PENCEY SLOE are now premiering the video clip ‘Smile to Zero’ as the first single taken from the dreamgaze rockers’ sophomore full-length “Neglect”, which has been slated for release on August 19. Biographical information and all details about the French outfit’s new album can be viewed below.
PENCEY SLOE comment: “At first you think that the comfortable zone of emptiness is your friend, until it grabs you so hard that your mind twists and locks itself up”, writes singer and guitarist Diane Pellotieri. “It was important to create a video in a dimension other than reality as we all embody a virtual profile these days. The repetitive movements of the characters and their aesthetics echo the underlying problem of the digital age that is imposed on us. I view surrendering to the virtual space as a self-surrender. The video’s characters are gradually drawn into a horror, which does not even frighten them anymore. I see the same mechanism in real world situations like depression or dependency.”
Credits ‘Smile to Zero’
Video script, design, creation, and production by Diane Pellotieri
Tracklist
1. What They Need
2. Smile to Zero
3. Neglect
4. Mirror Rorrim
5. Sigh
6. The Run .I
7. The Run .II
8. Brutal in Red
9. Reversed Backwards
10. Inner
Who am I? This is the essential question that PENCEY SLOE explore on their sophomore full-length “Neglect”. The Parisian dreamgaze rockers have dedicated their entire new album to the theme of identity. What is making humans into who they think they are and at the same time also how they project or hide their self-image to and from others. Are we shaped by our genetic code, or do we become what we are told to be by our family and peers. Is it our language, the country or the society that we live in, or the culture that we grow up with?
While founding-member, singer, and guitarist Diane Pellotieri is the main songwriter for PENCEY SLOE, her collaboration with new drummer and percussionist Clément Hateau has overall been much closer than with the previous line-up of the band. The result of this joining of musical forces is a more mature and complex sound. Although the French continue on their path of cinematic soundscapes and beautiful psychedelic colours, their occasional drifting into darker spheres and the perfect balance between Diane’s vocals and meandering guitar textures create a sonic world of their own design.
While the guest-contribution of ALCEST frontman Neige on ‘The Run .I’ is a welcome nod to the friendship that their compatriots have exerted on PENCEY SLOE, the inclusion of Justin K. Broadrick from among others GODFLESH and JESU is a more subtle pointer to an inspirational musician for the duo.
PENCEY SLOE were conceived out of a conversation between Diane and her fellow musicians at the time that led to the founding of the project in the French capital of Paris in 2017. The name was in part inspired by J. D. Salinger’s famous “The Catcher in the Rye” as Diane drew parallels between her music and the novel’s fluid shifts from dark to light, distress, and sadness to the burlesque and mysterious. In the same year as the band’s inception, a 5-track eponymous EP was self-released in 2017. This led to a record deal that PENCEY SLOE inked with Prophecy, and their acclaimed debut album “Don’t Believe, Watch Out” appeared via the label in 2019. Without the possibility to perform live these last two years, Diane decided to focus on the creation of new material.
With “Neglect”, PENCEY SLOE embark on a dream-like journey into the dangerous waters of identity. Who we are, who we want to be, and as who we want to appear to others might not be the same. Diane Pellotieri’s voice offers musical guidance, driven by subtle drumming, and carried by a stream of guitars. Hoist the anchor, rig the sails, and listen diligently.
Release date: August 19, 2022
Style: Dreamgaze rock
Line-up
Diane Pellotieri – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Clément Hateau – drums, bass, keyboards
Guest musicians
Stéphane “Neige” Paut – additional vocals on ‘The Run .I’
Justin K. Broadrick – additional vocals on ‘The Run .II’
Benjamin Marius Petit – electric piano on ‘The Run .I’ and on ‘The Run .II’
Recordingand mixing by Benoît Roux at Drudenhaus, Issé, France
Mastering by Thibault Chaumont
Artwork & layout by Diane Pellotieri
Available formats
“Neglect” is available as a slightly gold vinyl LP, on black vinyl LP, and on CD.
Pre-sale link: http://lnk.spkr.media/pencey-sloe-neglect
Links
www.facebook.com/penceysloe
https://www.instagram.com/penceysloe
