INTERVIEW W/ Pastel: "It’s really sad when people can’t find inspiration outside of music"!

Pastel have been releasing music since 2020, having initially started to play because, “all the bands we were listening to were older than us”. Since coming out of lockdown, bands like Fontaines D.C. have gained popularity, and there has been a resurgence in the shoegaze scene with bands like Slowdive which have clearly influenced their latest album ‘Souls in Motion’. It’s a really exciting time to be in the music scene, as guitarist James Yates puts it “most of our inspiration comes from music but you can draw inspiration from anywhere now. We find it in things most people find mundane, people in cafes, local sayings, films. I find it really important to put that energy into the music you make”.

Pastel want people to be able to find that kind of energy in their music, for people to be able to “put headphones on, sit in a dark room and let the album take you on a journey”. With the rising popularity of “TikTok tunes”, as they put it, which focus on 7 seconds of the music, it was imperative for this album to flow in a way that people found energy through, and that it is exactly what people are finding. They talked fondly of a fan “about 9 or 10 who listens to ‘Your Day’ before every football match” and a “kid who told us at a live and signing that he had some really bad news that day but we just made him want to start a band- and he did!”.

As well as being a major inspiration for so many musicians, ‘Souls in Motion’ was inspired by a vast number of bands, and has some less obvious influences. “The Talking Heads was probably why I got into music in the first place, but since then we’ve found a love of so many bands. We listen to the Housemartins on the way to practically every gig! Another thing that massively inspired this album was the film ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. So many of the tunes off of this album were written off of the spirit that that gave us. We think that it’s really sad when people say they can’t find inspiration outside of music”.

Being originally from Manchester, their sound is hugely influenced by northern bands, like the Housemartins, and they “miss the north, especially because we’ve been taken away from it”. However, what comes through when talking to them is a huge amount of warmth and welcome, an idea that anyone can enjoy their music. “Our album cover was taken in Swansea but everyone thinks that it’s Manchester which is really cool because it shows that we could be from anywhere. It could be Glasgow, Manchester, Swansea and that’s kind of the point”.

Pastel seem to find a joy in exploring the UK, putting “local phrases” into their songs and coming to the conclusion that “you have to play live, otherwise you just end up in your room, like the Beatles” although in regard to where they want this album to take them “if we end up like the Beatles I’ll take it”.

Pastel will celebrate the release of ‘Souls In Motion’ by heading out on their biggest headline tour to date next February. Tickets available HERE.

FEBRUARY 2025 - HEADLINE TOUR

13th - Newcastle, The Cluny

14th - Liverpool, Arts Club (The Loft)

15th - Manchester, Club Academy 2

16th - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club

27th - Aberdeen, Tunnels

28th - Glasgow, King Tut’s

MARCH 2025 - HEADLINE TOUR

1st - Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire

6th - Bristol, Strange Brew

7th - Birmingham, Mama Roux’s

8th - London, Dome