go with the flow

life, grief, hope, transition, everything just wrapped! & I have 2 brain cells left

late stage capitalism is killing us all! we are recycling old shit because we are too afraid to be original! because, why, it always sells!!

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This past month, so much has happened - Pinkshift did 2 weeks in the studio, 2 long magical and freezing weeks in northern Jersey, officially wrapping all recording for our next album. Less than a week after getting out, we celebrated Kirby's birthday. If you don't know Kirby, he has been playing bass with Pinkshift live now since 2024. He is also my beloved boyfriend, so you know I had to muster all the energy I had left to make his week as special as I could.

Just a day later - that following Friday - we reunited with Jigsaw Youth and Pollyanna for a weekender in upstate New York. We were fortunate enough to plan a couple shows in Albany and New Brunswick around a benefit show in Binghamton, NY, that was organized by our friend Raven. The benefit show was for baby Adi and his family in Gaza. I am really proud to be part of such a kind hearted and enthusiastic effort by Raven (@wristxguards) to do as much as we could for Adi and his family. I think we raised about 1.8K! (sidenote - if you have the means to donate, or share, I would appreciate that so much! they are still substantially far from their goal). Link for their GoFundMe

Reuniting with Jigsaw and Pollyanna was invigorating. As our first shows of this year, and first shows since finishing our record, we had the opportunity to just rip, down and dirty. These shows were, for the most part, DIY. We played a couple new songs, a couple old songs, and couldn't hear ourselves over the chaos. It was incredible. I really wanted to grab a recording, but it was mildly impossible.

All three of us were playing new music, unreleased. It was a happy coincidence full of hope and light for the future. This weekender was probably my first proper, like, human gathering in at least 2 months. Over the past few months I had been to a bar here or there, one birthday party, but nothing compared to tour. And touring as Pinkshift! We were so pleasantly surprised by how many people came out to these shows to support us. Being surrounded by some of my closest friends and road dogs was incredibly fulfilling. What an incredible way to celebrate finishing our record.

The only thing missing was Paul, as he had to leave a little early to attend to some personal stuff. It was our first time playing without Paul, and it was soooo incredibly weird for me! I've never played a show without Paul, like, ever. But we'll be back and better than ever for our next run in April.. (next month? time moves SO unrelenting oh my god...)

The album is done... PHEW. I kind of dropped that information and then just moved on earlier, but you experienced reading it exactly how I experienced living it. This past 4 days are the first time I've had the opportunity to sit down, think, and reflect. (hence this feb blog post being, like, sooo late. i promise I will post another for march!!)

Going into recording, I was definitely so nervous. I had this feeling like my whole life had lead me to this point. I sat, thought, cried, and wrote for years. We, as a group, had to overcome a lot to get back into a space of creating together. Touring almost nonstop for two years burned us out to an extent, and we all needed time and space to absorb and transition. We spent a year and a half writing this record, and the songs really started coming through for us probably 10 months ago. The way these songs came together has me so excited.

Suraksha, our last project, was our last drop in the bucket . It was only 3 songs. Writing for the next project began when I started writing songs soon after recording that project, probably 3 months after, in between a crazy schedule of tours (2023 Summer). I started writing songs to myself about my growth since. I was struggling with my health, and I was anxious about the Earth. Some more things happened, life changed, people were lost, and I had to adjust my views of life, death, and the transitions.

To me, (lol) these three songs were still the pillars of processing grief. As I have witnessed more loss since, in many different ways, I still believe that Suraksha represents the core of my relationship to energies beyond time, and the cyclical nature of intense love, truth, and light. However, in the studio, we really got the opportunity to expand upon these feelings and add depth and nuance. The new era has a version of these concepts that has more fully grown into itself for sure.

ONE NATION was an expression of the truth of it all. I honestly didn't love this song in a serious way at first, but we decided to put it out for its commitment to unveiling truth. I love the words, and I think the song is great. It really is meant to be fun more than anything. I have been so inspired by the power of music to express defiance, specifically from touring with Pussy Riot in 2023. Their unwavering defiance of fascism was inspiring to me. They taught me that the most important aspect of protest music is its ability to serve as a vehicle for exposing truth and inspiring change.

Carrying all of this energy into the studio definitely solidified what I wanted to say. I felt like a whole story came out of us - all three of us. I only think I was able to see the story, honestly, today. Music is amazing and incredible. Who knew?

Thank you for reading this far. I am so excited to share more with you soon. We have kicked into high gear with building the next era. I am so excited for you to experience this unveiling. To make sure you don't miss anything, make sure to subscribe to our patreon, substack, bandcamp, or email list.

I would love to give you more soon. I will definitely make another post that digs deeper into my brain soon. I just, honestly,,, this has been me and my whole brain as of now. i keep asking for more time but it just keeps moving forward. So I will certainly see you soon. Until then <3

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