Pitch perfect

Parked Car Conversations is the fourth album from Kildare band Picture This. Members Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford talk to Janice Butler about maturing as a group and those pinch- me- moments

It’s hard to believe that Picture is, the four-piece from Athy, Co Kildare, rst burst onto the music scene almost a decade ago with their hit single ‘Take My Hand’. ey found their audience through social media, growing organically to become regulars on the Irish music scene ever since.

With beautifully written lyrics and anthemstyle concert songs, the group – Ryan Hennessy, Jimmy Rainsford, Owen Cardi and Cli Deane – have just released their fourth album Parked Car Conversations, a collection of songs that perfectly re ects their talent and maturity. With its signature blend of pop-rock infused with hints of indie and folk, Parked Car Conversations delivers infectious guitar harmonies, melodic hooks and anthemic choruses. Ryan’s soulful vocals serve as the perfect complement, a sound that has become their trademark and brought them to big audiences both at home and abroad.

“It feels surreal,” Ryan says of the album’s release, “because when we think back on our favourite moments of being a band, for me anyway, releasing our rst album was one of our proudest moments. We never thought that was even a possibility, so to be on album number four is really exciting and scary. ere’s always going to be nerves because we care about the album so much.”

With three albums and two marriages behind them, plus the challenge of no live shows during Covid, the guys have amassed life experience which Ryan says is re ected in this album. “I think on your rst album, you’re not really conscious of anything, you’re just writing the songs and they culminate in an album. But this time around we had a pretty clear vision of how we wanted it to sound and come across. at comes from experience, and it de nitely gives you an assurance going into the record studio,” he adds.

e group isolated themselves in a recording studio on a remote island on the northern coast of Norway last year to get the perfect sound for this record.

Jimmy Rainsford says it gave them a chance to bond and make some good music.

“I think with this album, because of where we recorded it, you can hear the togetherness of the band; it wasn’t done on Zoom or online and I think you can feel that. We wanted that to come across, but it naturally happened just being in a place like that,” he says.

Ryan, the main songwriter in Picture is, has always viewed writing as journaling, detailing life growing up in Athy, leaving school, going out with the lads and romances along the way. Now, life has obviously changed dramatically since those days but he still writes from the heart.

“ e songs are all about personal experience, relationships, friendships and being in crazy situations all around the world, that being in a band brings,” he explains. “ ey document our lives and it’s a nice time stamp to have, to listen back.”

e last ve years have been a series of pinchme-moments for Picture is, from appearing on e Late Late Show with James Corden in the height of the pandemic via a video link from an eerily empty Croke Park, to being brought on tour with the Jonas Brothers and signing to Joe Jonas’ record label for their third album. Speaking of the Croker moment in 2021, Jimmy says, “We never envisaged that the rst time we would be playing Croke Park it would be empty; hopefully if we play it in the future it won’t be the case.”

Picture is are no longer with Joe Jonas’ label, but he remains a mentor. “We’d be in touch and he’s always very supportive. He’s really got his nger on the pulse with music. He’s always supporting acts before they take o , so it was nice to have his input,” Jimmy adds. Ryan says the passing of big musical icons – Sinead O’connor, Christy Dignam and Shane Mcgowan – underlined just how much the band are in uenced by their music, and the path they paved for Irish acts to follow. “ ey really paved the way for a lot of musicians, and they were all so di erent in their own right. People like that have set a bar that you always want to live up to. I think there are no greater role models than them in terms of breaking out and being creative and being a true artist. ere’s such incredible talent from this country that went before us, and we feel privileged to be a part of that now.”

As they prepare to go on tour this summer, performing at Dublin’s St Annes Park and Cork’s Virgin Media Park as well as festival appearances throughout Europe, they’re excited to get the new songs to their fans.

“We can’t wait,” Jimmy says. “We treat going on tour with so much respect, especially a er Covid: respect and gratitude.”

Parked Car Conversations is available to buy

The songs are all about personal experience, relationships, friendships and being in crazy situations all around the world that being in a band brings

– Ryan Hennessy