'LIGHT' / Quartz Pistol
Quartz Pistol introduces her next body of work with acid-pop space-inspired single ‘LIGHT’
“I wrote this track back in 2017 after a cosmic night performing at a massive DIY event in Tarntanya” locally revered artist Quartz Pistol explains: “I remember seeing light reflecting through the lens of my friends eye as I was talking to them and it shot me out into the cosmos bringing an appreciation for our visceral existence”.
That moment was cocooned within a period of deep reflection for the vocalist and instrumentalist, a time where she was carefully considering the Theory of General Relativity and how light is used to study our universe. So with these thoughts perforating her skull she sat armed with a loop pedal, synth, drums and her voice to create LIGHT.
Sit back and let the first offering from Quartz Pistol’s debut record STAR STUFF overwhelm you with sludgy bass lines, crunchy drums, emotive string parts and stacked vocal harmonies.
LIGHT and STAR STUFF was produced and engineered by Perrin Moss AKA Clever Austin. Abbey (Quartz Pistol) and Perrin spent many sessions in the studio, taking their time and having too much fun. “Our relaxed and intuitive nature is probably why I’m releasing it years after the fact” she explains - “but it’s totally worth the wait as this record captures a precious moment in time with a bunch of heavy weight musicians”.
““The whole record reflects the transitional, evolving time in my life, moving cities, facing up to and educating myself on my privilege and place in society. There’s a splash of tragic, emotional vibes in there that captures the unraveling of oneself during a break-up and Saturn Return along with the overarching frustration I have with the systems in place, how they reward greed and are designed only to prosper a fraction of society whilst destroying others and the natural world”.”
Quartz Pistol’s career to date has largely had a focus on live gigs - where she flaunts her raw vivacity and talent in performance on stage. Despite small release output it’s likely you’ve seen Abbey perform on stage in outfits such as her own, new group Plastiq with Moses Carr and previously the Elle Shimada Collective.
The powerful, ephemeral moments Abbey creates on stage are unbeatable, but post-COVID she realised just how important it is to immortalise your music by releasing it into the world. As the foundations of STAR STUFF were recorded live, she found it a happy medium between sharing that on-stage ecstatism and providing an introspective experience to listeners.
On STAR STUFF you can also hear the contributions from Abbey’s dear friends and talented musicians including Myka Wallace (drums), Hannah Macklin (bass synth/vocals), Elle Shimada (violin/synth), Taylor Crawford (frello - a fretless, cigar box style cello invted by Taylor) and Perrin Moss (synth/audio engineering/production).
““I think we all appreciate heaviness and really took Quartz Pistol to an almost punk, grunge, alt-pop world, which this record captures. The collaborations on this record have a foundation in love and respect for each others craft, we were all naturally drawn to each other through music and together created an ecosystem where our creativity could flourish. The process of recording STAR STUFF personally helped me work through many insecurities I have around my own music and identity. I move forward with some great advice from Perrin to “trust your ears”, all of those creative choices are uniquely yours and where they fit into the categories we have created for music is irrelevant”.”
In 2023 Quartz Pistol will invite you further into their mystical dream landscape with a platter of releases showcasing their artistry. Keenly, LIGHT will be closely followed by music video and single VIRUS - filmed in Tarntanya with local creatives VIDEO INTERNATIONAL and set in a dystopian future where humans have killed most of the planet due to their greed.
STAY UP TO DATE WITH QUARTZ PISTOL ON SPOTIFY, BANDCAMP, INSTAGRAM and YOUTUBE
Images by CAPITAL WASTE (@capitalwastepictures)
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