Album Premiere: Holy Pinto – ‘Adult’

Posted: by admin

 

Photo by Kelly Bolter

Indie-pop group, Holy Pinto, are set to release their sophomore album, Adult, on March 8th. Don’t worry though, you won’t have to wait another day to hear it! We are excited to share an early stream of the album and personal track by track, written by frontman, Ayman Saleh, himself.

Saleh grew up in Canterbury, England but recently moved to the states with a sense of wanderlust and excitement. With a deep adornment for midwest emo bands like The Promise Ring and Maritime, Saleh whimsically settled down in small town Wisconsin. After touring relentlessly over the past few years, Saleh wrote much of Adult during an extremely transitional period in his life. Saleh shared that Adult is, “a coming of age record of-sorts. It’s an exploration of relationships – both platonic and romantic – how people drift in and out of your life, and you in theirs”.

Take a listen to the eccentric album as you learn more about each track below. Pre-order the record now and catch Saleh at following few dates:

3/8 – Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge*
3/9 – Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club*
3/14 – Austin, TX – SXSW
* = w/ Retirement Party

 


“Adult #1” – … is about when you realise that you’re technically at the age where you’re an adult, but without, arguably, the stability, maturity or solving the issues that have dogged you. It’s a look at flaws and struggles, that have persisted, frustratingly. It acts as an “album intro” and frames the rest of the record to come – I guess I’m an adult now? Am I? The record is bookmarked by these two Adult mini-songs.

“Daisychain” – I was driving south through Georgia on the way to The Fest and had one of those (sadly quite rare) pure flashes of inspiration whilst driving. I pulled off the interstate, parked over in some fields and it all came out. The old classic, cliché, romantic image of songwriting I suppose. It’s a daydream about growing up and leaving relationships behind.

“Gold Leaf” – This song is about wanting to travel, of being wide-eyed about the world and wanting to chase experience. It’s about what you sometimes give up; the potential of letting someone down and leaving them behind whilst following your internal compass and indulging your inner-restlessness. It’s also about smoking addiction. Smoking’s a hell of a vice.

“Salt” – Salt is a lighthearted and jovial, yet slightly bitter jam, about old friends and growing apart. I’m harkening back to, and remembering fondly, the so-called “glory days” when we were young and carefree. I jumped out of a plane once, and felt good in that moment. Sometimes your friends don’t stay with you forever; or maybe you don’t stay with them forever. It’s about picking up the pieces after the dissolution of a friendship.  

“King” – Probably our most ‘punk’ song?! It’s a fight-song against an authority figure that you disagree with. It’s told in the form of ‘a day in the life’ and follows the narrator’s activities that day, all the while expressing a refusal to let the authoritative figure shackle their freedom. 

“Brother” – It’s about our inner demons and the different directions you and your old friends go in life. Moreover, how you can lose each other with the passing of time, and especially to circumstances out of your own control.

“You Are My Seatbelt” – I used a cigarette lighter as a slide to record the leads on this song, which was very apt for the time in my life the album was written. I loved doing that. “Seatbelt” is about relationships, platonic and romantic, where there’s a push and pull and you’re both struggling to decide what you want and make it work out. It explores the way you can let someone down by not being present in moments together, but also the way they can do the same.

“Adult #2” – This one’s a slow-burn whose sole intention is to build to that shredding synth solo at the end. Also, though it’s the resolution to the record – an acknowledgement of who I am and what my life is like as an “adult”. It clearly states the intent – to travel and play music. It reflects back to the fears and inner conflicts addressed in “Adult #1” and advocates for moving forward, following your true north and hoping for the best. It bookends the album – now it’s onto the next chapter of life.


Emily Kitchin | @deathnap4cutie


The Alternative is ad-free and 100% supported by our readers. If you’d like to help us produce more content and promote more great new music, please consider donating to our Patreon page, which also allows you to receive sweet perks like free albums and The Alternative merch.