IF I'M ALIVE NOW, THEN I WAS DEAD (DINKED EDITION #451) PINS

Manchester post-punk group PINS capture a profound sense of rebirth on their 4th studio album - and first since 2020's 'Hot Slick' - 'If I'm Alive Now, Then I Was Dead'. Driven by pure personal pleasure, the band created this record as a cathartic exploration of existentialism, true love, grief and loss. The album's central themes are visually anchored by its striking cover art, shot by photographer Timon Benson and directed by Helenskia Collett at Salford institution, Islington Mill. Featuring the band's closest comrades whilst surrounded by symbolic fruit, letters, flowers, and candles, the imagery mirrors the raw yet luscious storytelling found within the music. The recording process focused on embracing organic constraints to channel their earliest musical influences including The Stooges, The Ronettes and Joy Division. Lead-off single 'All Over' is as romantic as it is savage in its garage rock growl, whilst 'Young Love' channels The Velvet Underground with its Moe Tucker style drums and almost out of tune guitars. Rather than overthinking the production, PINS leant deeper into analogue techniques and imposed limitations such as only using the specific instruments available in the room at the time of recording in order to let the creativity flow naturally. The result is a deeply meaningful collection of songs that directly confronts the complex dualities of life and death, with an album title borrowed from a Sylvia Plath poem called Love Letter.