Out of Seattle, WA, Pickwick bring a sound and a swagger that you would be wise to pick up on. John Richards of KEXP has declared them “one of America’s best bands” and their new music is persuasive ideed. Following the success of 2013’s self-released Can’t Talk Medicine, their sophomore, though not sophomoric, album LoveJoys, arrived last Friday after a period of upheaval and redirection for the band, who turned to producer Erik Blood (Shabazz Palaces, Tacocat and Moondoggies) for guidance on the new record. His expert hand is evident and LoveJoys is a complete and rewarding trip.
Under the Radar has dibs on their video for “Ascension”. It’s an adventure through VHS era graphics and color, with Pickwick’s modern era blues rock strutting along with purpose. Vocalist Galen Disston lauds the new video: “The slowish, prodding build of this song is complimented by the uncertainty and strangeness of Lost Pyramid’s video. I love the geometric representation of climax; the song reaches peaks of sound that are visually cast out into oblivion.”
And film maker / designer Joe Rufa describes his enthusiasm for the project: “The guys hit me up last year after seeing some animated composition studies I posted online and asked if I would be interested in using them as a jumping off point for the visuals of their new album. They are some of the friends I miss the most from my Seattle days, so I was immediately in. Then, they sent me ‘LoveJoys’ and I was blown away by their new direction and sound. I took my time creating a headspace for the album, listening to it daily and writing little sci-fi stories and collecting imagery from various creative commons dumps on the internet (as well as a late night shoot for the “Turncoat” video that tried to capture the eerie state of America). Like the band, I was also in the midst of reinventing my work, moving into filmmaking and animation from a graphic design background.”
LoveJoysis out now on Small Press Records. Do yourself a favor and add it to your summer soundtrack.