Indie trio Pieces to release debut EP Lessons this week

Indie rock trio Pieces release their debut EP Lessons this week, a record described as their “glimmer of light” amid the challenges of the coronavirus.

Lessons follows their debut single Wake Me Up which was released at the end of last month and their recent appearance on The NN Social’s live broadcast from The Lab in Northampton.

The Three track EP also includes the tracks Chemicals and Be Brave.

Rising from the ashes of An Army Of Lights, Pieces formed in 2017 and comprise of singer and guitarist Chris Serbyn, singer and bassist Chris Major and singer and drummer Lewis Carrington.

Talking about their debut EP, Serbyn said: “Creating this EP has been our glimmer of light in all of this.

“Personally, like most people I’ve really struggled at times with feelings of anxiety and trepidation of what the future holds, so being able to get together as a band between lockdowns and do what we love to do really helped create a tremendous swell of positivity and hope.

“It was so energising putting the EP together and for me the songs reflect all of those mixed emotions.”

Influenced by the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Boxer Rebellion and The Walkmen, Pieces play a raw, heavy indie rock, with songs awash with melody.

Serbyn adds: “The music is heavy, energised, to the point, honest and unified.”

Lessons was recorded at a studio built in an old school in Milton Keynes, with its title a nod to the site’s former role.

“The creative process of writing and recording as a band during a pandemic was certainly a learning experience for us,” explains Serbyn.

“The songs reflect on what has been a really tough moment for most people but trying to learn through it and become more enlightened by the end of it all.”

Lessons will be released via The Shipping Forecast, with Serbyn explaining it still feels very much like a DIY project for the band – with the label able to offer valuable advice.

Despite being familiar faces on the Northampton music scene in recent years, Wake Me Up was the first official release by Pieces – besides as series of raw demos which had been published online.

Talking about their debut single, Serbyn said: “Wake Me Up is a song about the impact that the pandemic has had on relationships to those closest to you.

“Not only trying to keep your own mental health in check but also being considerate to those close to you as they battle their own anxieties under seemingly relentless pressure.

“Being locked down in households, worrying about work, money, health, family, the feeling of isolation, feeling claustrophobic, it has been really tough for so many people in their own way.

“This song is about going through all of that and realising that we’re all experiencing those feelings and maybe dealing with them in different ways.

“It is about how taking care of one another is ultimately most important, whilst battling through until we can get back to some sort of normality.”

Taking more than three years to release a debut single and subsequent EP is not lost on Serbyn, who admits he and other members of Pieces have a “bad habit” of taking too long to release music.

Something he puts down to sometimes changing their minds about songs, taking too long in studios or difficulties with producers.

However, he adds: “We see our live performance as our real strength.

“In a way, lockdown provided an opportunity to focus and I wrote three new songs that felt like they had a purpose and I wanted to capture that.”

The three songs on Lessons were written during the first national lockdown, rehearsed during the period between it and the second lockdown and completed the day before the third national lockdown.

“I know it’s been a while coming,” he explains, “but this EP feels like a good platform for when we get back to playing live again.”

Like other musicians, the priority for Pieces once their EP is out is to simply reach as many people as possible with it and then, when venues are allowed to re-open, return to the live circuit.

“I know this is the same for a lot of bands and musicians but it’s like anything when it’s not there, you realise how much you miss it,” explains Serbyn.

“It reaffirms what I mean when I reflect on what the band stands for and simply getting back in a room together and play live will be pretty euphoric.

“It’ll feel like such a relief when we can finally get back out there and I’m positive people will be really excited to get out to gigs again.”

Lessons is released on Friday, March 12.

For more information, visit https://www.piecesband.co.uk