ALBUM: Pinky Pinky – ‘Turkey Dinner’

Giving up her music studies, Anastasia Sanchez replaced her violin with a drum kit, favouring the creative energy of DIY indie rock over the mentally-exhausting paragon of classical music virtue. Joining guitarist Isabelle Fields and bassist Eva Chambers, the Los Angeles trio pulled together their influences – from the Sex Pistols to Jeannie Piersol – and evolved into the monstrous Pinky Pinky.

Taking their namesake from a South African urban legend that terrified an entire generation of schoolgirls, Pinky Pinky’s early iterations were punk, then psychedelia, then blues, before the band realised that they needn’t focus on one genre. Following two extended plays – the self-titled Pinky Pinky EP and most recently Hot Tears, their debut album – Turkey Dinner is a an oddball mishmash of ’60s psych, surf-rock, and unpretentious observations.

Biting down gently on lips, opening track ‘My Friend Sean’ fantasises about the hottest boy is school: “Those pattern jeans, his ass busts through the seams!”. All the girls and boys want Sean. Next, Pinky Pinky take us through downtown LA in their ‘Mystery Sedan’ – ’60s garage pop blasting from the tapedeck – , whilst ‘Floorboards’ leads into ‘Lady Dancer’; two tracks that form two halves, with Anastasia displaying shades of Heart’s Ann Wilson and Kate Bush in her shrill vocal delivery during the first half, and Fiona Apple in the second. Both tracks have an infectious raw energy, and Isabelle’s closing guitar solo will leave you with a crick in your neck!

Four tracks into Turkey Dinner and the fresh-out-of-high-school Pinky Pinky have wasted no time in establishing their own style; foot-tapping rock and roll rooted in classic psychedelia, but bolstered by authentic perspectives on everything from passion to distress. The slower paced harmonies of ‘Applecheeks’ is followed by the surfy SoCal acoustic guitar and tropical drum patterns of ‘Do Me Dirty (Charlie)’.

This album provokes so many emotions, but it is the combination of Eva’s solid rock and roll basslines, paired with Anastasia’s vocal honesty in ‘Mr. Sunday’ that left me melancholic – “Can’t seem to feel what he’s done to me. I’m numb from pain ‘cause he don’t love me.”

The acoustic summer sounds of ‘All The Birds’ are contrasted by the echoing guitar tones, spirited drum beats, and themes of unrequited love in ‘If It Didn’t Hurt’, whilst ‘Sticking Around’ also tackles a similar theme of a doomed relationship, and finally, closing track, ‘Loose Change’, closes the band’s first full-length effort with a combination of keys, horns, and Eva’s irresistible bass guitar.

With every single one of the thirteen tracks on Turkey Dinner, Pinky Pinky have crafted a live-sounding album that is not only this year’s head-bobbing soundtrack to the summer, but an honest example of compelling songwriting and storytelling.

Turkey Dinner is out 14th June via Innovative Leisure. Pre-order here.

 

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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ALBUM: Barrie – ‘Happy To Be Here’

It’s sort of like waking up from a deep sleep, scattered with dreams, when the first lilts of album opener ‘Darjeeling’ hit you. Barrie Lindsay’s voice, oozing with harmony, doesn’t do much to dispel the slightly woozy feeling that permeates through Happy to Be Here, the debut album from her and the semi-eponymously named fivepiece Barrie. By the time you hear the feet on the stairs of its middle eight (reflecting lyrics of the same phrase), you know you’re in for an imagist ride of many colours, albeit one that’s still meticulously plotted out.

If dream pop is your bag, it’s here in spades. The ’90s video game ether of ‘Dark Tropical’ and its synthy hook; the atmosphere builder of the full fat electronic keys in ‘Saturated’; ‘Teenager’ with its horn-like synth blobs.

That being said, the band are a mixed-up bunch and underneath the sparkle, there’s something slightly more frenetic. Drummer Dominic Apa also plays with Brit electronic rock act, Is Tropical, whilst multi-instrumentalists Spurge Carter and Noah Prebish are DJs who originally bonded over a shared love of house. Sabine Holler, meanwhile, is a German performance artist that the band recruited via a dating app. And somehow, all of this is audible in the mishmash wall-of-sound that typifies the likes of ‘Habits’, with its high-life guitar and post-punk bass, and ‘Chinatown’, with its classic pop-meets-chillwave and delightfully stringy guitar solo. ‘Geology’, meanwhile, crosses genre and decades as its summery West Coast ’60s soul guitar verses flow into ’90s dance-pop choruses.

The standout though is lead-single ‘Clovers’. It, too, shares the mammoth thump in its choruses, as its synths build, blare and bloop all over Barrie’s vocals, extending that middle syllable of the song’s title for what feels like aeons. But here, it’s the contrast with the verses that really make the bombast worth it. Simple, almost childlike lyrics backed by single note piano melodies that stop just as the song explodes back into life. Its harmonised vocal acapella closing is perfect too – syrupy and satisfying.

