"Stop Start" by Shy Pilot
Review
I hope that you enjoyed the Ex Lover track "True Love" which we shared with you on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Five' back in 2021?
Like me, you probably had your eyes & ears pealed for further from Dan Faulkner and I'm glad to say that he's now been in contact to let me know about the debut single ("Stop Start") by his new band, Shy Pilot.
Teaming up this time with a full band (Simon Layfield (vocals and guitar), Jamie Ladd on bass and Loretta Cheng on drums), Dan plays guitar.
Consequently it's a very different affair to the very much solo electronica Ex Lover: this is anthemic indie rock with an element of gazing down at their footwear & if you like signposts to help you, they cite influences such as Jimmy Eat World, The Maccabees, DIIV, Sonic Youth and Amusement Parks on Fire.
Recorded at Humm Studios, this is a catchy statement of intent to launch the career of this new outfit and should do the trick.
Quite apart from the hooks necessary to get it to engage with the minds & attention of audiences, "Stop Start" manages to get an effective balance between being melodic enough to attract the larger body of potential audience members who respond to that sort of stimulus and yet edgy & dissonant at times to appeal to the probably smaller but more discerning types who take little sugar in their tea. I like tensions & dichotomies of this sort & the title of the song certainly nods this as their statement of intent.
You can see & hear Shy Pilot for yourselves next week on 2nd April if you are near The Moor Brewery in Bristol and look out too for the scheduled follow up "Glow Fade" due out in May.
