The Pineapple Thief revel in opposing forces. Muscle and fragility. Chaos and precision. Distorted introspection and warm, dreamlike expanse. Conceived in 1999 by Bruce Soord, the progressive quartet underwent a rebirth in 2017 with the arrival of Gavin Harrison (King Crimson, Porcupine Tree) on drums. Completed by bassist Jon Sykes and keyboardist Steve Kitch, they’ve honed a lean yet lush, quietly timeless sound that soars on 'It Leads To This'.
The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord on the album: “We worked on these new songs for nearly 3 years. It was the most intense time I can remember within The Pineapple Thief. Personally I was being pushed well beyond my known limits, which is great from an artistic perspective but also very very challenging from a personal perspective.
Bruce continues, “Conceptually ‘It Leads To This’ continues my desire to observe and (try to) make sense of life and the world around me. It’s all there in the lyrics. The initial concept for the songs came together very quickly but the final lyrical and musical elements took a huge amount of work to piece together between the four of us, at least to a point where we were all satisfied. After so long in the business, being 'satisfied' is constantly being pushed further, constantly redefined. That's the thing, we just kept pushing...”
To coincide with their formidable return, the band reveal a beautifully shot, compelling video for the first chapter of ‘It Leads To This’ in the form of ‘The Frost’. Shot in Iceland, the video was created by the band’s long-time collaborator Jeremy George.
It all feeds into 'It Leads To This'. Comprising eight fat-free epics – all about five minutes long, mixing rock urgency with delicate atmospherics, pensive keys and captivating melodies – it finds Soord looking back and fearing for the world his children will inherit. His lyrics also drew from literature: accounts of Ancient Rome, John Williams’ classic 'Stoner' and epistolary 'Augustus'. All conveyed through Soord’s fragile yet penetrative tenor, nodding to storytellers like Nick Drake, Thom Yorke and Katatonia’s Jonas Renkse.
In a way, that’s The Pineapple Thief all over. Idiosyncratic but relatable. Devastating and life-affirming, in the same breath. Not married to a single genre, just melody served by tones and textures. Music that only the four of them could make.
In support of the new album The Pineapple Thief will be embarking on a EU/UK tour.
“IT LEADS TO THIS” TOUR 2024 (BNL)
