Friday, 1 February 2019 sees the release of a brand new single by COCKLES, named SOUR PEARLS. The single release is combined with the video release for his song called SMALL TALK.
SOUR PEARLS was written by frontman Alastair Thomas after a particularly shit day when everyone seemed to annoy him. Featuring a 90s grunge sound, mixed with some pop-punky influence, the single pays homage to the music Alastair listened to while growing up.
“The song is about being a grinch, but still having that special someone in your life. ‘I loathe everyone, well maybe not all people, but it's pretty much everyone but you. And all dogs too.’ My favourite line that I've written is in there, which is ‘all i fear is the smell of toast’, which is based on the fact that you grow up fearing seemingly real things like snake bites and shark attacks, but now that I'm older I'm just worried I'm about to have a stroke every time I smell burnt toast.” says Alastair.
Turning out a lot heavier than initially intended, SOUR PEARLS almost didn’t make the album but with a catchy chorus and relatable lyrics, it soon turned out to be a crowd favourite at shows.
“This song is for anyone who has ever had a bad day. Or has ever driven in traffic. Or has ever gone to home affairs.”
SMALL TALK was basically the reason Alastair started COCKLES.
“I'm not what you would call a great socialite. Like, I don't enjoy small talk. I'm really bad at it. This song is about some classic encounters. It's about being bad at small talk and awkward conversations in general.”
Any non-extrovert, and maybe even some extroverts will enjoy the song. When Alastair had to describe the song to someone who has not heard it before, he’d first ask them about the weather and what they do for a living. Then the conversation would taper off into an awkward silence.
The video for the song was shot in January 2019 at Sylvia’s Market and Hell’s Kitchen. Alastair directed the video himself and it was shot by Frank du Toit. The song itself was always written with the video in mind, so the shoot followed the song and its lyrics and features strong inspiration from Flight of the Conchords and a bit of Lonely Island. All the cameos in the video are played by members of the band.
