods to French new wave director Éric Rohmer, who’s characters often struggle through the morals and desires of quotidian life. The recurring gang vocal similarly echos the constant negotiation of the everyday: “I wanna stay in all day, I wanna sleep in all day”. Mundane distractions such ‘peeling potatoes’ become somewhat significant, and perhaps sinister reminders of a time slipping by. This also inspired the video.

ĠENN have also been announced to support the infamous Pussy Riot on their UK tour from the end of the month, until their own headline dates in Bristol, London, and Brighton. 

Leona and Janelle have been friends since the age of three, and first began songwriting in their early teens when they set a poem to music as part of an English Literature assignment. Janelle soon began learning guitar, whilst Leona took lessons in classical singing and immersed herself in the catalogues of an eclectic mix of artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf and John Coltrane.

Janelle then met Leanne at college who brought with her a fresh musical perspective and a brand new set of influences, ranging from Gorillaz to Megadeth and Gojira. After the 3 of them moved to Brighton, they met Sofia online - a drummer since the tender age of 11, taught by her late father, and a veteran of Crawley’s music scene. Sofia brought with her a vast amount of skill and experience, alongside a diverse set of influences including Cindy Blackman, Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder and Dennis Chambers.

They shared debut EP Liminal last year, which is six contrasting tracks that sear post-punk missives with more allusive meditations cocooned in psychedelic textures Describing their creative dynamic as a sisterhood, ĠENN have an unconditional bond, based on mutual affection and instinctive trust. Songs are born out of group jams, though the pandemic meant they had to adapt their process slightly then to work at a distance. 

ĠENN is maltese for ‘Craziness’ and they are supported by Arts Council Malta.

‘Rohmeresse’ feels like a real journey - a shape-shifting track that moves through the influences and locations of their collective upbringing. With the band consisting of Maltese, English, Portuguese and Jamaican heritage, they’ve always had a collection of influences running through their veins and ‘Rohmeresse’ sets a scene for ĠENN’s ability to weave comfortably through an ever-moving cinematic landscape.

The track’s title nods to French new wave director Éric Rohmer, who’s characters often struggle through the morals and desires of quotidian life. The recurring gang vocal similarly echos the constant negotiation of the everyday: ‘I want a stay in all day, I want to sleep in all day’. Mundane distractions such ‘peeling potatoes’ become somewhat significant, and perhaps sinister reminders of a time slipping by. We’re lulled into the tracks climax, before ĠENN deliver the crescendo of a realisation.

“I’ve often felt a pressure running through everyday life: a pressure to be productive whilst being true to oneself. Modern life can be very dissociative and small tasks become a real burden to uphold. I wanted to capture these thoughts through the track, whereby these emotions gradually build to a point of ecstasy” Leona Farrugia - Vocalist