1 / 4 of a century in the past Bruce Soord based The Pineapple Thief as a solo challenge. It quickly grew past his expectancies and the quartet’s newest album, It Leads To This, reveals them switching issues up even additional. Prog catches up with Soord, drummer Gavin Harrison and bassist Jon Sykes to determine why the document’s introduction grew to become out to be this kind of cathartic revel in.
There’s a slight air of global weariness about The Pineapple Thief. The band were in Gavin Harrison’s studio, rehearsing for his or her upcoming excursion to fortify their new album, It Leads To This, and there’s the sense that it’s been an elongated, doubtlessly mildly irritating day of ignored cues and coffee bum notes.
“Gavin doesn’t sugar-coat anything else,” finds frontman Bruce Soord, referencing the drummer with a realizing smile. “So we’re within the studio now; we play a tune, document it and acquire across the audio system and pay attention again. The primary time you play it via, it’s fairly brutal. Now we have this dynamic the place we now have an ordered segment and a chaos segment, however I’m no longer going to inform you the place the chaos segment is.
“It’s a captivating dynamic and there’s numerous persistence with one sure member of the band. It’s fairly a pleasant surroundings as a result of no person cares if anyone says, ‘Don’t do it like that,’ ‘I don’t like that sound,’ or, ‘In truth play it proper subsequent time!’ It’s all effective, despite the fact that that closing one most often simplest comes my manner.”
Such feedback might be indicative of a band embroiled in disheartening studio friction, however the loss of animosity between the musicians is palpable. It’s simply the type of jovial, lampooning mentality that relieves demanding eventualities in any number of shut bandmates. There’s additionally a clear need to make certain that their reside presentation is as consummate as their evocative recordings. Certainly, it’s startling to believe that this yr is The Pineapple Thief’s twenty fifth anniversary, even though there were drastic adjustments over that point.
“It’s inconceivable to consider it as something,” considers Soord. “It actually appears like 3 separate entities. There was once the primary entity, which was once simply me on my own within the studio. Then we signed to Kscope and began to do small excursions with the band. I believe then this present entity began in 2016, once we met Gavin for the Your Wasteland album.
“In order that’s actually how I glance again on it and compartmentalise all of it. That’s why it nonetheless feels contemporary to me – as a result of that is simplest the fourth right kind studio album that we’ve finished with this lot.”
All of us have our personal studios, which is just a little little bit of a double-edged sword. You’ll get somewhat complacent and, dare I say it, somewhat lazy
That new album is any other fascinating unlock that possesses all of the vintage Pineapple Thief signatures. Most likely extra guitar-heavy than its predecessor, it was once assembled the usage of a special writing taste. While over fresh years the band have digitally exchanged information, this time Soord and Harrison started writing the album in combination within the drummer’s north London house studio.
“It was once like an old-school manner of doing it,” says Soord. “I have been so used to operating on my own, the place I’d get a hold of an concept after which ship it to the fellows. Gavin would ship a drum concept again or chop issues up and I’d just assume, ‘Oh smartly, I’ve a few days to faff round with this.’ There was once no force. It’s arduous paintings while you’re by yourself, as you assume, ‘I’ll make myself a cup of espresso and do it the next day.’
“All of us have our personal studios, which is just a little little bit of a double-edged sword. You’ll get somewhat complacent and, dare I say it myself” – taking a look at the remainder of the band – “somewhat lazy. Whilst you’re sat there in combination in a room, it’s a fully other mindset. It was once just right and numerous the songs got here out of that consultation.”
“I believe that was once the primary time we have been in truth in the similar room in combination,” provides Harrison. “Prior to that, it was once an web love affair, sending information forwards and backwards. You do one thing however you may no longer get a reaction to it for a few days, while this was once in the second one. I’d play one thing and there was once fast comments.”
From the viewpoint of an interloper, the mix of guitarist and drummer crafting a lot of the fabric in combination, with out the involvement of keyboardist Steve Kitch or bassist Jon Sykes might appear quite quirky. Whilst there’s a declared willingness of all 4 individuals to convene to put in writing in combination someday, Harrison expresses a undeniable reticence concerning the concept.
“You’ll simply finally end up with a 30 minutes jam in E,” he argues dryly with a grin. “I’ve finished it earlier than and it’s very arduous as a result of you might have 3 other folks all looking to give a contribution harmonically. If it’s only a drummer with a guitarist or keyboard participant, then you’ll be able to alternate the important thing, the tonality, alternate the time signature, all at the fly.
“When there are 3 other folks all looking to play chords, asking, ‘What’s that? Is that during E after which it’s a D?’ You understand, they’re simply falling over every different and it’s no longer an natural procedure. It generally works easiest with one harmonics participant and a drummer. It’s somewhat more straightforward to manoeuvre round every different and dance round, fairly than 3 other folks all looking to give a contribution harmonically.”
