State of The State is the new EP from queer, all-girl Irish indie rock group Pillow Queens. The four tracks will be released via Bristol-based indie Specialist Subject Records on 16th March. The first taster of the new collection is Favourite, a maniacal composition about self-delusion, which fizzes with intent and boasts a perfectly potent hook.
Despite the sunny disposition of Pillow Queens’ catchy melodies and rambunctious riffs, the songs found on ‘State of The State’ tend to have a darker undercurrent. Opener Puppets is ‘a song about the frustration of trying to succeed in post-recession Ireland and the effect that has on mental health,’ explains vocalist/guitarist/bassist Sarah Corcoran. Elsewhere on the EP, the band muse on emotional highs and lows, the inevitability of anxiety and paranoia.
State of The State is the product of Pillow Queens’ first year being a band. Their intense year of gigging, touring, and really getting to know each other’s abilities fed into this recording, in contrast to the creation of their delightful debut ‘Calm Girls’ EP, which was recorded just after the band got together.
Producer Peter Ashmore tapped into the wide-reaching references PQ threw at him, which included the likes of Hop Along, Yuck, Weezer, Manchester Orchestra and the Pixies, in order to attain a timeless feel befitting of the beautifully crafted songs. Rachel Lyons (drums/vocals) observes that the EP draws ‘from all our teenage musical influences which have been chewed up and poured out, PQ style.’ The resulting creation is something special and unmistakeably “Pillow Queens”.
The artwork for the EP was brought to life by Nola Mellon and is inspired by the old Fallon’s maths times table book you used to have in primary school.