Hailing from somewhere between Cambridge and Oxford, Pylon Heights is an alternative-rock duo breeding a unique type of music. Combining synths, guitars and even a trumpet, Pylon Heights has an eclectic style and released their debut single ‘Arizona’ last year. We spoke with the lads about their new EP, discovering new music and much more.
Why did you decide to enter the music industry?
Ultimately, we started making music together because it is really fun. From the early writing stages, all the way through to recording and performing, it just feels good to create. It’s especially worth it if your art brings enjoyment to someone else. It’s also a great excuse to hang out and drink coffee and/or beer.
Can you tell us about your release The Arizona EP?
Broadly speaking, The Arizona EP is about travelling and the people you meet along the way. It’s our very first musical care-package to the world. We have long been intrigued to see what it would be like to write, record, mix and master a release all by ourselves.
What was the recording and writing process like?
Our usual process is that Chris produces a first lyrical draft based on his tragic love life and serves them up on a bed of sad-sounding guitar. From there, we chisel away at it until we have a ‘Michelangelo’s David’-worthy statue of a song (or at least something close).
Does the EP have any significant meaning for you?
Most importantly, it’s the first complete creative project that we’ve worked on together. It also functions as a memorial to Chris’ aforementioned tragic love life.
What do you hope people take from your music?
We want our music to connect with people on an emotional level, but we also want people to simply enjoy listening to it! If listening to it makes you feel something, apart from despair, then we’ve done a good job. The dream is to one day hear your lyrics being sung back at you.
What is more challenging for you – melody or lyrics?
For Chris, definitely melody – he can’t sing. Overall, we find lyrics more difficult, probably. They often go through a seemingly infinite number of mutations before we finally land on something we’re both happy with.
How would you describe your sound?
The Arizona EP is definitely a blend of our more acoustic tendencies. We draw from sources such as Bear’s Den, Frightened Rabbit and Sufjan Stevens, but with a garnish of drum machines, driven electric guitar and other synthy goodness.
What do you think is the best way to discover new music?
Nothing beats a personal recommendation from a friend that knows what you like, but BBC 6 Music is a great source of new music. Hello, please play us!
We would also never miss the support at a gig as this is a really awesome way to discover your next favourite band.
What does the future hold for Pylon Heights?
We’re taking our music in a slightly less acoustic direction and we also want to start gigging; however, there’s currently only two of us and a prolific number of instruments. Hopefully, the future for us holds a drummer and full choir.
Do you have a message for our readers?
We’d love to hear what you think of our music and how it makes you feel – good or bad! You can reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In the meantime, “live, laugh, love”, or some other three things that begin with an L.
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