Pleasure Island

Liverpool duo Pleasure Island release their eagerly anticipated new single
‘Evangelion’ on Friday 12th January 2024.

‘Evangelion’ is the duo’s (Sean Ekins – vocals & guitar, Sam Pierpoint – drums) first release since previous single ‘Shallow Grave’ which came out in January 2023 and is the first track off their forthcoming as-yet-untitled EP which is scheduled for early 2024.
 
The track was produced by Loïc Gaillard at the Motor Museum, the studio famous for The Arctic Monkeys, 1975 and Bring Me The Horizon.

Songwriter and vocalist Sean Ekins said about ‘Evangelion’: -
 
“’Evangelion’ is a satirical take on the oldest cliche in rock, writing a song about Japan. The song is written from the point of view of a band that has run out of road, deciding to head off to the far east on a tour. The song is inspired by the band members’ previous tours abroad in Asia and the general difficulty bands experience achieving success in the music industry. The music pays homage to the nineties, bands such as Suede, Manics etc with a pastiche on the Brit Rock sound, as a musical holiday from the Post Punk and Garage style the band is known for.”
 
"We took the song title from the nineties anime 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'. The plot doesn't make a lot of sense to us, but it's very enjoyable and we'd hope people get a similar experience from our music. We appreciate the band can be quite convoluted, but not all art has to make sense and you do get a good night out if you come to see us,” adds Ekins.
 
"I mean every band writes a song about Japan or Tokyo, it's ridiculous to be frank, so of course we wanted to stick the boot in. It's also a song about the music dream turning sour, bands having to blag their way about the circuit chasing the dream of international tours, adulation from the foreign masses and anonymous sex. So, like ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ it's a bit of sinister escapism to get us all through the week,” he continues.
 
Lyrically, the song encapsulates the myth of the “rock and roll dream” and how far removed it is from reality, as Ekins describes: -
 
"These lyrics are a playful poke at the fetishisation of all things Japanese, the squalor of the rock star fantasy and the depressing reality that our bands are often doomed to fail at our own hands... the verse has a very sinister feel to it in keeping with the themes, but we wanted something more uplifting for the chorus so it didn't end up depressing"

About The Penny Lane Weekender, Ekins says: -

"The Penny Lane Weekender was supposed to be a Saturday show, in the one venue so we could get all our friends together for a show in South Liverpool. However, as soon as we announced the show the landlord got in touch, to let us know that there was an issue with the license so we couldn't have drums and amplified guitars. We managed to find another venue which did, but they had their own restrictions with time so we had to spread the event over three nights. We then had to backfill the original venue with acoustic artists, DJs, and electronic acts. The festival was basically an administrative error" 
 
Regarding the EP, Ekins declares: -
 
"We've held back on the EP to 2024 as we wanted to make sure the band was organised enough to keep putting more music out after the launch, learn how to crank the handle writing wise, figure out how to fit the whole thing around trying to do the day jobs. We're very excited about it though, as we are moving the tracks towards a cohesive sound, rather than just genre hopping. We've always been happy with what we put out, but we want to be distinct so this EP is a step towards that and hopefully one day an album if we can."
 
‘Evangelion’ comes out on Friday 12^th January 2024 and will be available on all digital formats.