Holy Pinto is an indie pop band from Canterbury, England led by singer and songwriter, Aymen Saleh. Playing colorful pop rock anthems through the lens of pop-punk and emo, Holy Pinto sings about love, growing up, the tyranny of distance and, often, the bittersweet taste of nostalgia. Originally formed as a duo between Aymen and his friend, Ryan Hurley, the project released its debut record, Congratulations, in April of 2016 and embarked on a restless tour-schedule involving runs in the UK, Europe and United States to support the release.
On the upcoming record Tales from the Travelling T-shirt Salesman, Aymen picks up where he left off on Congratulations – having decided to roll the dice on a musician’s life. This collection of songs is a bit more summery than their predecessors, and listeners will find themselves soaking in vibes similar to some of Aymen’s favorite Scandinavian indie-pop musicians, such as Jens Lekman. The twisted versions of latin, reggaeton and cumbia-inspired beats and grooves on tracks such as Gold Leaf are blended smoothly with infectious, sing-along choruses creating a sound that is relatable but inherently unique.
The song Gold Leaf is about distance, the restless feeling of wanting to ramble, of being wide-eyed about the world and wanting to chase experience. The song is tinged with sadness and regret; about what you sometimes give up, the potential of letting someone down and leaving them behind whilst following your internal compass and indulging your inner-restlessness. It’s also about smoking addiction!
You can now discover this single taken from Tales from the Travelling T-shirt Salesman EP available on YouTube below:
We managed to catch up with Holy Pinto as the band talk about their latest single and more!
So how pumped are you for the release of Gold Leaf?
So pumped! I love the way the recording came out with the latin groove and it’s vibe. We’ve been playing it live in some form or another for quite a while, so been itching to get it out. It’s a song that usually goes down great in a live set and one that people ask me about. At shows in the US there’s usually a lot of talk about how I don’t say “gas station” and some friendly backlash against my use of the word “petrol” haha.
Can you tell something about the single no one else knows about?
I wrote the chorus of the song in the shower.
And you’re also releasing your EP Tales from the Travelling T-shirt Salesman next month, can you tell something about this?
It’s a collection of recent singles, a new single and a b-side. It’s a robust EP intended to tide things over until we put out our full-length. It’s been a while since we put out any physical release and it made sense to get something out there in time for summer and to tour behind!
What’s your favourite track from the EP?
Gold Leaf. I like that song and I’m glad it’s finally going to be out there!
You have the UK and European tour coming up also, what venue are you most looking forward to playing?
I can’t wait for it all, honestly. I’m looking forward to our hometown release show in Canterbury and, in the UK, I always love playing Leeds and up north. In Europe – looking forward to going back to Sweden, especially Stockholm, and seeing my friends in Linz and Vienna in Austria.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Erlend Øye. He’d add so much vibe and I just love everything he does. He’d push my music in a very different direction, I reckon, even though I’m already greatly inspired by his music. I’d also love to write a banging pop song with Andrew McMahon.
What was the first gig you ever attended?
Hundred Reasons + InMe at the Lees Cliff Hall in Folkestone, UK, 2002.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
Love watching football, playing FIFA and hanging with friends.
What’s the music scene in Canterbury like at the moment?
I haven’t been back in Canterbury for around 8 months but when I left it, there was some cool up and coming bands like Zilinski and Blunderpuss and a bunch of cool shows going on, a lot of shows by Burger Boys Promotions. Alex at Monkey Boy Records has been holding it down in his new record shop and it’s always been a pretty decent place for DIY music and stuff.
I’ve been staying in Milwaukee in the USA for the last few months and there’s some cool stuff going on here at the moment. My friends in Telethon and Brave You (Halloween Records) run monthly house shows and are killing it at the moment locally and otherwise.
The band will be on tour in June and July, check out the dates below:
6/21 – Brighton, UK – Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
6/22 – Canterbury, UK – UCA Bar
6/23 – London, UK – TBC
6/24 – Southampton, UK – The Alexandra
6/26 – Manchester, UK – Night People
6/27 – Glasgow, UK – Bloc
6/29 – Newcastle, UK – TBC
6/30 – Leeds, UK – Wharf Chambers
7/1 – Birmingham, UK – TBC
7/2 – Leuven, BE – Café ‘t Vervolg
7/3 – Lille, FR – Bobble Café
7/5 – Stockholm, SWE – Nomad
7/6 – Gothenburg, SWE – Sekten
7/10 – Berlin, DE – Scharni
7/12 – Budapest, HU – TBC
7/13 – Bratislava, SK – Kulturák
7/16 – Linz, AT – Secret Venue
7/17 – Vienna, AT – TBC