THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Manchester’s Pastel have forged a big reputation on their on their terms, landing No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the vinyl singles chart for their two EPs and earning a personal invite to support the legendary Liam Gallagher at his gargantuan Knebworth Park show. Now the band cement their rising status with their debut album Souls In Motion.
The LP features several of the band’s fan favourites and live staples which have soundtracked their rise to date, including Deeper Than Holy, Isaiah, Your Day and Escape. But it also presents a wealth of new music for fans to immerse themselves within, which further underlines their global-facing creative ambition.
Singer-guitarist James Yates says, “Souls In Motion was written over a 12-month period, where after work, we’d lock ourselves in our basement rehearsal room of Bunkhouse to write an album we feel people have been waiting 20 years for. An album which hangs on the framework of our chequered upbringing in Manchester, and the positive dazed outlook we all now share.”
The album features the band’s current single Leave A Light On (A Velvet Storm), which captures a different angle to the band. Stepping into slow-burning epic anthem territory, its plaintive piano and more melodic vocals from Yates crafts an atmosphere which feels like a modern answer to The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed era and The Verve circa A Northern Soul. It’s indicative of the band’s growing powers and broadening sonic palette, and the song’s cinematic scope is captured in its accompanying video. It was directed by their friend and long-term champion Charlie Lightening, who is best known for his film projects with Liam Gallagher, Paul McCartney and Kasabian.
Pastel wrote all of the songs on the album, which was produced by J. Fender (Afflecks Palace frontman and founder of their label, Spirit of Spike Island) and mixed by James Kenosha.”
