Pale Blue Eyes
Share New Single “Star Vehicle”
& Announce Debut Album “Souvenirs” out September 2nd
Following the announcement of their debut album Souvenirs, coming out on September 2, Totnes’ Pale Blue Eyes have shared a new track from the record. Listen to “Star Vehicle”: https://fulltimehobby.ffm.to/pbesouvenirs.OPR
“It’s a hopeful and uplifting track,” says PBE singer/guitarist Matt Board. “It’s about daydreaming of the future and riding out difficult times together – kind of fantasizing about somewhere far away. It touches on times at art college, where there was a student bar called The Rat & Emu, out in the middle of the countryside. I remember the stars seemed so bright overhead.”
Souvenirs was recorded in PBE’s own Penquit Mill studio, just south of Dartmoor, the studio having been funded by a bank loan and endless part-time jobs. PBE are the couple Lucy and Matt Board, crucially aided by Motown-mad bassist Aubrey Simpson. Matt (vocals/guitar) and Lucy (drums/electronics) met at Dartington College of Arts in South Devon, a storied establishment that’s been enlivened over the years by people including Igor Stravinksy, Yul Brynner and John Cage. Lucy’s dissertation was titled “An Investigation into Sheffield’s Alternative Music Scene Between 1973 and 1978, with Particular Reference to Cabaret Voltaire.” The PBE album was mixed and mastered by Dean Honer (Eccentronic Research Council, Moonlandingz). Dean has been an integral part of Sheffield’s electronic scene and has mixed artists including Róisín Murphy, The Human League and Add N To (X).
Pale Blue Eyes wrap this pure nostalgic essence amongst the choice of tonality which comes to life throughout the new single. A soaring and sweet ensemble with a euphoric journey from start to finish. Decadent textures and this cosmic chaos that emerges, ethereal vocal notes, and this buoyant bass end, all unite for this magical and meaningful soundscape.
PBE’s 2021 self-released debut single Motionless/Chelsea was given much praise. MOJO: “A shimmering Kraut-rail trip to Asgard.” Louder Than War: “Astonishing… conducting Neu! on a ride to the far pop pavilions.” Follow-up single TV Flicker was playlisted at BBC 6 Music. Now, new single Globe continues the PBE singles trajectory, with a track named after a shared student house, in Totnes in Devon. Globe Cottage had previously been a pub, called The Globe.
“The single,” says Matt, “takes its name from this shared house me and Lucy lived in. The track is about a blissful time of parties, of not having a care in the world, all the characters than came and went over the years. The rent was so cheap, it all seemed so easy. The world has changed in the meantime… Rents have rocketed. Life for many people is now harder.”
The PBE album brims with a kind of elective positivity, as made clear when Matt lists the album’s themes: “Embracing good times, losing yourself in a moment of bliss when the world around you is going to shit… Processing and understanding loss and grief and using music as a vehicle to move on… Fighting against the mundane and not giving up on dreams… The pure joy of a good night out or a moment of being moved by a band or a piece of artwork or a great film… Making the most of the time you have.”
The album’s sweeping synth lines and metronomic guitar riffs give Souvenirs a transportive, mind-shifting mood – something that’s been dubbed “Devon cream-adelica”. Pale Blue Eyes look forward to taking their South West / South Yorks fusion across the land and around the world.
Souvenirs is out 2 Sept on CD, eco-mix vinyl, pale blue vinyl (UK indie store exclusive) and digital. Pre-order here
Pale Blue Eyes are playing UK festivals across the summer. They are delighted to be supporting the esteemed Public Service Broadcasting at the following UK dates in October. Tour info here
1 Oct 2022 – Warwick Arts Centre
2 Oct 2022 – Norwich UEA
3 Oct 2022 – Sunderland Fire Station
4 Oct 2022 – Edinburgh Usher Hall
6 Oct 2022 – Inverness Ironworks
7 Oct 2022 – Keele University
8 Oct 2022 – Liverpool Olympia
9 Oct 2022 – Sheffield Academy
11 Oct 2022 – Leicester Academy
12 Oct 2022 – Swansea Brangwyn Hall
13 Oct 2022 – London Troxy
15 Oct 2022 – Margate Dreamland
16 Oct 2022 – Oxford New Theatre
17 Oct 2022 – Bournemouth Academy
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