Band & Musician News - Pōneke indie pop group Pipsy release their debut album 'All You Ever Wanted'
02 November 2022 - 0 Comments
Pipsy is the musical project of Paul Pouwels McMillan (they/them), a songwriter and producer based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Pipsy crafts alternative pop with poise and precision. Their tracks are full with warm melodies and tender vocal harmonies. Listeners will be reminded of the devotional jangle made by British post-punks in the 80's, as well as the stirring synth pop of the early 2000’s.
Three previously released singles All You Ever Wanted, Hey, OK! and Underdog have found their home on the Student Radio Network, as well as appearing on prized playlists such as Apple Music's New Music Daily and New in Indie, as well as Spotify's Fresh Cuts.
Today Pipsy shares their debut album All You Ever Wanted, a commanding artistic statement, and a debut that is mature well beyond its years.
PIPSY
All You Ever Wanted
out November 2, 2022
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With the album All You Ever Wanted, Pouwels McMillan cements themselves as an all rounder, producing, recording, and mixing the album, as well as playing all of the instruments on the record. Throughout the 11 tracks, Pipsy explores ideas of identity, self perseverance, and love.
“I wanted to really stretch myself with this album by incorporating lots of different instrumentation that I’d always wanted to add into my music,” says Pouwels McMillan. Songs like Underdog, Number One and the album closer I Love You, I Miss You lean heavily into the luscious warm synthesisers tones and rich vocal harmonies.
"Specific sounds from the 80's and early 90's were really important to All You Ever Wanted. During the making of this record, I became obsessed with researching the synth sounds that I grew up listening to. Synth sounds that featured in tracks by Talking Heads and Split Enz, as well as the soundtracks to Labyrinth, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and The Neverending Story. I traced my favourites back to the instruments that produced them, and then learnt how to make these sounds myself."
"I’ve always found synths from this time so emotive – particularly the Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 and the Juno 106. Some of the sounds that you can get out of these instruments are so dream-like, so they’re a big feature of the album. Once I incorporated my classic 60's keyboard favourites – the Wurlitzer and the Mellotron, it really gave me the expansive, nostalgic sound that I was looking for."
Regardless of genre, All You Ever Wanted sees Pouwels McMillan wrestle with emotions. "The record is about love (both lost and found) and a lot of it is also about friendship. The album serves as a kind of concept album that explores re-evaluating old friendships, and strengthening both new and existing ones. Throughout the album it covers the gamut of emotion – betrayal, anger, frustration, depression, happiness, love, and ultimately acceptance – things I was going through when I got back to NZ from being away all those years. That being said, I wanted the album to emphasise the positive in this process. I think it’s really a therapeutic album, one that ends up celebrating the good relationships and the people that support you."
When asked to reflect on the album now that it’s released Pouwels McMillan responds "Out of all the records that I’ve ever made, or with any project that I’ve been a part of, this is the favourite thing I’ve created. All You Ever Wanted means a lot to me, and represents things musically that I’ve always wanted to do. There’s a lot of my life in there too, so I’m really proud of it. I can’t wait for it to be out in the world for everyone to hear!"
Pouwels McMillan is excited to play the album live in 2023, along with the Pipsy live band, who is made up of members members from local groups Murgatroyd, Maddy Parkins-Craig, SLUR, and Filth Wizard.
Photo Credit: Sara Tansy
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