The 5th single from The Pierces' wonderful You & I album, Kissing You Goodbye is possibly the most rustic, stripped-bare track from the sisters to date.
With bells and tambourine, there's the feel of tranquil, long-lost days lying on the grass, gazing up at the clouds.
And of course, like every track on The Pierces album; it's completely and utterly beautiful.
And in the same week Adele has launched an app, the Pierces - not wishing to be left behind - have done likewise!
It's actually pretty nifty, all these popstars getting technical; The Pierces app - Retropix - lets you give all the pics you've taken on your phone a cool retro style. Take a few snaps and they'll come out the other end looking like The Pierces' cover artwork.
Kissing You Goodbye is released on the 23rd October.
Check out this lovely live version of The Pierces' sublimely good It Will Not Be Forgotten from This Morning - a firm favourite of mine from their album, I was overjoyed to see it get a proper single release.
Having had the album on rotation for a while now, it's yet to lose any of its wondrous sense of beauty - there's something about Allison and Catherine's divine harmonies and the rich, textured backing of the music itself that just sweeps you up in its arms.
Fantastical and alive with melody, It Will Not Be Forgotten and its parent album are without a doubt amongst my favourite records of the year so far.
We reviewied The Pierces' It Will Not Be Forgotten (the fourth single to be taken from their stellar You & I album) last month, and today we have the video for you too!
Opening, as it does, with curtains drawing back, the video seems full of all the magic and splendour of the theatre itself - a fitting presentation for a band who's music is so artisan-esque in its delicately crafted nature.
For Catherine and Allison Pierce, their beauty isn't just in their own ravishing good looks; it shines right through to their surroundings - quite literally giving life to all around them, transforming the bleak, dark scenes of the video into glorious summer.
It Will Not Be Forgotten is undoubtedly my favourite video from the You & I album campaign - there's just that special something to it, all wrapped up in the enchanting, fairytale feel of both track and video alike.
As starry skies open up above the sisters, we're reminded that the brightest of those stars are right before our eyes in the form of The Pierces themselves. Taking to the stage at the iTunes festival later this month to support Coldplay, July sees them shining brighter than ever before.
It Will Not Be Forgotten is released on the 8th August.
Songs about love prevailing in the face of adversity are as old as the hills. But to gild those emotions of determination and passion defying hardship with real beauty; well, it takes a band like The Pierces to do that.
As the fourth single from The Pierces' breathtakingly good album You & I, It Will Not Be Forgotten stands as another link in the chain of consistency that has made this record such a joy to experience.
'Baby where'd you go, did you sail away over some distant ocean' sing the girls in the track's enchanting chorus - if ever music could take on the form of pure, untapped magic, then this is surely the sound of it. There's something in The Pierces' divine Abba-esque harmonies that helps transcend their songs to another level of prettiness.
It Will Not Be Forgotten positively sparkles with charm - its lush, layered production coming as sheen of comfort to senses worn rough by the ardour of everyday life. This is a song of tranquility and peace, a ballad to stand up there with the very best.
With You & I debuting straight at No. 4 in the UK albums chart, it's reassuring to see the general public finally taking to The Pierces - It's been a long journey for them, You & I being the fourth LP in a career that stretches all the way back to 2000.
Fitting then that July will see them opening for Coldplay at London's Roundhouse as part of the iTunes festival. It was Coldplay's Guy Berryman after all that put his stamp to You & I; many of the tracks being recorded in the Coldplay studio too.
It Will Not Be Forgotten is released on the 8th August.
God bless The Pierces - for delivering one of the best albums of 2011. The feeling with You & I - their fourth record to date - is that as an album, it represents an intense personal relationship between us - the listener - and the two Pierce sisters; Allison and Catherine. You need only look at the tender beauty of tracks like The Good Samaritan to see that truth laid bare in their music.
You'll Be Mine, Love You More, Glorious - placed together in tandem here, we see the record's singles in a new light, and as the tour de force they really are. One of the reasons I've been so forward in championing The Pierces over the last year is that they deliver time and time again - and these three singles are proof of that.
