Sydney-based Indie-pop outfit, Pirra burst through with new super-synthy single, 'Never Apart'
Alternative indie pop auteurs Pirra have announced their buoyant new single ‘Never Apart’, a synthy adventure produced by Sam Littlemore of Pnau.
The group, whose namesake Pirra means moon in Luritja, a language spoken by the Luritja people, are set to hit the road for an east coast run of dates kicking off at Oxford Art Factory (Syd) on September 3 before moving on to The Toff (Mel) on September 10 and finishing up at Suzie Wongs Good Time Bar (Bris) on September 12.
‘Never Apart’ is awash with lush 80s synths, super-sweet and sunny vocal harmonies, over a layer of killer synths drum goodness - but just wait until the dark synths take over in a twist ending.
It’s a welcome much-needed release for Pirra, after a year of isolation and anxiety. The track draws influences from Northeast Party House, RÜFÜS DU SOL and Running Touch, it’ll have you singing along even through the first listen.
Speaking on the creation of the track, guitarist and synth player James McKendry says, “Never Apart was produced and mixed by Sam Littlemore (aka Sam La More) of Pnau. He really challenged us to get out of our safe zone. Never Apart started as an instrumental track Curtis (our bass player) was working on for days. Eventually he emerged from his music cave and then I wrote the vocal melodies and lyrics. The lyrics are vaguely about feeling connected to somebody, no matter the distance, but I wanted to make a melody that felt easy to sing along to and that people could find their own meaning to. We were definitely inspired by Pnau, and had been listening to their album Changa around that time, although we never dreamed we would end up working with Sam Littlemore on this song!”
Pirra are currently signed to CR2 Records in London, who also represent electronic dance heroes Carl Cox and Camelphat. Reflecting on how the deal came about, James explains, “At the time a publisher and friend of ours Rob Scott knew our music was headed in a dance direction so he got in contact with the head of CR2 Mark Brown and showed him our track Under the Skyline. Mark loved the track, as well as some of the other demos we sent him so he offered us a record deal. Since then, it’s been such a thrill to collaborate with some of our heroes and we’re pumped about some upcoming collaborations we hope to announce soon.”
‘Never Apart’ is out now on all streaming platforms.