Chris Pidsley - Mum Knows Best.

You could throw everything at a song to make it a production. But if it isn’t a good song in the first place, you’re making a very expensive bad piece of art. You could strip a good song down to almost nothing, and even without all the bells and whistles, a good song is still a good song. Chris Pidsley’s music is a great example of music that doesn’t need a lot, because it’s already good.

Singer/songwriter Chris Pidsley is firmly a part of the D.I.Y. music scene, recording his music in his bedroom, not that you’d think that when you hear it. These days a studio could be anywhere with a power supply – it’s the talent that’s harder to come by (but only just!). Pidsley plays guitar and piano on his recordings, with a wealth of videos on his YouTube channel going back to 2014. His musical achievements include being played on BBC Introducing in Devon and performing at The Camden Assembly and The Spice Of Life in London.

Released around the start of the first lockdown in the U.K., ‘Quirky’ showcases great storytelling from Chris Pidsley, which is helpfully detailed in this lyric video. Pidsley could’ve gone simpler with his acoustic guitar playing, but I think it benefits the song to hear those individual notes during that first verse. The choruses have a light touch on a keyboard with a little bit of percussion. Chris’ vocals are doubled, giving a comforting layering to them that softens his delivery.

And what about those lyrics? The entire song reads like poetry, including the first few lines; ‘I’ll trace the freckles like counting the stars. I’ll draw a constellation on your face to map my way to Mars. I want to take in your eyes, I want to breathe in your skin. They say the devil’s in the detail, I know yours isn’t sin.’ It wouldn’t surprise me if this song began life as lyrics first and music second.

Chris Pidsley closed out 2020 with his new single called ‘Listen To Your Mum’, a title that grabbed my eye immediately, with subject matter that every young man can relate to. With co-production from Ross Western, there’s a little more to this one than ‘Quirky’. Coming straight in with acoustic guitar and vocals, piano joins during the wordless vocal part, beefed up by harmonies. Simple percussion keeps the beat, which would make for a fun live performance. Then the tambourine is traded out for programmed drums, and something that sounds like a kalimba, an increasingly popular instrument used for its soft and muted tone. We also have live trumpet performed by Ryan Bunce, which brings this track to a radio quality piece.

The part that really took me by surprise in this song was hearing Pidsley’s voice auto-tuned to the hilt, before returning to it’s natural state. The chorus lyrics sum up this track really well, which also open the song; ‘Just be sure to call me up, and leave a message with my Mum. She’ll get back to me as such, to tell me that I’ve found the one.’ Ain’t that the truth.

The video is simple but effective as multiple Chris’ wrestle for the limelight across three smart-phones. I imagine the Mum of all three Chris’ would’ve broken the fight up quickly though. Chris Pidsley demonstrates in this song that when you pair a great composition with equally good production, you get an excellent result. This song should be in people’s ears, this song should be a hit single. Read on for my Q&A with Chris, conducted before I knew a music video was due out!

1. 'Listen To Your Mum' is your new single, what inspired this wholesome content?

The song is about how your mum always has an opinion of your love life. At first you’re convinced she’s wrong and she doesn’t know what she’s talking about if she tells you someone’s no good but then eventually it comes to light she was right! So always listen to your mum!

2. How did the recording of this single come together?

This was all written and recorded during lockdown. I recorded it in my bedroom initially then would send it to my friend who knows more about production than me to tweak it and make it sound better.

3. The section of auto-tuned vocal in this track really threw me off! Where did that come from?

Ah hopefully in a good way! I just wanted to provide a real change in tone for the bridge and decided an auto tuned section would be quite a departure and have also never included that in a song before so thought it would be something different! 

4. Is the picture from the lyric video of you with your Mum?

Yes this is an actual photo of me and my mum! (I’m the baby)

5. Can we expect to see a music video for 'Listen To Your Mum'?

The music video is out Monday 28th December and was made in my room with Minimal equipment giving it that authentic homemade feel.

6. You also released your single 'Quirky' this year, tell me about the writing process of that!

Quirky was my first proper release on Spotify so was really testing the waters with it all. I played it at a gig and someone asked where they could listen to it. At the time I hadn't even thought to put it out anywhere so it inspired me to try and capture it. I recorded it all myself from home and was really my first time experimenting with recording and arranging so was a lot of fun and I think was met with a good reception!

7. Your YouTube account hosts a myriad of cover songs, but which has been your favourite to record and why?

My favourite covers to record were with my friend Emily. This was over lockdown but it was great fun to collaborate through email and sending each other recordings back and forth. Plus she is super talented and I was really pleased with the result!

8. We've finally made it through this year. What have been your favourite songs out in 2020?

2020 has been crazy! I’ve definitely listened to a lot of music this year. My favourites would include All Time Low’s album Wale Up Sunshine and Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles. In terms of new artists I listened to this year I really got into Cavetown who was really what inspired me to start recording my songs myself in my bedroom.

9. With gigs still on hold, it's time to dream big - what would be your ultimate artist to land a support slot for a gig?

As mentioned before I would love to support Cavetown on a tour. Or if not then definitely look to the new exciting acoustic artists such as JC Stewart or Maisie Peters.

10. And finally, what can you tell us about your plans for 2021?

I’ve got lots of songs that I’m writing and that have already been written. I hope to keep releasing tunes in 2021 and planning on releasing my first EP! Hopefully 2021 will be a little more normal than this year! 

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Follow Chris Pidsley on Instagram and Facebook @chrispidsleymusic, and on Twitter @musicpidsley.