Slender Pins
So Happy (90% Of The Time)
23rd September 2022
In these turbulent times, Slender Pins’ new single, produced by Jon Hucks (Spring King, Voodoo Bandits, The Rills), shuns weighty political statements in favour of a short burst of sunny escapism… or so it would seem.
90% of the time the narrator passes through life in grateful, glowing splendour. But what happens the other 10% of the time? Therein lies the dark heart of this outwardly cheerful track.
“I’m a pretty optimistic kind of guy…I’m so happy…ninety percent of the time.”
Mirroring the subject matter, the track darts between spoken word verses and soaring choruses, from breezy pop-punk riffs to dark brooding soundscapes, all underpinned by a snarling bass and powerhouse drums.
“Thinking too much about the shortness of life and the vast, overpowering indifference of the universe generally leads to mixed results, at best,” says guitarist Alex. “However, that is the feeling we attempt to commit to tape in this autumnal banger. Is it angst? Only if you let it be.
“The song’s main riff came to me while brooding, weak and weary, on a train to rehearsal. Upon playing it to Ash he leapt immediately into the chorus and the rest of it sprung from there.”
Says singer Ash: “Life is a miracle, a glorious thing – ninety percent of the time. It’s the ten percent that will destroy you.”
The song was recorded at Squarehead Recording Studio in Kent.
ABOUT:
Slender Pins as manifested on this recording are Ash (vocals), Alex (guitar, bass) and Ed (drums). The band’s origins lie in a drunken pilgrimage to Abbey Road on a cold winter Sunday where Alex and Ash vowed to form a band with the goal of returning guitar music to its former glory.
Slender Pins combine garage rock with a sprinkle of punk to make a glorious noise perfect for the dancefloor.” – God is in the TV Zine
“Energetic post-punk full of magnetism.” – Gig Slutz
“If the Stones and the Clash had a baby, Slender Pins would be that baby.” – Loud Mouth Music
Slender Pins have been bombarding audiences with their abrasive rock sound and frontman Ash’s eccentric Dadaist stage performances since late 2018.
Their music consists of catchy and dancey guitar rock, underpinned by a hint of post-punk menace and Motown-esque grooves. The band used the enforced hiatus of the pandemic to broaden its sound with new influences from surf rock to Big Beat dance music.
Lyrically, their songs draw on historical and artistic allusions from across the millennia to create impressionistic sketches about the absurdity of modern life. Slender Pins are anti-work, anti-landlord and pro-the redeeming power of art – although all subjects are dealt with through a trademark mixture of dry irony and surrealism.
Songwriters Alex (guitar) and Ash bonded over their mutual love of acts from ABBA to the Stooges and shared obsession with history.
On a cold January day they made a pilgrimage from Camden to Abbey Road and were visited by a prophecy that they would form a band that would restore guitar music to its former glory. Drummer Ed was recruited after booking the band to play a gig.
Since then, the band’s New Wave and punk-rooted music has attracted support from the likes of BBC Music Introducing, This Feeling, ‘Mayor of the Sunset Strip’ Rodney Bingenheimer and ‘godfather of the south London music scene’ Pat Lyons.
Upcoming live shows:
23 September – Portland Arms Cambridge
26 September – New Cross Inn London
Slender Pins – So Happy (90% Of The Time)
Slender Pins – Where’s The Money
Slender Pins – Apprentice to Life
Slender Pins links:
Band/Artist location – London, England
Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Bandcamp –
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – Last Fm
