Let Em' Talk: Pushpin tell us about new E.P 'Picnic'

 

South London's Pushpin have a been a band that have been bubbling under the surface nicely for the last year or so. Comprising of Adam on Synths, Arthur on Vocals/Guitar, Ed on Vocals/Bass and Laurence on Vocals/Drums, the band have produced a collection of consistenly inventive synth-led Alternative Pop that makes you thirsty for more.

 Forming just before the first Lockdown in 2020, the band took their time and experimented to come up with their uniquely clever sound. Here at NNWNF HQ, we first came across the band when their debut single 'Folds' landed in our inbox in 2021; we've been fans ever since - see our review at the link below.

                           Pushin - Folds review

Pushpin have released new E.P Picnic this week and we got in touch with the band to get more about the origins of the songs, track-by-track. They also told us where the name of the E.P came from:

The E.P is called 'Picnic' because it's really like a picnic - it's got all sorts of snacks and treats - and like a picnic, it was made up of the stuff we had lying around at the time. Over the lockdowns we had all sorts of ideas we were desperate to stitch together, and this is the end result of that process. It's very much a musical picnic crammed with all sorts of flavour.

                                 

1) Folds

'Folds' was our first ever single - it was sort of inspired by some food poisoning Ed had once, but it's really a self care anthem about the little promises you make to yourself to be better. It started with some accidentally House-inspired synth chords that we kept layering stuff on top of, until we found the guitar hook that really clicked. We had a lot of fun playing with the synth settings, delays, reverbs and other effects for the outro. That's actually one of our favourite moments of the E.P.

2) Apples

'Apples' is about leaving home, developing as a person and having new experiences, but then having to act as that previous version of yourself when you go back home to visit. The chorus is about when Ed saw a fight in Wetherspoons and thought to himself  - "Why are they doing this in a family pub at like 3pm?!"  - for whatever reason, we then decided to channel that confused energy into an acapella.

3) Deep Dive Brain Drive

We always wanted 'Deep Dive Brain Drive' to be a big builder - it's a gradual climb in a way, that's ALMOST chilled out, but then we wanted to flip a switch and go completely ballistic. It's kind of like how Sundays can be great and you'll be having a lovely day, but then 5pm arrives and it hits you that you've got work in the morning; I think that's partly what the song is about. 

4) So Long

'So Long' was one of the first things we wrote together. It started with an acoustic guitar hook that Adam came up with and a melody Ed had kicking around that seemed to slot right on top. We were really excited by it, but it took a long time to delevop into the song it is now. We tried all sorts of styles and parts, until we landed on this quieter, more intimate version. The lyrics are about being comfortable in a relationship even through difficult times, and finding peace in someone even when it's hard.

You can follow Pushpin on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

As ever we recommend you buy from Bandcamp, preferably on Bandcamp Friday (first Friday of the month) to support the artists as much as possible.

Photos: Arthur Vickery