Pluto – After Winter: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day

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Pluto brings us a song for the season…it is After Winter. 

Described a “a musical flying fox”, here’s the latest from PLuto and here’s the record company blurb with details:

Pluto shares ‘After Winter‘, the band’s infectiously catchy first track in a series of three standalone singles, and Pluto’s first music to be released following their acclaimed 2019 album IV. Harmonic and hook-laden, ‘After Winter’ is the summertime pop anthem we’ve been waiting for.

Pluto‘After Winter’ is a refreshing burst of 60s psychedelia melded with Britpop vocal styles reworked by Pluto’s expert songcraft. It’s retro but present, and has you hooked midway through your first listen.

Think Kinks and Small Faces, Big Star and Pulp, guided by the hallmark vocals of Pluto’s frontperson, Milan Borich. Add to this Tim Arnold‘s catchy guitar chords, Matthias Jordan‘s punchy keyboard, Mike Hall’s fuzzy bass and Michael Franklin-Browne‘s springy drumming and you have what is unmistakably a Pluto song. And it’s a banger.

‘After Winter’ began life as a simple two-finger guitar exercise that Milan taught to his daughter, which incessantly replayed itself like a mantra in Milan’s head. Soon afterwards, Pluto got together for a group writing session. Milan played the chord progression to Tim, which quickly became a verse, added to by a pre-chorus and chorus, followed by lyrics. 45 minutes later the song was semi complete. Call it unintentional genius, the result of a Zen-like experience, or, like Debbie Gibson, a serendipitous visit by the Song Fairies; the song garnered the band’s collective thumbs up.

Produced by Nick Abbott and Recorded at NorthWestern Studios, ‘After Winter’ is a tune that sounds like summer, the season that marks an unencumbered time of year. Milan says, “The song is about switching off all the noise. Unasking the question as a kind of meditation.”

As the weather warms and we shake the lockdown cobwebs aside for brighter days, ‘After Winter’ is a musical flying fox to happier times, an upbeat romp to shed the shackles of inclement seasons and embrace the road ahead.

‘After Winter’ is released through Pluto’s record label 5 Moon Entertainment, and is available on all good streaming services from 6 December 2021.

Pluto
Pluto is:

Milan Borich – Vocals, guitar
Tim Arnold – Guitar, vocals
Matthias Jordan – Keyboards, vocals
Mike Hall – Bass, vocals
Michael Franklin-Browne – Drums, percussion

Pluto began life near the end of the 20th century as a duo in London, England, and over the next few years morphed into a fully fledged band whilst recording their first album in Auckland, New Zealand. They signed to indie label Antenna and released ‘Red Light Syndrome’ to critical acclaim in 2001.

Pluto’s first appearance with the full lineup was opening for Neil Finn in 2001. It was a gig that brought them out of the shadows and one they initially turned down due to being double booked.

Tim recalls, “I got a call from Neil’s tour manager asking if we wanted to open for him at the Hastings Opera house. I turned them down as we had a tiny little gig in Auckland booked already. I called Milan to tell him the bad news and he gently asked me “wtf did you do that for?” I called back and we took the gig. Mike Hall had just joined a few days prior. The band was complete. We were on our way.”

After signing to major label EMI,  Pluto released their second album, Pipeline Under the Ocean (2005), achieving double platinum on the RIANZ albums chart and with lead single ‘Long White Cross’ won the 2006 Tui award for Best Song. Single ‘Dance Stamina’ took out the B-net award for best song.

The band  toured extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia and the UK and were twice invited to play at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

In 2007 Pluto re-entered the studio, this time recording their 3rd album Sunken Water at Neil Finn’s newly constructed Roundhead studios, where they were the first band to do so. It would be their final album for EMI.

Work began on their fourth album to be released on their own record label. The first single Snake Charmer was released in 2009. Plans were made. Just to keep things interesting the band broke up before the album was completed, the hard drive crashed and the sessions were all thought to be lost.

Fast forward a decade: Sparked by the discovery of a back-up session of the lost album, it was agreed by all that the record should be finished. The resulting album IV was released through their own company 5 Moon Entertainment Ltd. in November 2019, with the first single ‘Oh My Lonely’ receiving significant radio play.

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