References

Equinox

The Pleasure Dome - Equinox

Release 2023/10/06
A three piece grunge-rock/punk trio from Bristol, UK, Bobby Spender (vocals and guitar) Loz Fancourt (bass and backing vocals), and Alex 'Bert' Elvin (drums) formed The Pleasure Dome in July 2019. They have already toured extensively across Europe and the UK, notably headlining Supersonic in Paris earlier this year with a capacity audience queuing around the block to experience their live show.

Recorded in Wales in February 2023 at the secluded Mwnci Studios over a week, EQUINOX was produced by friend of the band Tom Smith, mixed by James Trevascus (Beak, Billy Nomates) and mastered by Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney).

On the themes behind the album and its title, frontman Bobby Spender says: "The Equinox happens twice a year when the day and night are exactly the same length. It's the day when winter becomes spring and summer becomes autumn. Pagans celebrate this day and call it Mabon. The song 'At Dawn' is where the writing for this album really began--I watched the sunset of the equinox up Glastonbury Tor with an ex and unbeknownst to us when we said goodbye at dawn it would be the last we would see each other as we soon broke up. The life that followed makes up the majority and overall feel of the album. Five songs have been carried through from before that point, but that moment felt like a turning point for me. The idea of duality is found in the title; the dark going turning into the light, all or nothing, rough and smooth, love and heartbreak, the calm and the thunder."

Alongside the album news, the band are revealing lead single 'Down The Alley'. Spender says about this song:

"This one is about something that happened to me when I was a child," says Spender. "I got kicked out, pushed over in an alley, a five pound note thrown in my face, and told to f*ck off. I ended up sleeping rough for a bit. Recently I was sitting on a bed thinking about it with a guitar in my hand and the song came through."

"The song felt like a rhythm of emotion that flowed through me, this repetition of a moment, a mantra of upset, a cry of defiance; it just has this verse that grows with every pass, a word gets added to the melody every round. Like I had the story unfold in this repetitive way. A memory repeating over and over. It feels powerful to play, sometimes painful. But I am proud of it. It's cheap therapy really, me healing by taking control of pain, exposing these vulnerabilities."

The artwork for the new single is a similarly brave gesture from Spender, who chose to share an intimate self-portrait which echoes the vulnerability of the track.

"It's like me literally baring all," explains Spender. "I was looking through my pictures for something to use for the artwork and I had this photo I took recently in a hostel in Paris for someone I was dating. Seeing it in the context of the song felt so emotional--many moments I've spent depressed in the shower, everything feeling black and white, alone. I do like the picture. For me it's emotionally liberating to share this song, it's so personal, so to expose vulnerability through nudity, it felt like another layer I could add to the music. Honestly sharing this moment in my life feels way more intimate than a shadowy picture of me in the shower anyway. If I'm honest, I try not to think about it. This song is one of my favourites on the album--we're all playing great on the recording. It's all live, no click, raw and honest, in every way."

The three piece have also revealed a single for 'Insane'

Commenting on the track, Spender says: "The relationship I was in at the time when I wrote this song was starting to go wrong and breakdown--we wanted different things, but we were in love and I felt like I was losing my mind. I had episodes of psychosis and schizophrenia in my 20s, something I have more of a handle on now, but I was scared I was starting to lose my mind again. This song was a bit about coming to terms with that, questioning my own sanity while a relationship breaks down. It always feels to me like a song that opens the gates of hell, a release of frustration and negativity, self deprecation; an ode to psychosis and love."

Tracklist

01Pass The Parcel (2:56)
02Down The Alley (3:01)
03Love Is Dead (3:09)
04Vampire of The Night (3:11)
05Psychodrama (2:54)
06What A Shame (Cocaine) (5:04)
07At Dawn (2:56)
08Boiler Room (2:56)
09On The Beaches (2:45)
10Insane (2:56)
11Have You Ever Been In Love (3:14)
12Good Luck (2:11)
13No Guts No Fame (2:54)