Born in the sleepy village of Parbold, Lancashire, the now Merseyside-based singer-songwriter, Pixey releases her latest full length EP ‘Sunshine State’ through Chess Club Records.
Influenced by the likes of Kate Bush, Grimes and Björk, Lizzie Hillesdon, AKA Pixey is a woman on a mission with her unique self-produced euphoric indie pop sound. Following the multi-instrumentalists cosmic pop ‘Free to Live in Colour’ EP’, Pixey follows up on her dreamy yet upbeat sonics with her 2021 ‘Sunshine State’ EP.
The opening track ‘Life in Stereo’ packs a punch with its thumping drum groove and indie-pop guitar riff. Clocking in at 2:18 ‘Sunshine State’, the EP’s quickest track, sees Pixey’s fast-paced vocal delivery weave over a summery guitar riff before erupting into a loud and lively chorus.
‘Shine On’ is Pixey’s most psychedelic-leaning track, with reverb-soaked vocals and dreamy indie guitars. ‘Take Me On’ is Pixey pushing her Prodigy influences with its infectious drum and bass breakbeat whereas ‘Day Dreaming’, a personal favourite, showcases her ability in writing downtempo, introspective tracks, a place where her vocals can fully shine through.
Closing ballad ‘Heaven’ is accompanied by a music video, directed by frequent collaborator Marieke Macklon (Litany and She Drew The Gun). The video displays a starry-eyed Pixey and her lover laying in an open green field or for Pixey heaven itself. Pixey explains that “‘Heaven’ is one of my favourite tracks from the record. It felt good to play almost everything on the track & also be able to produce it exactly how I had always heard it in my head. It was the first track I have had live strings on too which was amazing to put together. It’s a ballad written from the perspective of someone who’s no longer here, hoping for one person to always love them. I wrote it for a member of my family who passed away, so it definitely means a lot to me.”
When asked about ‘Sunshine State’ EP, Pixey states “When I was writing & recording Sunshine State I knew I wanted to create a new soundscape and mood that would evolve from the last EP. I have always felt strongly connected to the summertime and wanted to create a collection of songs that would encapsulate the sounds I always associated with the summer in my head. I also wanted the EP to have a beginning, middle and end, starting with Life In Stereo and ending with Heaven. I hope everyone can feel something similar to what I felt writing them when listening to the EP.”
3 Nov | Arts Club Loft, Liverpool
10 Nov | O2 Academy, Leeds^
11 Nov | O2 Academy, Leeds^
Mar 2 | The Cluny, Newcastle*
Mar 3 | Saint Luke’s, Glasgow*
Mar 4| Brudenell Social Club, Leeds*
Mar 5 | Gorilla, Manchester*
Mar 8 | Leadmill, Sheffield*
Mar 9 | Rescue Rooms, Nottingham*
Mar 10 | O2 Institute, Birmingham*
Mar 11 | Thekla, Bristol*
Mar 12 | Patterns, Brighton*
Mar 16 | O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London*
Mar 18 | The Academy, Dublin*
^ w/ DMAs
* w/ Alfie Templeman
