Let Em' Talk: TV Pins talk us through their debut album 'Aircutter'
TV Pins are a band that blend the wisdom of experience with youthful exuberance, with impressive results. Comprising of three - how shall I put it? - more mature musicians, in the form of Duncan O'Neil, Miles Nicholas and Simon Hudson; between them they've toured Europe extensively, supported Blur with previous bands and formed a hugely, successful tribute band to The Smiths.
The band are completed by the powerful vocals of James Schofield and the keyboard grooves of Grace Bailey-Hinks, who provide some extra energy and buoyancy to proceedings.
Together, the five piece have just released debut album Aircutter; an enjoyable album that takes it's inspiration just as much from the great American songbook as it does leftfield British guitar pop. We got the band to tell us about the album track-by-track and they came back with these insights.
1) Oh Yeah
Duncan: Sometimes the world around you makes absolutely no sense at all and you feel powerless to even articulate what it is you’re feeling inside. 'Oh Yeah' wants to capture that loopy feeling of tongue-tied desperation, smack it on the head, turn it round, mould it into a chant and boot it straight through a brick wall. This was always going to be the lead off track for the album… a bit of a big hello, really.
2) Bye Bye Reseda
Miles: In an alternative reality, the US becomes a dictatorship rather than a democracy. The supreme leader makes good on his promise and turns all of the southern states into one monstrous golf course named after his favourite Los Angeles suburb. All residents of Reseda are forced to work the golf course as caddies, bartenders or exotic dancers for less than minimum wage. Any dissension or attempts to escape are met with either violence, imprisonment or disappearance. Until one couple attempt to escape.
Will they make it to the coast? This is their story. The song blends influences from Interpol, The Killers, Supertramp & Vegas-era Elvis. It also features a killer brass section.
Miles: In an alternative reality, the US becomes a dictatorship rather than a democracy. The supreme leader makes good on his promise and turns all of the southern states into one monstrous golf course named after his favourite Los Angeles suburb. All residents of Reseda are forced to work the golf course as caddies, bartenders or exotic dancers for less than minimum wage. Any dissension or attempts to escape are met with either violence, imprisonment or disappearance. Until one couple attempt to escape.
Will they make it to the coast? This is their story. The song blends influences from Interpol, The Killers, Supertramp & Vegas-era Elvis. It also features a killer brass section.
3) Magpie Eyes
Simon: Our vision here was to deliver harmonies, melodies and the return of the 3 minute catchy pop single. To transport people to dancing in fields, listening to music in the summer sun and writing bittersweet lyrics to make you think.
Written in Australia, sat on a sweltering beach while watching the flora and fauna, 'Magpie Eyes' is the tale of the envious character that exists who takes and covets all the shine in your life. Subverting the folksy magpie rhymes and set to a breezy backing of Smith-sy guitars and Teenage Fanclub harmonies. Shades on, pedal to the metal and tune in. There's a magpie on every corner.
4) Roundabout
Duncan: This is a hymn to the grind of commuter life. Crammed into squealing metal carriages, sardined-up with millions of others on your way to do the deed of the daily job. Jammed into someone else’s unforgiving armpit, dreaming of wide open roads that allow you to escape to the coast with a big, breezy tune on the radio to get you there. This was one of the first tunes we got together as TV Pins. Great instrumental passages seem to be missing from a lot of songs these days. We wanted to bring some of that back.
5) Cool White Jug
Miles: There is an odd tale of a strange party set that existed in the Shinjuku region of Tokyo in the 1920’s. Apparently, if you were invited to one of the parties, you were only allowed in if you presented a beautiful piece of crockery and were able to tell an interesting story about its origin. If accepted you were allowed into the inner sanctum where things would get freaky, often involving opium and couple swapping. Musically this tune is a collision between Beck, Depeche Mode & Glen Campbell. Feels like a road trip song.
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6) Shining Light
Duncan: A song about love and friendship. This is an old one that's become an anthem amongst my friendship group. People have had it played at their weddings, birthdays and campfire get togethers. James' fantastic voice crowns its best ever recording and the brilliant Jonny Graffam adds some beautiful pedal steel work.
7) Wishing Pool
Duncan: A punchy, catchy room-mover with a smidgeon of moody edge and a killer chorus. It’s got some lovely, woozy, psychedelic Doorsian twists in it and a demonic low swell created by our genius producer/engineer Mark Neary. It’ll have your speaker sweating its grille off.
8) Everysingletime
Miles: Adventures in miscommunication set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape. A couple still arguing about what direction their relationship is going in when the rest of the world has literally fallen to pieces. A slinky little groove with a catchy hook.
9) Daisy Saturday Night
Duncan: Should you ever have the good fortune to go out with my lady wife on a Saturday evenings entertainment, I can promise a night you'll never remember… This is lots of fun to play life. It goes to a go-go, has elements of spiky surf-pop plus a belting singalong at the end over a sizzling Farfisa organ.
Duncan: A song about love and friendship. This is an old one that's become an anthem amongst my friendship group. People have had it played at their weddings, birthdays and campfire get togethers. James' fantastic voice crowns its best ever recording and the brilliant Jonny Graffam adds some beautiful pedal steel work.
7) Wishing Pool
Duncan: A punchy, catchy room-mover with a smidgeon of moody edge and a killer chorus. It’s got some lovely, woozy, psychedelic Doorsian twists in it and a demonic low swell created by our genius producer/engineer Mark Neary. It’ll have your speaker sweating its grille off.
8) Everysingletime
Miles: Adventures in miscommunication set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape. A couple still arguing about what direction their relationship is going in when the rest of the world has literally fallen to pieces. A slinky little groove with a catchy hook.
9) Daisy Saturday Night
Duncan: Should you ever have the good fortune to go out with my lady wife on a Saturday evenings entertainment, I can promise a night you'll never remember… This is lots of fun to play life. It goes to a go-go, has elements of spiky surf-pop plus a belting singalong at the end over a sizzling Farfisa organ.
10) Last Rites
Miles: A rich old man lies on his deathbed & looks back on a wasted life as hangers on & family desperately try to ingratiate themselves into the will. Only to find out that he’s frittered his fortune away. He literally laughs himself to death. There are shades of Bowie & XTC in this one. We’ve always loved that dichotomy between upbeat pop and sour, bent lyrics. Also the shortest tune on the album.
11) Aircutter
Miles: Something happened to the UK in 2016. This big, sprawling tune tries to capture some of the madness, the meanness & the hype that ensued. We dial up a big 80’s vibe towards the end. This is very much a journey song as it shifts dramatically between sections of ambience, bombastic rock and pulsating four on the floor anthems to the bonkersness of our dear homeland.
12) Tonight
Duncan: When you've given everything and fallen far short of the mark, you need a moment of reflection before you move on up. This used to be a much rockier old song but is now the acoustic closer to the album. James sings a blinder on this one too.
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