Single Review: Pushpin - Folds
There's an inherent problem that repeatedly rears it's head with doing this kind of blog. Taking as many open submissions as I do, you do find the same sounds popping up again and again. Now don't get me wrong; I've always been a fan of the Post Punk bands of the late 70s and early 80s - in fact, bands like Gang of Four, Joy Division and The Fall have created some of my favourite songs and albums of the era - but bloody Post Punk is everywhere.
Band becomes successful with single based around a recycled Wire riff and suddenly everyone is in on the act - it's a tale as old as time; cynical? MOI?!?! Some of the bands who are throwing their music in the Post Punk ring have something interesting enough about them to stand out from the rest. East London's Cross Wires are a good example (see link for review of their 'Hall of Mirrors' single below) and there is another South of the river - Pushpin.
Pushpin are Adam (Synths), Arthur (Vocals, Guitar), Ed (Vocals, Bass) and Laurence (Drums, Vocals) - New single 'Folds' is the bands first new material since 2019. Rather than lamenting the 2020 experience, the band took the time to write five new songs, which will all be released over 2021 - with next single 'Apples' expected to be released next in March. The time off has also allowed them to experiment with the axis of their sound and found household items such as microwaves and vacuum cleaners to come in very useful.
It's not evident during the opening strains of 'Folds' that Pushpin have the sort of Post-Punk influences that they claim - it seems to have more in common with the Synth-based prog of Battles, the glossy Neo-Psych of MGMT and the Indie-Pop experimentalism of Everything Everything more than anything else. The bass and guitar lines bounce around in unison creating plenty of space for the vocal melody to arrive.
It's here where you get an overwhelming sense of deja vu about the lead vocal. Something sticks out like a sore thumb and I can't place it - until the penny drops. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen - the rhythm of the vocals bares an uncanny resemblance to that of Mika's 2007 hit single 'Grace Kelly' - though pheeeew - no attempt at a piercing falsetto. That was unexpected. Thankfully it works brilliantly with the backing and adds a semance of familiarity without infringing on copywrite too much.
The theme of the lyrics seem to be based around an internal monologue, unconvincingly attempting to lift the mood of the song's protagonist. I tell myself off more than anyone else, A mess, A nobody, I must forgive myself is how it begins - sounding like the kind of self-care message you get on a million Instagram stories at any given time. A jazzy drum fill heralds the arrival of menacing synth that hits you right between the ears - it could easily have been on the score for 'The Greasy Strangler' in a different lifetime. It instinctively makes me think of Devo and that's never a bad thing.
Guitar, bass and drums re-enter, this time with a much more discordant and jarring sensibility - indicating a shift away from the positivity that was previously prevailing. I have not always been one for my health, but now I promise to love myself is the cry, but it doesn't seem plausible - there is a sense that all is not what it seems. The instrumentation is stripped back to minimal synth and drums as the track enters it's final section and previous suspicions about a false positivity become reality. There's a twist in the tale however - It's not always you and it's not always me, I struggle sometimes to remember to breath is sung with a resigned sigh and ensures the track ends on a more psychologically realistic view.
With 'Folds', Pushpin have created a self-help mantra with an incessantly catchy bounce; it'll allow you to strut around your bedroom like the eminent Peacock you are - before knocking you back into the nest, defensively licking your wounds. More of this please.
'Folds' has been added to the new NoNewWaveNoFun Spotify playlist including artists we've featured on the blog and reviewed recently - such as Sleeplore, Happy Hollows, Meilir, Cross Wires, Mondegreen and Lightning Books amongst many others. Click subscribe to keep up to date with the playlist.
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