Meet The Pretty Visitors, an indie-rock four-piece hailing from in and around the historic island city of Portsmouth. Made up of lead singer and guitarist Connor Reid, fellow guitarist Aaron Evans, bassist Sam Bennett, and drummer Jack Rudland, the band was rapidly on the up before Covid-19 crippled the live-music scene, with the boys even having a breakout gig in Paris canceled as the pandemic swept the globe.
However, instead of kicking back with a beer and watching on whilst the world went up in flames, they gifted us with new singles ‘Head in the Sand’ and ‘Western Skies’, two poetic masterstrokes that fuse gritty realism with a leg-quaking accompaniment of drums and guitar. We caught up with The Pretty Visitors to ask them about the reaction to their new tracks, a change in style, and what the future holds.
FR: For those that haven’t heard of The Pretty Visitors, how would you describe your music, and who have you taken influence from as a band?
TPV: I think primarily we’d describe our music as an indie-rock sound, but our varied influences really do have an effect on the writing process and keep it really fresh. There’s punk, blues, folk, and psychedelic undertones in different songs – so, in that sense, I think it’s really quite universal too.
We are all inspired by such different music, but we all meet somewhere around the feet of Oasis. Obviously Arctic Monkey’s inspired our name and our music to an extent, but for all our lives we’ve been into Oasis. They write brilliant songs, they’re funny and they’re pure rock’n’roll. As a live experience too, I don’t think anyone in recent history commands an audience and gets people bouncing quite like they do.
FR: Just over a month has passed since you released Western Skies, how pleased have you been with the reaction that the track has received?
TPV: The response to western skies has been amazing. We spent a bit more money and effort on the recording process and feel that it really comes across. We have had a lot of people express their connection to the lyrics and how they can’t wait to hear it live.
FR: On Spotify alone Western Skies has already amassed over 25,000 views, with Head in the Sand the only track to have surpassed it, do you feel that you’re improving with every song you make?
TPV: Spotify and other streaming services have made it so easy to get your music heard worldwide but also massively increased the competition. It’s always great when you see all the countries that your music has reached each month. 25,000 plays in a month are crazy, we believe our songs and production are improving musically and lyrically but also we are showing our diversity with each release.
FR: There’s been a slight change in style in your last couple of singles, was that something you stumbled on in the studio, or have you been experimenting with it for a while?
TPV: The last two singles we have released used spoken word lyrics which really helps to portray the song’s messages. ‘Head in the Sand’ is about the day-to-day grind that we universally feel, waking up on a gloomy Monday and going to work at a job you don’t care about. ‘Western Skies’ came from a place of frustration and helplessness in the small towns where we live. This is just a route the songs naturally went when we wrote them, we don’t have any more spoken word songs in the pipeline but who knows for the future!
FR: Talking of the studio, you’ve recently spent time in London recording some new music, can you give us any teasers as to what’s to come?
TPV: We have just got out of the studio this week actually. We recorded our next two releases which we are absolutely buzzing about and cannot wait to share with everyone. Live music is also not far away here in the UK. We have some gigs and festivals that have just been announced that can’t come quick enough for us including our first gig for over a year at Heartbreakers Southampton on the 23rd of June. We are also playing ‘Lakefest’ in Hereford and have plenty more to come. Make sure you catch our latest news on all our socials!
For all the latest updates follow Pretty Visitors in Instagram The Pretty Visitors (@tpv.music) and Twitter, https://twitter.com/tpvmusic
