Biography
Saint Petersburg, Russia is hardly recognized as a center for shoegaze, yet the five-piece Pinkshinyultrablast emerged from the city anyway, taking their unusual name from an Astrobrite release. Bassist Igor, drummer Sergey, synth player Rustam, guitarist Roman, and singer Lyubov formed the group, drawing primary inspiration from My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau Twins while demonstrating an especially thorough grasp of the genre through their choice of such an obscure namesake. They have also pointed to Sabres of Paradise and Terry Riley as additional touchstones. Their music gradually became more intricate and expansive, folding in elements of Krautrock and prog rock on the 2016 album Grandfeathered before exploring Japanese pop textures on 2018’s Miserable Miracles.
The band first appeared with the 2009 four-song EP Happy Songs for Happy Zombies, after which they remained inactive for several years until issuing the single “Umi” on the British imprint Club AC30 in late 2014. Early the following year they delivered their debut full-length, Everything Else Matters, issued jointly by Club AC30 in the U.K. and Shelflife in the U.S. Although clearly rooted in earlier traditions, the record fashioned a polished, contemporary sound from those sources and earned widespread praise. One year later the quintet returned with their more daring and experimental second album, Grandfeathered. In 2017 they made the single “In the Hanging Gardens” available as a digital release, and a 10-inch EP of remixes followed in 2018. Reduced to the core trio of Lyubov, Rustam, and Roman, Pinkshinyultrablast completed their third album, Miserable Miracles, which broadened their electronic-pop palette with direct nods to Japanese acts such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Chiemi Manabe.
The band first appeared with the 2009 four-song EP Happy Songs for Happy Zombies, after which they remained inactive for several years until issuing the single “Umi” on the British imprint Club AC30 in late 2014. Early the following year they delivered their debut full-length, Everything Else Matters, issued jointly by Club AC30 in the U.K. and Shelflife in the U.S. Although clearly rooted in earlier traditions, the record fashioned a polished, contemporary sound from those sources and earned widespread praise. One year later the quintet returned with their more daring and experimental second album, Grandfeathered. In 2017 they made the single “In the Hanging Gardens” available as a digital release, and a 10-inch EP of remixes followed in 2018. Reduced to the core trio of Lyubov, Rustam, and Roman, Pinkshinyultrablast completed their third album, Miserable Miracles, which broadened their electronic-pop palette with direct nods to Japanese acts such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Chiemi Manabe.
Albums