Emerging from St. Albans with feet firmly planted in the London live scene, Kick Pistol is a rather emotional and dramatic outfit, at least in their sonic effort. You see, the young band champions a rich and nuanced style, quite close to the old-school Muse-like sound, so anthemic and cinematic. We dig it, in fact, we were excited to discover their latest effort, ‘Mechanical Heart’.
A kaleidoscopic whirlwind of arpeggiated keys, tumbling guitars and uplifting vocal harmonies, the song really hits the mark, showcasing Kick Pistol’s class and elegance. Not to mention their powerful and evocative vocals, packed with gravitas and charisma.
Active since 2016, the British group doesn’t seem to want to slow down anytime soon. Intrigued by the project, we caught up with Kick Pistol to find out more about their artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey guys, how is it going? some of our readers might not be familiar with your project, how would you describe yourself, in a few words?
Hey! Thanks for inviting us for an interview. We are a 4-piece alternative rock band from Hertfordshire/London.
Your current work is the result of a long journey; How did you find each other, and what motivates you in keeping going?
Yeah, it’s been about 7 years or so now since the band began and we’ve gone through a lot of changes since then. But we’ve always been a band of friends and I believe that’s why we have the chemistry that we have. I think that it’s us having the same vision and passion for the music we create that keeps us wanting to carry on through the ups and downs.
If you had to choose a contemporary artist or band who’s a big influence in your music, who would that be?
Ah, we’d definitely have to say ‘The Cure’, which I think is where most of our ‘Gothic Rock’ influences come from. Their earlier albums definitely capture the essence of the gothic aesthetic from the 80s, which is an era we take a lot of inspiration from.
You recently released a haunting and evocative single, ‘Mechanical Heart’; it’s clear that’s a certain poignancy informing your artistic outlook. Are you completely satisfied of the track? Do you feel it represents the band fully?
Well, we’re in a very lucky position as our lead singer and bassist ‘Robert’ now produces and records our music for us, at which Taylor Chambers (known for working with Snoop Dogg and Guns N’ Roses) then does the final master. As a result, we’re not constrained by time or money, so we can truly take our time to release music we can genuinely be proud of. And we think ‘Mechanical Heart’ is a prime example of that. Plus, we feel that we’ve developed a sound that very much represents the direction we’re currently taking the band.
Lyrically, what should the listener look out for in ‘Mechanical Heart’?
The lyrics are full of metaphors about the anxieties people who overthink love and relationships go through day to day. We could’ve just written the lyrics in an obvious way, but to keep it interesting, we thought we’d write it from the perspective of a love-anxious robot.
How’s your writing process? do you usually write alone and then get together, or is it more of a jam-style formula?
So ordinarily, Rob will compose the instrumental and lyrics for the song, at which he’ll then record a demo for us to listen to, then we would learn it and play the song together in practice, and that’s where the magic happens! This is where the song gets molded from each of our musical influences and then becomes what our fans will hear at our live shows. The song will then also potentially change here or there once it hits the studio, as the limitations for creativity truly break away at that point.
Artistically speaking, what challenges have the last two years presented you with?
For us, it’s been catching up on the time we missed out during covid and also finding the balance between doing the band and other aspects of life. For example, three-quarters of our band are currently students, so trying to find the time to study as well as work on the band can be tough at times, but we’ve been able to prevail by helping each other out and sharing the workload.
What are the next steps for your project? Anything exciting on the horizon?
We’re glad you asked! We’ve got an EP coming out later this year, featuring our latest release “Mechanical Heart” which we’re super excited about! This EP will cover all the aspects of finding yourself in this world and becoming an individual, as being a band full of early twenty-year-olds, we know this all too well.
