New Pineapple Thief Album Reflects 21st Century Chaos
In advance of the release of their new album, Versions of the Truth, out on Sept. 4 via Kscop, indie rockers the Pineapple Thief released the new track “Demons” and an accompanying music video directed by George Laycock.
Combining “sweeping soundscapes with infectiously pensive choruses,” “Demons” is a “swelling and expansive journey from subtle ambience to immersive climaxes” that’s underscored by “exotic orchestral flourishes and carried by emotive vocals.”
“The lyrics really speak for themselves,” explains frontman Bruce Soord in a press release. “It’s a very simple sentiment, but actually one that was quite difficult to sing when it came to it. It was one of the first songs we wrote for the new album, and the emotions that fed into the track were still very raw at the time. I’d like to think writing songs like this would prove to be cathartic, but in reality those demons just don’t go away and it’s really a case of learning to live with them.”
The album that holds up a mirror to the chaos and conflict of 21st-century life and tries to make sense of the “distorted reflections.”
The title track alludes to broken friendships and “how the truth becomes the first casualty even in the most personal conflicts.”
The album artwork, an etching by the late German artist Michael Schoenholtz, reflects the disc’s theme. It features a series of abstract shapes that seem to reveal a different image to whomever looks at it. Harrison came across the etching just as the band was finishing recording.
“That particular etching just seemed to resonate with me,” says Harrison. “Within five minutes we had all chosen the same image. It was the fastest selection process of a band that I’ve ever witnessed. As is often the case with modern contemporary art, different people find different meaning within it. Personally, I see it as an intriguing maze that depicts the mental process of creativity. It never has straight lines.”
“When you have conflict, the truth gets bent and kicked around, the facts get changed,” says Soord. “That’s why people argue or get divorced or fight — because nobody can agree on what the truth is. That idea of different versions of the truth especially applies to the world we’re living in right now. All these things are happening where nobody has any idea of what the real truth of anything is because everything is so distorted.”
Versions of the Truth will be released on CD and LP as well as digitally and on Blu Ray disc.
Photo: Diana Seifert
