Christchurch's Pickle Darling Releases Third Single, ‘Blushing’

Close mic’d harmonies cleanly enunciate familiar friendly words of “chocolate fish” and “Chapstick” with such an innocent rhythm lulling the listener into sweetness sheltered from the unfolding argument’s line “you found god in my self hatred”.

Pickle Darling, (Lukas Mayo) reveals about ‘Blushing’; the first song he wrote for Cosmonaut, “It was a bit of a breakthrough for me. It’s kind of about when your fears about the future really paralyse your present. Like at the start of a relationship when you’re worried about not being on the same page and how you project fears and insecurities onto each other instead of actually getting to know each other. It was also the first kind of ‘singer’-y song I’d ever done, the vocals are loud and bold and the lyrics are clear and this was the first time I’d ever really done that.”

Pickle Darling’s first two Cosmonaut singles ‘Rosary’ and ‘A Deep Breath’ commanded strong support on release with media saying, “tasters for a splendid upcoming second album” from Sunday Magazine and Viva Magazine extolling the album as one to look out for in 2021 saying, "The sort of sunny pop music 'The Beach Boys' musical genius Brian Wilson would have made if he recorded by himself in his bedroom instead of a top-of-the-line recording studio." Youth influencer site, Sniffers, gave the big tick writing, "With witty lyricism and an alluring bedroom pop complex present, the tracks give us a sugar-coated start to the album trajectory." Indie-music aficionados Under The Radar cheering on with "The song's masterful lyrics are everything I hoped they would be, sitting neatly between earnest intimacy and bleak relatability, singing about watching episodes of Recess alone and locking eyes with your own reflection in the screen.”

Pickle Darling’s upcoming album Cosmonaut finds them leaving not only the bedroom but… the atmosphere. While earlier releases spring onion pancakes EP and debut album Bigness pulled from the world of mumblecore films, Cosmonaut pulls from science fiction and space travel, as seen in the album’s artwork (a tribute to the art of classic science fiction books such a Dune and The Rings of Saturn), the song titles (‘Achieve Lift!’), and the live band’s outfits (the band wears boiler suits looking almost like a training space crew).

2020 set Pickle Darling on a touring trajectory with indie-pop dream boats, The Beths, and 2021 will have them releasing Cosmonaut with a full 12-date New Zealand tour, continuing to compose the soundtrack for an LGBTQIA+ indie game called ShelfLife (an RPG about a non-binary art student), as well as finishing up their third album.

Cosmonaut (album) is released May 21st on ZTapes
Pre-order Cosmonaut Album https://pickledarling.bandcamp.com/album/cosmonaut-2

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