Today, motorcycle mending, chopper and skateboard-riding, blues-rocking duo THE PICTUREBOOKS have released their new single and music video for 'Masquerade', their first ever recording to feature cymbals in their five-album career. The band are also due out on the road in the UK supporting Highly Suspect this September. On the new single, vocalist and guitarist Flynn Claus Grabke comments: "This is the first time Philipp has used cymbals, as he’s never used cymbals or hi hat in any other recording before. Through our work on The Picturebooks and The Major Minor Collective albums, we found out that we don’t have to limit ourselves as much as we did on previous albums. We can use bass, cymbals, samples, harmony vocals, and we will still sound like THE PICTUREBOOKS. It will only broaden our musical horizon. This song is a manifest to that idea. Let’s be what we want to be, knowing we will always be THE PICTUREBOOKS." "This song was recorded in our own studio. Some vocal overdubs were recorded in our second home, Long Beach, California. The songwriting process was rather quick for this one, the main riff happened and then the vocals for the chorus came immediately. We found some interesting samples that we felt fit the song well. Lyrically the song deals with social media and how it draws people to use their disadvantages to its advantage."
THE PICTUREBOOKS - 'Masquerade'
The Picturebooks (supporting Highly Suspect) UK Tour: 14.09 - SWG3, Glasgow 15.09 - Stylus, Leeds 16.09 - O2 Ritz, Manchester 19.09 - Concorde 2, Brighton 22.09 - O2 Kentish Town Forum, London 23.09 - O2 Institute, Birmingham 24.09 - O2 Academy, Bristol Tickets available: https://www.thepicturebooks.com/live. After relentlessly touring their last two albums worldwide with over 350 shows in the last three years THE PICTUREBOOKS went back to their very own recording studio, boosting with inspiration and self-confidence. The goal was to add a new vibe to their music while still keeping true to THE PICTUREBOOKS sound aesthetic. They used their new-found inspiration to work harder on the production of The Hands of Time (2019) and to experiment with their signature sound and even introduced new instruments such as piano or tubular bells. They handcrafted some of their own percussion instruments as well, which they will be taking on the road with them to further spice up their energetic live shows. Years earlier, before the release of Imaginary Horse (2014), the duo had gone into a painful but necessary hiatus away from music, where duo Fynn Claus Grabke [vocals/guitars] and Philipp Mirtschink [drums] spent time as gearheads saving motorcycles from the scrapheap. Together, Grabke and Mirtschink put their creativity to steel, grease, and carburetors building heavily customised Harley Davidsons while everything from classic rock and punk rock to garage rock and classic country blasted from the boombox. In fact, THE PICTUREBOOKS’ albums are always partly recorded in their very own garage, right next to the actual studio.
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