Get To Know Poundshop Parka’s Versatile Stylings Through Their Debut Single, "Managing Director"
BUZZ LA- Feb 23, 2022
- 4 min read
London-based alternative pop duo graces us with their refreshing and somewhat nostalgic sound with a groovy debut single entitled "Managing Director."
The duo is made up of songwriter/composer Pete Devaney and talented multi-instrumentalist Tom Jenkins, who formed the duo to create inspirational tracks that are sure to take the independent music scene by storm. Poundshop Parka has already had four songs from their forthcoming debut album recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios alongside B Side Recording.
Poundshop Parka's debut single, "Managing Director," offers this bluesy and groovy tone that keeps the energy alive through Jenkins' exciting drum arrangements and Devaney's sweet bass licks and deep, warm vocals. There's a certain psychedelic appeal to this song that totally gives it a nostalgic Beatles-like edge—probably the influence of working in Abbey Road Studios.
Hitting play on the new single, "Managing Director," the track opens with a sole mid-tempo kick and Devaney's low, sweet vocals that are quickly accompanied by Jenkins' entire groovy drum arrangements. While Devaney continues his poised and smooth performance, Poundshop Parka's instrumentals continue to brightly expand with a radiant electric guitar that screams 70s rock.
This track is truly a treat for the ears, and it perfectly encapsulates staple versatile rock acts to come out of the UK like, of course, the Beatles, but with an introspective and dark Led Zeppelin feel. The instrumentation in this track is incredibly dynamic, and we truly appreciate Poundshop Parka's ability to create this blend of alternative, rock, blues, and psychedelic all within a debut single.
There's definitely much more to come from Poundshop Parka, but until then, jam out to their debut single, "Managing Director," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Poundshop Parka. A big congratulations on releasing your dynamic debut single, "Managing Director." Why did you want this song to be your duo's introduction to the music scene?
Thank you very much for having us! We always had had this song in mind as a kind of “opener” or lead single so we were delighted when our Producer Hollie agreed. I think the song is one of our more immediate, it’s got a fun vibe and we wanted our first release to be high energy. The first 40 seconds are quite stripped back and are a bit of an invitation into the song: “don’t think too much about it, just take my hand and go for the plunge”. A friend of mine told me the start of the song sounds a bit like a wide-eyed adventurer going into the world with his backpack on his back which is an image I loved.
What inspired the concept and theme behind the lyrical content within "Managing Director?"
It’s a bit hard to say for this one as the song wasn’t really about something, it was just a matter of trying to find words that fit the music. The song has different sections, so I suppose it starts clean, gets a bit heavier, and then has a section in the middle where it is more psychedelic or trippy and has lyrics about "circus performers". The whole song is supposed to be a bit of a tumbling rollercoaster that lands at the end with a bump.
Could you take us through your duo's creative process when formulating the "Managing Director" composition and instrumentals? What kind of vibe and sound were you aiming to create?
I (Pete) do all the songwriting and arrangements for our tracks. So I created a demo with voice, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, and bass and I sent the audio file over to Tom so he can have a think about the drums. Tom wrote an amazing drum part for this song so it was really exciting when we put the pieces together in Ableton and heard the song in full. We then sent the demo over to our Hollie and fine-tuned it all in the studio when recording. But our mantra on this track (and with the other songs on the album) was to just keep it simple and don’t try and layer extraneous instruments over the top too much. Oh and we added lots of flange on voice and guitar – I and Hollie were fighting a constant battle over how much flange is too much!
What was it like recording tracks at Abbey Road Studios? Did that experience have an influence on your forthcoming debut album?
What an incredible experience for us both to get inside Abbey Road. We were extremely fortunate for the label (B-side Recording) to have made it possible for us. I am a huge Beatles nut so I was having an out-of-body experience for the whole day. We had a five-hour session and managed to get through four songs which were great. One of them is called “Room” and is a gentler acoustic song which will be our next single in March and features a lovely cello part on it by our friend Hannah Chappell. We also recorded two songs on a beautiful upright piano that was in the studio (see our Instagram for pics) that will be on our album, one of which was a cover of “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles. Our Abbey Road technician said the chances were high that Paul McCartney actually used the same microphone I had sung when he recorded the original song, eek!
What's next for Poundshop Parka?
We will release our next single in mid-March and then the full 10-song album in April so please keep an eye out for that! We haven’t done any gigs yet so that will be on our agenda this Summer. On the 26th of Feb, we are doing a few songs live for Instagram from “The Qube” recording studio in West London, and our cellist Hannah will be taking part with those. Then, on the 12th of March, we are doing a “Live to Vinyl” session down in Brighton with a few other artists who are also working with the “B-Side Recording” record label.