“I believe there are execs and cons,” suggests Sykes diplomatically. “It will provide you with a contemporary manner and also you’ll get one thing other to what you may have should you’d finished it by yourself. I believe there’s additionally a receive advantages to the best way we all the time did it, writing one at a time, since you get a special form of natural development.
“Somewhat continuously, we’re no longer even speaking. The conversation is thru information with tune on. That will have to provide you with a special end result to when you find yourself head to head announcing,‘What about this?’ I believe it’s most definitely just right to combine it up.”
For all of the core subject material created via the Soord-Harrison partnership, the enter of the whole band has been important in shaping the sound of the brand new album. Certainly, Sykes means that The Pineapple Thief now feels extra like a “right kind” workforce than at any time of their previous. “It surely appears like extra of a band challenge in this day and age,” he says. “There can be a demo base that Bruce can have despatched, which may well be only a drone sound or one thing, which supplies me numerous area to broaden.
It boils down to only looking to higher your self each document. I’m no longer announcing that it all the time occurs like that; however as an artist, that’s your goal
“In most cases, I’m responding to what Gavin has finished and it does every now and then alternate the trail of a tune or may lead to a larger alternate to one of the most sections. We don’t actually speak about references or anything else like that. There isn’t a steer to mention, ‘Make it sound like this.’ You’ll do just no matter you assume sounds proper.”
For all of the innate, inside delight with the standard of the album, Soord finds that its introduction was once probably the most intense classes he can recall within the band’s historical past. That was once apparently brought about via a mix of an inside need to make sure The Pineapple Thief don’t stagnate, together with the problem of taking part in one of the extra difficult compositions.
“I believe that boils down to only looking to higher your self each document,” he says. “I’m no longer announcing that it all the time occurs like that; however as an artist, that’s your goal. I driven myself in my view to a better degree. There was once a duration when the album was once coming in combination while you’re pondering, ‘Proper, that is the way it’s going to be.’ Then issues begin to ramp up and everyone needs it to be as just right because it might be able to be.
“We’re all pushing every different and all of us have concepts as to the place we predict it will have to move. Fortuitously, we’re all just about at the identical web page – however that doesn’t imply there isn’t wholesome rigidity. So it was once an intense time getting it completed.
“The benefit of coming to Gavin’s was once that I used to be driven. There’s one monitor referred to as Rubicon, the place Gavin simply had a rhythm that I hadn’t heard earlier than. I used to be totally out of my convenience zone however in an effective way. It’s about pushing in each facet, taking part in, writing phrases, and the sound.”
The closing album was once taking a look on the international and pondering: ‘What’s occurring? How can I make sense of it? Then in 2023 you have a look at it and assume, ‘How did it get this unhealthy?’
The ones accustomed to the band’s again catalogue can be conscious that the advent of Harrison into the ranks has altered their tune, ceaselessly including advanced, surprising rhythmic patterns that enhance their sound. As one of the most international’s maximum technically talented drummers, do the remainder of the band ever need to rein him in?
“No, I didn’t have the genital cuffs on,” says Harrison with a grin. “I attempt to do one thing distinctive, play some rhythms that you just’ve by no means heard earlier than, issues that you just couldn’t say, ‘Oh, there’s a document similar to that with that particular rhythm.’ With tune that’s shifting into a well-liked space, you get very restricted, the entirety’s in 4/4 and there’s nearly not anything you’ll be able to do this hasn’t been finished earlier than.
“In a extra revolutionary manner, you’ll be able to do issues that aren’t technically difficult however are issues the place you assume, ‘I’ve by no means heard a band play with this rhythm earlier than,’ which on the very least offers us one thing that’s distinctive and engaging.”
The in moderation crafted musical backdrop is an ideal foil for Soord’s lyrics. Recognized for introspective stories that reference a few of his private, inside conflicts, the songs collected in combination on It Leads To This proceed his need to try to comprehend the arena. “I consider creating a aware resolution about what the theme of the document can be,” he remembers.
“It all started within the depths of the pandemic, once we began to put in writing the primary monitor, which was once Put It Proper. It was once a time of mirrored image since you have been compelled into this solitary confinement of your home. I used to be fortunate as a result of I had the studio in my lawn.
“In order that surely set the tone, however successfully, I believe it’s a continuation of the theme of the closing album, which was once principally taking a look on the international that we are living in and pondering: ’What’s occurring? How can I make sense of it, because it’s all getting somewhat fucked up?’
“Then in 2023 you have a look at it and assume, ‘My God, how did it get this unhealthy? This wasn’t within the script.’ That more or less pertains to the It Leads To This name, however on the identical time, it’s no longer all unfavourable. It’s a favorable message, which is that it’s in our energy to modify it. Writing about this is a manner of coping with it. It’s tackling it head on. Even now, we’re taking part in the songs in combination for the primary time as a band, and it feels actually just right to sing it. It’s a cathartic revel in.”
