US rock quartet Picturesque have announced their new EP IYKYK ('if you know you know'), due for release on 21st April via Rude Records (UK/EU) / Equal Vision Records (ROW). The band have also shared a video for their new single 'Strange Habits'.

Check out the video for 'Strange Habits' here: https://youtu.be/zwbEKvCnGpE

Stream 'Strange Habits' here: https://picturesque.lnk.to/strange-habits

Pre-save IYKYK here: https://picturesque.lnk.to/IYKYK

'Strange Habits' follows Picturesque's previous single 'Hopeless', which marked their return and first new music since their 2020 sophomore album Do You Feel O.K?.

Born out of a post-hardcore scene that’s often characterised more by aggression than accessibility, the quartet steadfastly refuse to be boxed or pigeonholed, and they’re set on embracing musical tropes not traditionally associated with heavy music.

'Strange Habits' is a reminder to fans old and new that the band are relentless in their exploration of the sonic landscape of alternative music. Angular guitars swirl around elements of pop, hip-hop and electronic music, highlighting the band's highly creative approach to songwriting. Picturesque are a formidable instrumental unit, but special attention must (and should) be given to lead singer and creative mastermind Kyle Hollis. Boasting one of the most dynamic voices in alternative music, his soaring vocals cascade through the track in a way that is altogether original. The official music video features Hollis set against a swirling cinematic backdrop, that lends a compelling narrative to the song.

Time has become an increasingly abstract concept since the pandemic, not least for bands. For while there’s always a distance between the writing of a record and its release, the last few years have truly highlighted the reality of that. It’s something Picturesque have captured perfectly with their brand new EP, IYKYK. Its six tracks might be coming out now, but they’re a very specific snapshot of the past - what’s more, a past that everyone in the world experienced collectively at the same time, and the accompanying sense of dread, uncertainty and inertia that came with it. It means that IYKYK - shorthand, of course, for ‘if you know, you know’ - paints a picture simultaneously of both who Picturesque are and were.

“These songs were written during the earlier days of the pandemic,” explains Williamson. “We're notoriously slow songwriters, but since we were locked inside, we decided to be productive. So we locked ourselves in a room and wrote, and this is what came out.”

The end result is an EP with which the band set out to challenge themselves, even if - or perhaps precisely because - that seemed like an impossible task at the time.

And while the band’s shift away from their musical roots started with 2020’s second album, Do You Feel O.K?, it truly is in full force here. For while that record was a world away from Back To Beautiful, their 2017 debut full-length, this EP is a galaxy away.

“Musically, I think every artist kind of hits the threshold for the scene that they came up in, or the particular demographic of their listeners,” the guitarist says. “We asked ourselves ‘How do we break out of just being a rock band, or a Warped Tour band?’ Because we don’t want to be seen as that. We want to be much more.”

Picturesqueare:

Kyle Hollis | vocals
Zach Williamson | guitar
Dylan Forrester| guitar
Jordan Greenway | bass

For more information:
https://twitter.com/picturesqueband/
https://www.facebook.com/picturesque/
https://www.instagram.com/picturesqueband/

Picturesque announce EP and release video for new single 'Strange Habits'

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