The
instrumentation during “Pisco Sours” is an intriguing and skillfully textured
blend of periodic rapid-fire bursts, ethereal electronica, and “organic” instruments,
particularly the piano. Still, the vocals are the spark that motivate the addition
of the Arliston song onto playlists.
The vocal
appeal of “Pisco Sours” is build on three components. Two are readily apparent
and provide an alluring contrast of an introverted, vulnerable baritone and a regretful
backing falsetto. The lead vocals begin confessionally and then ask whether it’s
too early to escape the party. The falsetto makes its presence at the
one-minute mark, lamenting the loss after having “it all.” The two voices have
shared timing, but the lyrical statements, attitudes, and frequency ranges are independent
of each other. The third component is more subtle, but not less appealing. It’s
not the lead vocals jumping to a higher register for the verse that begins around
2:19. Rather, it’s the quiet voice that is first heard at 2:48 with the word “evening.”
The
core members of London-based Arliston are Jack Ratcliffe (vocalist &
instrumentalist) and George Hasbury (instrumentalist & producer). As an
explanation of “Pisco Sours,” Ratliffe said,
“I’m often eyeing up exits at parties and have a general inclination towards the anti-social so this one felt like an opportunity to get all of my grievances out on the page. I suffer from ‘the grass-is-greener-it is.’ Usually, I will wind up thinking of someone or someplace that isn’t there and deifying it/them to an unhealthy point. For example, I actually hate Pisco Sours; it’s a horrible, horrible drink made from battery acid and evil. But, somehow, in the context of a party I don’t want to be at, the memory of them is transformed into some delicious, glowing nectar and I find myself wanting to be back there, drinking them with the person in the memory more than anything else.”
Regarding
the instrumentation, we are aligned with the statements made by Hasbury:
“I love the combination of the 80’s toms and the soft Juno synth in the verses, it felt like we’d really tapped into something special when we listened back to the first bounce. There’s something so evocative and nostalgic about the soundscape in this one, it really takes you somewhere.”
Jack
Ratcliffe and George Hasbury teamed up with talented drummers Sylvan Strauss
and Sam Catchpole, along with horn players Sam Scott and Dan Berry for their
fourth EP, which will be released this year. Based upon the first two songs
from the EP, there is promise to deliver the band’s most mature body of work to
date, packed with expansive large-scale songs that zero in on the “Arliston
sound.”
“Pisco
Sours” by Arliston
“I’m often eyeing up exits at parties and have a general inclination towards the anti-social so this one felt like an opportunity to get all of my grievances out on the page. I suffer from ‘the grass-is-greener-it is.’ Usually, I will wind up thinking of someone or someplace that isn’t there and deifying it/them to an unhealthy point. For example, I actually hate Pisco Sours; it’s a horrible, horrible drink made from battery acid and evil. But, somehow, in the context of a party I don’t want to be at, the memory of them is transformed into some delicious, glowing nectar and I find myself wanting to be back there, drinking them with the person in the memory more than anything else.”
“I love the combination of the 80’s toms and the soft Juno synth in the verses, it felt like we’d really tapped into something special when we listened back to the first bounce. There’s something so evocative and nostalgic about the soundscape in this one, it really takes you somewhere.”
Website: https://www.arliston.com/
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