Butterflies on Pins – Screen One (2020)
Butterflies on Pins place a lot of emphasis on the lyricism of their music to create cinematic masterpieces with each note. Their latest EP Screen One continues this tradition taking you through sonic movies filled with broken lives, desperate longing and volcanic conclusions. Each song on the 4-track EP tells its own tale while adding to the whole saga of the album.
Ross Liddle (vocals), Katie Green (bass, drum programming, backing vocals), Rob Alexander (guitars) and Mariel Camara (drums) combine elements of post-punk, art-rock and dream pop to create their kitchen sink dramas. Together, they take you on a sonic adventure that rivals the moves.
The EP starts with ‘Why Do You Stand in the Rain?’ which draws you into the scene with a dub-styled bass. This gives way to a more atmospheric melody of echoing tones and soaring guitar lines. The lyrics tell the tale of the forgotten voices of the world and the broken lives they often live. The combination of melody and vocals creates a dark grey soundscape full of pattering depressing rain.
‘All Around Town’ hits you with some desperate longing from the first moment. There is a thread in the melody that makes you think of sadness and a longing that will lead nowhere. The sighing backing vocals add to this feeling. However, it is Liddle’s vocals that are full of longing and pleading. He is able to infuse desperation and need into each word. This longing builds up and thunders through the ending of the track with a sense of turning emotions.
‘We Met Years Ago, has a completely different vibe and this shines through in the melody. There is a pounding bass melding with light soaring notes. The chorus has a gliding flow that slides through you. The lyrics have a confessional style to them which is the first time you hear that on the EP and changes the perspective of the track. If this were playing during a movie, it would probably be that montage of the main character travelling with their head resting against the window.
The EP ends with ‘Prisoner of My Past’ which draws you in with some brooding tones. There is a darkness to the melody of this track that makes you think about the steam in film noir. If this song was a movie, it would be a black and white thriller. The brooding soundscape takes a dark turn before swinging into a more dreamy and ethereal ending. The fading ending gently easing you from the dreamscape of the EP.
Butterflies on Pins use their fusion sound to take you on a cinematic journey through emotions and turmoil in Screen One. Each track is unique moving from atmospheric melodies to a pounding bass and brooding soundscape. The theatrics of each song is clear leaving you with the movie laid out in your mind.
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