It’s been a couple of weeks now since we first heard The Pink Dust’s newest single Hello, and for that entire time, we haven’t stopped spinning it. The band have taken their sound in a new direction, and the experimentation has well-and-truly paid off.
So fresh off the track’s release, we caught up with Cliff Littlefield & Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas to chat all about it.
Fresh off the release of their latest single Hello, we caught up with American two-piece The Pink Dust to chat about their ever-evolving sound.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
CLIFF: Hey, we’re really good. I just had a birthday. People tend to fight birthdays as we get a little older, but I’ve always thought that if there’s a day where people are nicer to you than usual and all you have to do is change your age by one number, I’m in. By far my favourite person that I share a birthday with is Karen Carpenter, though Dr Seuss is a close second.
ROY: I’ve been writing lots of new music and teaching music privately at my kids’ school.
HAPPY: We’re loving Hello! How does it feel having it out there in the world?
CLIFF: Thanks so much! There’s definitely a satisfaction derived from taking an idea that might be just a phrase or a couple of notes and seeing it evolve into an actual song that is streamed or played on the radio, but we still get a charge out of receiving the newly pressed CD in the mail and playing it in the car. We’re a bit old fashioned that way.
HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the track?
CLIFF: You know, both of us have a diverse music collection, but Roy’s knowledge and experience with world music is much greater than mine, and he’s always turning me on to something new.
ROY: In this case, we got together in my basement in Nashville which is always a blast and were inspired by Brazilian music like Caetano Veloso and Jobim mixed with electro undertones of Mr Oizo and Pedro Winter. Roy definitely led the way on the musical approach, but I’ll follow that dude anywhere.
HAPPY: It feels like you’ve gone in a pretty different direction for this new track. Was this a conscious decision? What was the thinking behind it?
ROY: I guess you could say it was a conscious decision, but it didn’t start out that way. Just for a change of pace, we wrote She and then Hello, and the natural progression from there was to come up with a few more songs that complement that vibe. The Flamingo EP is definitely a departure for us but that’s part of what we love about our collaboration. Nothing is off limits.
HAPPY: You guys have been making music together for a number of years now. What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed in the music you’re making now, compared to when you first started?
CLIFF: In the beginning, we had our own individual ideas that we would then work out together but now that we have a much better understanding of each other musically, I love just sitting down in a room with Roy and exploring the possibilities. It’s always exciting to see where it goes.
ROY: I think we’ve learned more about each other’s strengths and trust one another to lean heavily on those strengths to push projects forward.
HAPPY: Across your whole discography, there are so many different sounds intertwined. Are there any particular artists you’re seeking inspiration from currently?
CLIFF: I think our discography is eclectic, because of our musical tastes. James Mercer is someone whose songwriting I’ve always had a deep appreciation for, Brian Burton is really great too, so I’m stoked that Broken Bells have a new single, Shelter, I’m hoping we see a full-length album from those two soon.
ROY: I’m all over the place musically but lately, I’ve been getting into Rosalía, a newer artist from Spain, who has made quite an impact in the English-speaking world despite her singing in Spanish. Obviously, that is not normally the case and I think it is amazing when it happens.
HAPPY: What’s next for the Pink Dust? Any other exciting plans in the works?
ROY: We’ve got a new album that we just need to find the time to get into the studio to record. We’re really hoping that we can get it out this fall. Our song writing continues to evolve, and I think we’ve just scratched the surface of our creativity together. Like everyone, we’re just trying to keep moving forward.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
Hello is out now. Listen above.
