Pushpin are back with new single ‘Garden Cities of Tomorrow’. Not only are they continuing their trend of having cute animals as artwork, but they seem to have properly fallen off the edge for this new tune too. Oh boy, am I excited for this. “like trying to stage a modern dance show in a bouncy castle” indeed.
What makes Pushpin such an exciting act is their looseness when it comes to genres. They do not stick to a particular sound, and that often allows their music the freedom to become whatever it wants. Quite like good parenting, really. ‘Garden Cities of Tomorrow’ follows this route, flowing between industrial efforts and harmonious sections throughout. It’s gritty, bizarre, and a proper good listen.
With flickers of Math Rock melodies and a disgustingly filthy bassline kicking things off, the new single immediately transports you into its world. While it seems prepared to knock your head off, it chooses to dive down a much more anthemic route instead. The flutters of percussion lead towards a glorious meadow of harmony and melody. I get some real ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’ vibes from how mashed together it sounds, but Pushpin get it to work somehow.
‘Garden Cities of Tomorrow’ is a fantastic song, and easily my favourite of Pushpin’s so far. It almost sounds like it’s malfunctioning, as you hear synths ring like alarms in the background and the vocals duplicate depending on what second on the song you’re at. But it’s through that element of falling apart that makes it so exciting.