You & I is by far one of the most consistent albums this year and in its fusing of indelible pop hooks, dreamy folk charm and the sheer personality of the sisters, it delivers a breathtaking winning streak from end to start.
Much has been made of the band's involvement with Guy Berryman of Coldplay, and his involvement is telling in the band's sound. In many ways, You & I is like a female companion piece to the very male majesty of Coldplay's Viva La Vida album - hints and essences of the 'Coldplay sound' glimmer everywhere across You & I; the finest of embellishments to an already highly accomplished record.
The sounds of 70s easy listening are back in a big way right now; just look at the success of Plan B and Adele. And if anything, The Pierces do it even better than these two, for their sound isn't attached to any contemporary music trend - instead, they are timeless; the album portraying a kind of alabaster beauty which never dulls or ages.
As such, You & I stands as a stellar collection of artistry. Functioning both as an ensemble of powerfully individual tracks - any of which could be a single - but also like a real 'album' of old. This is the story of The Pierces and it is writ for all to see in the tracks of this album.
If I had to pick a highlight, it'd be the epic Space & Time, with its simply divine chorus. The song just seems to open up in front of you like some kind of gateway to another dimension, the girls voices truly at their most angelic best here. We Are Stars, which previously served as a b-side to Love You More, is another standout.
A veritable treasure trove of remixes of one of the band's best tracks, they come from some unexpected sources including Eric 'Call On Me' Prydz and Stargate (them that did Rihanna's S&M). Quality stuff. Expect more electronic loveliness on the band's remix album out on June 6th.
The third Linkin Park single to feature on the soundtrack of a Transformers movie, Iridescent appears here in a slightly reworked form from its original album version. Nevertheless, it still represents Linkin Park at their most epic and emotional - a real tear-jerking rock ballad if ever there was one.
Last week we featured the girls' single Glorious as one of our picks of the week, and now we have the album! They are just *that* good. Blissed-out 70s charm and wonderful vocal harmonies, I expect this will swiftly become the soundtrack to many people's summers.
The fourth single from the band's second album, it isn't likely this track will set the charts alight, but I'm taking this opportunity to give it all the attention it deserves as it's by far the best song on the record and I've been waiting literally ages for them to release it as a single.
The third (or is that second??) album from the global chart-topper. We've all seen the risque reaction-baiting videos and heard her anthems for self-acceptance, now get hold of a whole album of the stuff with Lady Gaga's long awaited Born This Way. And yes, if you purchase this, you too can become a strange person/bike hybrid.
The Pierces - Glorious
The third in a series of absolutely stunning singles, the Alabama sisters (with a little help from Coldplay's Guy Berryman) are back with their joyous new track Glorious. Expect breathtaking Abba-esque vocal harmonies mixed with soulful country-tinged pop. And all this with a good dose of lurid 70s psychadelica.
The Saturdays - Notorious
The UK's hottest girl group are back and they've got their sights firmly set on the top spot with this infectious club anthem. Vocodered boasts of being a 'gangster on the dancefloor' back up a sizzling bassline that seems ready-made to knock back shots to.
Starlings - Sirens
One of our favourite new bands at the moment, Starlings represent a chic, streamlined return to the heights of the 80s New Wave sound. Anthemic choruses and glossy synth rushes inject new single Sirens with a real punch that serves as a fitting introduction to this brilliant Sheffield outfit.
One of the best dance tracks I've heard in years and with a brilliant guest vocals spot from ex-Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown. Immensely uplifting and with a real punch to it, it also comes with a Rocky inspired video where a boxing robot punches off a guy's head.
More psychedelic 70s influenced fare from the pretty American sisters, this time with a religious twist. Glorious makes it three in the row for the duo as they show once again what an ear for melody and soothing harmonies they have.
Feisty urban attitude and soulful Massive Attack vibes on Yasmin's second single. A strong, passionate follow-up to On My Own; this channels the same kinds of sounds and feelings, but with added epic-ness. A real star in the making.
Pegasus? What an amazing name for a remix! And while this re-work by the ever-wonderful Freemasons might not have anything to do with mythological animals, it injects Hurts' best single with real dancefloor staying power in this re-release. My favourite bit is the Godly sounding synth instrumental bit half-way through - pure heaven.
