SOORD ANNOUNCES HIS NEW SOLO ALBUM
The Pineapple Thief frontman reveals “melancholic” concept for side-project.
Bruce Soord releases his second solo album via Kscope next year. And he promises the recording – which has the working title of Sirens – will be even proggier than his debut.
“I didn’t give it any musical boundaries,” reveals the musician. “I remember when I wrote the first one, I wanted it to be a bit of a singer-songwriter album so the songs were quite short. This one has a concept and a story that runs through all the tracks. A lot of The Pineapple Thief albums are about my own experiences, but this one is different because it’s about an event that I watched unfold thirdhand. I won’t say what it is though, as I’d prefer for the concept to remain in the music and lyrics, but it’s been quite intense.”
Unlike its self-titled predecessor, Soord’s latest is structured around one continuous piece of music that’s separated into tracks. The idea behind it was inspired by his passion for Pink Floyd and the second side of The Beatles’ Abbey Road.
“I remember when I was a kid, those were the albums that I really enjoyed listening to,” he reveals. “This is very much an acoustic guitar-led album and quite melancholic, but it also goes into some really dark and heavy places. I’m not talking distorted guitars or metal or anything like that, but it’s heavy with drums and synths. It flips between dreamy melancholia then all of a sudden it goes into something really aggressive, almost sinister and unsettling.”
The seeds of the new album were sown almost a year ago and follow on from the success of his 2015 debut. As with its predecessor, this one sees the musician team up again with his Pineapple Thief bandmate, Darran Charles. The Godsticks frontman and guitarist is the album’s only guest, with all other instruments played by Soord himself.
“We’ve got a good relationship and we talk to each other daily,” he reveals. “Now The Pineapple Thief has become such a different beast – it’s not just me any more, it’s a band – this has become a vehicle to do my own thing.” Meanwhile, the singer-songwriter has already begun working on ideas for The Pineapple Thief’s next album, which is also tipped for release next year. The follow-up to Your Wilderness will be the band’s 12th studio album and will once again feature Porcupine Tree and King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison. NRS
“It’s been quite intense.”