PINS

Manchester's PINS deliver post-punk that balances grit with glamour while centering a female viewpoint. Their initial recordings leaned raw and aggressive, evident on the 2013 release Girls Like Us, yet later efforts incorporated a subversive pop gloss on 2015's Wild Nights before introducing electronic and dance-punk textures on 2020's Hot Slick.

The group's origins trace to December 2010, when vocalist and guitarist Faith Vern chose to start an all-female project following unsatisfying experiences in mixed-gender bands. She linked up with bassist Anna Donigan, after which guitarist Lois McDonald and drummer Lara Williams completed the initial roster. Drawing from Hole, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Beach House, PINS launched their first single, "Eleventh Hour"/"Shoot You," in May 2012 via the independent Haus of PINS imprint. A support slot for Savages led to a Bella Union deal, which issued the LUVU4LYF EP that October. When Williams exited, Sophie Galpin stepped in during February 2013. The band self-produced and tracked their debut album Girls Like Us in a single week; it surfaced in October 2013 and drew acclaim for fusing garage rock with post-punk edge. Tours alongside Sleigh Bells, Warpaint, and the Fall preceded sessions for the follow-up, helmed by producer Dave Catching at Rancho de la Luna in Joshua Tree, California. Wild Nights arrived in June 2015 and marked the first PINS album to feature keyboardist Kyoko Swan.

Thereafter the group pursued a more autonomous path. The Bad Thing EP, released independently on Haus of PINS in March 2017, contained the Iggy Pop collaboration "Aggrophobe" plus a cover of Joy Division's "Dead Souls." For the November single "Serve the Rich," they enlisted producer Jamie Hince of the Kills. Following the departures of Donigan and Galpin, PINS continued as the trio of Vern, McDonald, and Swan. They crafted their third album with producers Hince and Richard Woodcraft along with keyboardist Nathan Saoudi of Fat White Family, pulling influence from Soulwax, LCD Soundsystem, Suicide, and New Order while exchanging instruments throughout the process. Hot Slick emerged in May 2020.