The Pinx’s “Other Side” pairs infectious choruses with introspective lyrics. At times the band suggests early Foo Fighters, and at others they are a 70s throwback to the vanguards of hard rock. “Other Side” has a bit of it all—fuzzed out guitars, thick snares, and fist-pumping choruses—all tied along with Adam McIntyre’s devil-may-care-croon. McIntyre sings of the dissolution of a relationship as something that frees him “I’m running / after something / I’m missing / and I’ll find it on the other side”. Adam joined me for a brief chat about influence, destruction, and the necessity of joy.
Buy Freedom by The Pinx here. SC: “Other Side” has a fascinating tension between its celebratory music and it’s lyrical content. Can you tell me a little about that choice? AM: The song IS totally joyous— but about a fiery, chaotic, volcanic time in my life. My best plans were awful and led to pain—for myself, and others—repeatedly. As a result I was finally starting to work on myself as a person but the more I worked, the more there was to work on. I got divorced, finished producing three albums at once, played a show with The Pinx, bade goodbye to that lineup (Joe moved to LA, Jim stopped playing) and got on a plane to Hawaii. I didn’t exactly know why I was going except I needed to go meditate on the beach of a distant planet. Hawaii was the closest I could get to that. When I tried to capture that moment of giving up and starting over and learning about myself, I went to a place in my heart that Matthew Sweet captured on his Brendan O’Brien-produced albums in the 90s. The chords and drums were chunky and sunny, while the lyrics held some pain and confusion. SC: Can you tell me about these lyrics “I want to be an island / in the middle of your sea / I’m in the eye of a hurricane / looking for a moment of peace”? AM: Everything in my life felt like it had been destroyed so I was going to this island in the middle of the Pacific to get that moment of peace and introspection before rebuilding. SC: Tell me about your writing process. Do you wait for inspiration? Or do you write on a schedule? AM: It comes in waves depending on where we are in the album cycle and if we “need” songs but when I need to work, I go and I sit down and I work. If I don’t have anything in my head already, I’ll have dozens of voice notes of me beatboxing and humming into my phone, loads of notes for lyric ideas that have maybe occurred to me over the last several months. I’m always writing but not always sitting down and paying attention to it. I am always receptive to any inspiration that drifts past my attention because songwriting is like any skill; you have to do it a lot. If I’m going to be messing around on my phone, I could at least be using that device to get ideas down. SC: How does your community of songwriters inspire you? AM:Not a ton on the front end. My peers are far from my mind when I’m starting a song. I’m amusing myself, getting my own personality out, baring my weirdness as much as I can and trying to make sure I’ve said what I need to say.When I’m finishing arrangements it will sometimes occur to me “oh, so and so from that band will LOVE this.” When it comes to fine tuning things, it’s an opportunity to look at your stuff through the eyes of your peers and see if it checks out, see if it makes the cut.
1 Comment
1/28/2019 06:52:14 pm
I can't wait to hear this band's music. I can see that they are indeed enjoying what they are doing that is why they excel in this field. This is actually the first time that I have known this band and I am so happy because I was able to discover them. I am hoping for the success of this band. I am also looking forward to hear their songs and know what they are trying to tell their listeners and fans. I will surely do something about this desire that I have.
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The Sound Connector is an online magazine for songwriters. We feature songwriting challenges, monthly interviews, and the opportunity to discover new songwriters. We are interested in all things related to the craft of songwriting. Do you want to be featured on The Sound Connector? Send us your songs!
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