Shout-outs to album closers too: penultimate track ‘Casino Run’, which evokes synthwavers College (of ‘Real Hero’ from the Drive soundtrack), and finale ‘Hutch’, which is about as close to straightforward pop as the LP gets, piano-led with Barrie’s honeyed voice poured over the top.

The press that came with the album describes it as “snapshots of the band coming together”, and that “inclusivity and friendship is at the heart of Barrie”. Given the disparate nature of how the five individuals came together, and then managed to make it work so well, the latter must certainly be true. It’s the former that sticks with you, though, after the album has finished. The sense of being young, in a squad, kicking around a town. And that’s especially true when you find out that many of these songs were written as part of Barrie Lindsay’s initial career as a solo artist. When it comes to the debut she’s just released, you can take it that her bandmates are indeed happy to be here.

Happy To Be Here, the debut album from Barrie, is out now via Winspear.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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Premiere: Beauty Sleep – ‘Rainbow Ballroom’

Beauty Sleep’s liquid sound and lush production have the ability to place them among the pantheon of greats that precede them. Their synth pop radiance is akin to Beach House and Acid House Kings, with interlacing vocal stylings seductive enough for an of Montreal track.

The Belfast trio’s debut LP Be Kind is set to release this month, and upon first listen will easily become your sound of the summer. In fact, the whole release drips like honey from a champagne flute.

According to a statement from the band’s label regarding their genesis: “Beauty Sleep’s music is born of the friendship its three members share,” they detail. “…While chatting, Cheylene, Ryan and Aimee discovered a powerful shared creative bond. Overcome with the rush of inspiration only the prospect of a new project instils, the group decided to seize the moment and focus their energy into forming a new band. Enter the lush dream-pop Beauty Sleep makes today.”

Taking notes from NPR-coined genre Roséwave, their shimmering vocals meld divinely with the twinkling bell tones to create catchy choruses driven by passion. Their sound gets edgy on the track ‘The Feeling Back’ where you can hear distorted guitar and group vocals in the chorus that give a feeling of shouting out into the night with your friends on a rooftop bar.

‘On Repeat’, a soaring beat driven zen overload captures the thrill of a late night “getting lost in the moment”, while keeping the vibe cool enough for an after-club coffee.

Third track, ‘Rainbow Ballroom’ (premiered below!), could easily be a modern interpretation of a Diana Ross hit. The bass funk is apparent in the verses, only to break out into plumes of sound over the chorus using synth pads to fill the sound out infinitely.

‘Lies’ is another breakout track that features the vocalists’ spoken words and airy samples in the intro. This allows the experimentation of the track to really sparkle; downright dirty bass fills carry the morphed vocals and playful lyrics. Another Standout ‘Synthetic Debris’ opens up like a prom slow dance hit from the ’80s. I sensed major deja vu from listening to The Radio Dept. in my teens. It’s quiet and intimate, sparing no details that fill in the detailed background, samples, synths and all.

The band bolsters an electric live sound as well, treating shows and festivals as “a communal celebration of music and dance.”

Beauty Sleep has vivatius and contagious power in their debut LP Be Kind is sure to leave you wanting a blissed out night on the town, slightly tipsy and full of life.

Be Kind, the debut album from Beauty Sleep, is out 17th May. Listen to brand new single ‘Rainbow Ballroom’, for the first time, below:

 

Luke Janke
@Jankeleg

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EP: Sive – ‘Sive’

Sive (Sadbh O’Sullivan) is an Irish songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist, and has just released her eponymous new EP featuring the eclectic sounds of alternative folk/trad with jazz percussion, all seamed together by her captivating voice. The EP is about navigating self-discovery in a world that can be noisy and overwhelming. It challenges the listener to stop, listen and open themselves up to what can be learned by doing so.

Dream-folk opener ‘Quietly’ starts off with ukulele accompanying an ethereal voice – “hail to the man that lingers on..stares into the noise.. and listens for the silence”, leading into the vocal layering of the chorus where we “dance the language of our bones.”

‘Holding’ is about someone unravelling, built around the sounds of kalimba and chimes, creating a sound that suggests fragility, but gains strength as the song progresses to a faster rhythm and a swirling pastoral aura. This theme carries on into the relatable ‘Do It All The Time’ with its catchy chorus and atmospherics, regarding lying about one’s true mental state – “I don’t know why I do it all the time… it’s a complex work of art.” 

Slipping back to dream-folk with ‘Yukki Onna’, a haunting song about a Japanese mythical figure, and you are carried along by Sive’s captivating voice. The EP ends with ‘Tenlach’ where the beautiful Irish language is featured; a soothing lullaby, reflecting a connection with nature, tradition and roots. The perfect ending to the collection.   

Overall, the EP delivers a balanced introspection; the mood is uplifting and reverential, filled with delightful and unexpected musical turns. I was held throughout by Sive’s emotive and enveloping voice, warming my heart, and undoubtedly yours too when you’re lucky enough to listen to this poignant collection.

Sive is out on 2nd May via Veta Records.

Fi Ni Aicead
@gotnomoniker

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