Introducing: Pyncher

Hot off a trio of sold-out hometown shows and a UK tour that left ears ringing and rooms heaving, Manchester’s pyncher return with their most haunting single yet. ‘At The Seaside’ sees the genre-dodging quartet dive headfirst into murky. We caught with them ahead of what is set to be a very busy summer:

1. “At The Seaside” moves from gothic unease to explosive shoegaze and back again. What inspired the mood shifts in this track, and how do you approach creating that kind of tension and release?

 The song was developed quite naturally, just by the 4 of us playing it together over and over in rehearsals. Britt came to us with the bassline, so that was the first part we had, and we wanted the verses to be quite bare so that the bassline took focus. It felt normal that the chorus, in contrast, would be an emotional release. Being able to strip back to just bass and drums seemed like an obvious tool to use in this song.

2. Your sound’s been described as “caustic” and “uncategorisable” — do you actively resist genre labels, or does that blend happen naturally as a result of your influences?

We've never really tried to aim for any specific genre in our music. There's a lot of music we all like in terms of influences, and a lot that we individually like and probably bring to the table just in the way we each play. The main plan for any of our songs has just been whether we think it sounds good and if it's fun to play.

3. You've sold out Manchester’s YES multiple times this year and shared stages with bands like English Teacher and Been Stellar. How has the live circuit shaped the evolution of your sound or confidence as a band?

 Playing live has always been important to us. When we first started gigging, we were playing every weekend in Manchester and just hoping people wouldn't get bored of watching us. It took time for us to learn how to not stand still on stage, and we feel very lucky now to have played some of the shows we have, and that we can sell out shows! Before anything else we feel like a live band, and we're planning on making our next headline in Manchester a good one!

4. The new single has already drawn attention from tastemakers like CLASH and Radio X — what’s it been like navigating the growing buzz while staying grounded creatively?

It's really nice that people like our songs. We like them, and so when other people do too, it's a nice bit of validation that we're very appreciative for. The music industry is a hard industry, and we've seen a lot of people make great music that hasn't always gotten the recognition it deserves, so we're always pleased with any attention we get. However long any attention lasts, we know we just need to keep putting music out that we like and we believe in.

5. With Brighton Psych Fest and Float Along on the horizon, how are you approaching your live shows going forward — are there new elements you’re looking to experiment with?

We always try to think of ways to improve our live set, and ways we can take a level up. Festivals like those are a good chance to try things out on new people! We want to gear our sound towards bigger stages, and make sure people walk away from our sets unable to forget it!