With new track Glorious, The Pierces confirm their place as having one of the most brilliant run of singles in recent years. First Love You More, then You'll Be Mine... Glorious makes it a hat-trick. With a chorus of "God bless the world, it's so glorious", the track is suitably uplifting and sisters Allison and Catherine carry the whole thing off with ease.
The duo have a real knack of striking the precise balance between up-tempo toe-tapper and gentle balladic beauty. In the sweeping guitar licks and swelling string sections, we feel as if we are rushing across the plains of America to the girls' homeland. "It got so lonely when you turned away," they sing, but we are only left wondering at how anyone could turn away from a song as lovely and enchanting as this.
The Sun has the exclusive premiere of the track's video and even this seems imbued with this hazy sense of forgotten years that The Pierces have come to capture in their sound. There's pretty retro dresses, filmic sepia-toned touches and shots of packed music halls. In this track comes an intense rush of emotion, as with their previous singles, The Pierces have this mastery of hitting exactly the right spot to send shivers of delight and reverence down you. It's in the beautiful harmonies, it's in the twinkling guitar and percussion. Truly Glorious.
I can't heap enough praise on The Pierces. I fell utterly in love with their Love You More EP last year and I think the same is most definitely happening with their new You'll Be Mine EP too. Aside from the title track being a quality slice of chilled out pop bliss, there's a real treasure of a ballad on there too in the form of Me And Him.
The song is bewitchingly haunting in its sheer beauty. It's almost nursery rhyme-like in its melody, all innocence and sweetness. Delicate guitar strums away, conjuring up images of campfires on starry country nights. This is music to strike straight at the heartstrings. I defy anyone not to feel even just a little moved by this song. It's just simply wonderful.
The Pierces’ Love You More EP was one of my favourite collections of tracks from last year so I approached their new single with a little trepidation, not sure if they’d ever be able to live up to their previous glories. Thankfully though, their new single You’ll Be Mine allays all fears. It’s stunning. Again, love provides the theme for the girls’ folksy, poppy hybrid sound.
There’s a beautiful sun-kissed Balearic feel to the song; it speaks of long blazing days in the Mediterranean sun, and even longer nights relaxing on the beach as the waves rush into the shore. There’s touches of New Order’s classic Republic album here and more than a dash of Empire of the Sun’s We Are The People. Driven by a tuneful acoustic strum and delightful music-box-esque sparkle, the melodies are spot on, with a charming little refrain that will stick right in your head. As with the Love You More, this is utterly bewitching, demanding constant repeat listens.
There’s an old myth about the ease and skill at which musical siblings come together. A myth they say... but listening to Alabama sisters Allison and Catherine, that myth seems so much closer to reality. Collectively the twosome make up The Pierces, and summed up in one word, their music is simply magical.
Imagine dark, stormy nights... howling wind and starlight, the hint of something mystical and powerful, this is the music of The Pierces. This four track EP is headed up by the brilliant Love You More, a song wrapped in such an undeniable, natural sense of melody that you can only marvel at the sisters’ songwriting talent. The girls have been releasing music for the past ten years but it is only now that they have been picked up by a major label and given the exposure they deserve.
If you’ve ever wondered what Elbow or The Doves would sound like with a female vocalist, The Pierces are a pretty good match. Their tracks have that same raw energy running through them; the driving, rough guitar hook a thing that has been gripped and beaten into shape with bare hands and untamed passion. We Are Stars represents a far more gentle sound, but still captures that same hand-crafted, baroque feel. The duo’s lyrics are poetic gems of beauty too; ‘We are dreamers, wishing upon what we were born from’ they sing on this track.
To The Grave shows off a more jolly, upbeat side to The Pierces, highlighting that they are just at home here as with the expansive, melancholy sound that the EP begins with. Across all four tracks though, we keep coming back to a consistent, organic feel that is testament to the skills of Coldplay’s bassist Guy Berryman lending a helping hand with production duties. Indeed, the tracks carry that same shimmering sense of wonder that gave Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album such character. Every song on this EP is rich and powerful; every chorus completely infectious, each track delivered with a conviction and gentleness that is utterly bewitching.
