There's every chance you know a fair bit about Pixie Geldof. Her life has been somewhat reported on. What you might not know, however, is that she's an incredibly talented musician. That she has the most beautiful voice. That she writes lyrics that can shatter you.
Having previously performed with her band Violet, the 26-year-old is now releasing her debut solo album, I'm Yours. It is, at different points, heartbreaking and ecstatic, melancholy and hopeful. It's a sumptuous dream pop treat reminiscent of Mazzy Star or Warpaint.
Recorded late last year in LA with Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer, who has worked with the likes of M83 and Air, the strings were provided by Beck's father David Campbell who has steered Radiohead, Adele and Justin Timberlake. As huge fans of the album, we decided to ask her about each track. Here's what she had to say.
Recorded late last year in LA with Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer, who has worked with the likes of M83 and Air, the strings were provided by Beck's father David Campbell who has steered Radiohead, Adele and Justin Timberlake. As huge fans of the album, we decided to ask her about each track. Here's what she had to say.
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"Sweet Thing"
I chose "Sweet Thing" to open the record mainly because of how it starts – the big drums. I wanted to push people into the record and immediately grab them. It’s the most heavily country influenced song on the record; in terms of the sound, not the lyrics. It’s also meant to be this homage to these amazing songs I would listen to in the summer when I was younger and I’d dance to and wake up to. I wanted it to be someone’s summer song.
I chose "Sweet Thing" to open the record mainly because of how it starts – the big drums. I wanted to push people into the record and immediately grab them. It’s the most heavily country influenced song on the record; in terms of the sound, not the lyrics. It’s also meant to be this homage to these amazing songs I would listen to in the summer when I was younger and I’d dance to and wake up to. I wanted it to be someone’s summer song.
"I’m Yours"
It’s my favourite song on the record. I wrote it in my friend’s flat in a really busy part of Camden. Although I remember writing all these songs, this is the only one for which I can remember the exact date, the weather; I can still smell the rain from that day and hear the sirens on the street. All the senses lit up. There’s something eerie and calming about the song. "So Strong"
This is one of very few songs that directly references myself and is about me. It’s an ironic title. The chorus talks about how strong I am but really I'm not. The idea is you have to play strong and pretend to be strong so that other people can lean on you when actually you’re not doing too good yourself. "Woman Go Wild"
I wrote this with Fryars, the wonderful man, and it’s the only piano-led song on the album. It’s a very straightforward and romantic love song and something that’s not embittered or tainted by a break up or any kind of hurt. It’s a blunt "I love you" to someone. It's about the way that people can stir things in you that other people can’t. The video is a sort of tribute to The Virgin Suicides. I was pleased with it because I’m not the focus in it.
It’s my favourite song on the record. I wrote it in my friend’s flat in a really busy part of Camden. Although I remember writing all these songs, this is the only one for which I can remember the exact date, the weather; I can still smell the rain from that day and hear the sirens on the street. All the senses lit up. There’s something eerie and calming about the song. "So Strong"
This is one of very few songs that directly references myself and is about me. It’s an ironic title. The chorus talks about how strong I am but really I'm not. The idea is you have to play strong and pretend to be strong so that other people can lean on you when actually you’re not doing too good yourself. "Woman Go Wild"
I wrote this with Fryars, the wonderful man, and it’s the only piano-led song on the album. It’s a very straightforward and romantic love song and something that’s not embittered or tainted by a break up or any kind of hurt. It’s a blunt "I love you" to someone. It's about the way that people can stir things in you that other people can’t. The video is a sort of tribute to The Virgin Suicides. I was pleased with it because I’m not the focus in it.
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"Rain Comes Down"
This is my spaghetti western homage. It’s the most outwardly aggressive song on the record, the most openly hurt song. It’s the most fun one to play live by far because it’s heavy and it’s warm and it’s got this sort of oomph to it. "Twin Thing"
This is a song that talks about loss. I wrote it bizarrely quickly, considering how personal it is. I didn’t think I was going to write a song in the vein of "Twin Thing" but I did. Writing it was easy and quick but the recording of it was definitely the slowest part of the album process and the most intricate and most precious. Everyone unspokenly realised that this song was going to take more time and it needed to be taken care of in a way that the other songs didn’t. "Close To You"
This is my creepy song about obsession. It’s not obviously creepy and it’s not obviously weird but if you listen to the words it’s about someone who is not all there. It’s about the obsessive need for someone that I don’t think is healthy. "Escape Route"
Escape Route is about self doubt and self sabotage and panic and all those things that I know very well. It’s a song about not being able to hack it when things are going well and your heart and brain turn against you all at once. I think those things happen and I think everyone is guilty of it. I certainly am. I started doing the whistling as a joke and then we decided to put it throughout the song. It's a slow crawl of self doubt in a song. It’s one of my favourites.
This is my spaghetti western homage. It’s the most outwardly aggressive song on the record, the most openly hurt song. It’s the most fun one to play live by far because it’s heavy and it’s warm and it’s got this sort of oomph to it. "Twin Thing"
This is a song that talks about loss. I wrote it bizarrely quickly, considering how personal it is. I didn’t think I was going to write a song in the vein of "Twin Thing" but I did. Writing it was easy and quick but the recording of it was definitely the slowest part of the album process and the most intricate and most precious. Everyone unspokenly realised that this song was going to take more time and it needed to be taken care of in a way that the other songs didn’t. "Close To You"
This is my creepy song about obsession. It’s not obviously creepy and it’s not obviously weird but if you listen to the words it’s about someone who is not all there. It’s about the obsessive need for someone that I don’t think is healthy. "Escape Route"
Escape Route is about self doubt and self sabotage and panic and all those things that I know very well. It’s a song about not being able to hack it when things are going well and your heart and brain turn against you all at once. I think those things happen and I think everyone is guilty of it. I certainly am. I started doing the whistling as a joke and then we decided to put it throughout the song. It's a slow crawl of self doubt in a song. It’s one of my favourites.
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"Poison Apple"
It’s a song about connection and the need to feel something and the need to feel present. Because very often I don’t and I haven’t. A lot of people, I think, dream about leaving their life behind and having a different type of life and I think that stops you from being present. That’s something I desperately want to be. "Wild Things Grow"
It’s the oldest song on the album. I think it’s beautiful and I love it. I wanted it to be the thing that people left the album with, I wanted this euphoric love song to sing people out with. You go on this weird journey throughout the album. The way it ends and the long strings outro is perfect. When I wrote it years ago I never thought it would get recorded with live strings. On the day we recorded it with a 12-piece string section, I absolutely just couldn’t believe it. It was one of those days where you go, ‘Today was great’. It was the only day that I cried making the album. I'm Yours is out now.
It’s a song about connection and the need to feel something and the need to feel present. Because very often I don’t and I haven’t. A lot of people, I think, dream about leaving their life behind and having a different type of life and I think that stops you from being present. That’s something I desperately want to be. "Wild Things Grow"
It’s the oldest song on the album. I think it’s beautiful and I love it. I wanted it to be the thing that people left the album with, I wanted this euphoric love song to sing people out with. You go on this weird journey throughout the album. The way it ends and the long strings outro is perfect. When I wrote it years ago I never thought it would get recorded with live strings. On the day we recorded it with a 12-piece string section, I absolutely just couldn’t believe it. It was one of those days where you go, ‘Today was great’. It was the only day that I cried making the album. I'm Yours is out now.