PREMIERE: Dublin creative PureGrand shares retro-pop banger 'Pictures'

Hot Press are delighted to premiere the latest single from emerging indie-pop artist PureGrand, titled 'Pictures' - taken from Faulkner's upcoming EP 'This Can’t Happen Again'.

The artist's first EP, the heavily gothic-themed project named 'Synthetic Roots', dropped in 2016 and was followed by Faulkner's 'Swallow Your Doubt' EP in 2018 and 2019's 'Painkiller' EP.

Featuring PureGrand’s signature '90s/early 2000s sound, 'Pictures' is a playful tune which takes heavy influence from nostalgic boyband ballads.

Built on hooks and harmonies, Luke Faulkner has constructed an earnest throwback love song with a modern twist, with lyrics centring on contemporary dating and attraction.

“The rules have changed, they’re not as clear, so the song is poking fun at the complexities of modern dating," PureGrand tells Hot Press.

"Often we are infatuated by people, but also keep them at arm's length. In a way the song is quite sincere, but there’s also tongue in cheek sarcasm as well. It’s drawn from my own experiences of jumping in too quickly and also being unable to commit and also my difficulty at trying to get my personality across on dating apps!"

The song was entirely produced and recorded by Luke, who also works as a photographer and visual artist.

"The biggest inspirations for the song are Backstreet Boys and NSYNC's mid-tempo ballads. These songs are very sincere in their sentiment; something I feel is missing from pop, so I wrote the song to have a romantic sincerity but also a sarcastic edge to keep it with the times," PureGrand explains.

"I wrote, produced and recorded the whole thing myself from my bedroom, studying lots of instrumentals tracks from the period to capture the euphoria I felt was needed to elevate the song. I overlaid lots of takes and harmonies in different registers and accents to make it sound like multiple people, and painstakingly mixed the densely layered song myself."

"The artwork, shot and designed by me, pays homage to the era of pop magazines, pin-ups and star power," Faulkner adds.

"One of the key points of this whole project is that you can play dress-up while making a point and that social commentary can be playful. It’s by far the most joyous song in the project but I think uninhibited joy is something we don’t have enough of in pop at the moment."

A self confessed pop music freak, PureGrand is fast making a name for himself on the Irish music scene with his distinct marriage of strong pop hooks, introspective lyrics and striking visuals. Though it started as a bedroom DIY endeavour, Luke Faulkner has gone on to perform at Ireland’ s best homegrown alternative nights, including Glitterhole, Avoca’s Queer Cabaret, and Dublin Fringe festival. He recently performed with Jack Rua, CMAT and Gold Blooded Woman as part of 'Gotta Tell You', a pop event about the future of Irish pop as part of Music Town Dublin.

PureGrand's forthcoming 'This Can’t Happen Again' EP examines how millennials have found their livelihoods stunted as a result of factors beyond their control, though it was written pre-COVID pandemic. Previous singles 'Timeline' and 'Such a Fright' have given a taster of what's to come from the energetic project.

"The project as a whole is a collection of songs about my own experiences (pre-pandemic) of being stuck in my 20s, unable to progress into adulthood," Luke says of the EP's origins.

"Rather than channel these ideas into a predictably serious set of songs - which is often the case - I’ve chosen to produce tracks in the '90s and early '00s pop sound. This is to contrast the sounds with the words but also as a way of escapism from the themes in the songs."

A 'Pictures' music video is currently in development, followed by a 'Eurodance single' reflecting on the state of our nightlife - due to drop just in time for summer.

Listen to 'Pictures' by PureGrand below: