The Shocking Pinks

Wed 9th Apr, 2008 in Features

Rising dream-pop innovator Nick Harte of The Shocking Pinks started life as a sort of musical prodigy. He learned piano at age six, drums, bass, and guitar by eight, and saxophone, viola and cello by 10. He started recording at 13.

Starting in the 1990s, Harte performed and recorded as one-man-act Z and gigged up with several New Zealand bands, most notably indie pop act The Brunettes. Working from his hometown in New Zealand, Harte independently released the Shocking Pinks debut Dance the Dance Electric in 2004. By some stroke of luck, it reached the airwaves of US-based Pitchfork Media.

“They always seemed very harsh,” he said of the site’s music reviews. “I don’t know how they got a copy of [the album], but they reviewed that and gave it I think either 8.5 or 9 out of 10. I was really surprised.” In reality, Dance and Dance Electric got an 8.3 – still an impressive score from Pitchfork’s picky critics.

When it comes to recording technique, Harte looks for a challenge, and the result is a dreamy blend of innovative instrumentation and stick-with-what-works pop sensibility. “I like trying to make instruments sound like different instruments, like making a viola sound like a d-tuned cello. I really like the challenge. That’s probably another reason I still use the four-track a lot.”

All the hard work paid off, and by the end of 2007 the country boy from Christchurch had a four-album contract with New York-based label DFA, a new release, and a new home in Auckland.

The newest album Shocking Pinks, is a compilation of songs from Mathematical Warfare and Infinity Land, both previously released on the Flying Nun label. Those first albums reflect Nick’s feelings of lonely isolation, trapped on the South Island of New Zealand.

“This time [the theme] was more based on sound because a lot of the tracks were taken from two previous albums that I had put out on Flying Nun.” That sound itself has changed since the last albums. “Jonathan and Joe Lambert re-mastered those tracks in New York. They sound a lot brighter and more refreshing.”

The new sound may very well be a reflection of Nick’s new outlook. Living in Auckland has certainly opened up new cultural outlets for the one-time welfare dependent artist. “When I was in Christchurch it was a lot more difficult. There wasn’t a huge motivation to get out of the country and tour a lot, because we didn’t have the money to do that.”

Now that Harte’s getting ready to take his act out of the studio and onto the road, he has to rely on other musicians to carry his sound. He’s joined up with long-time friends Tim MacDonald on drums, Vaughan Williams on bass and girlfriend Emma Rosenberg on keys, and has strict confidence in their ability to perform. “Mainly we as a band have just been focused on rehearsing a lot for those upcoming tours we’ve got in Australia. After knowing each other since we were 13, it’s not that difficult for the group to get things happening.”

Because they’ve been around each other for so long, the group dynamics have been running smoothly, and Harte is pleased with the resulting sound. “They do know what I want, and Vaughan’s a really good case of that. I’d always admired his bass playing in The D4 and the sound he got, and I could see it being in a similar vein to some of the songs I’ve been recording. It’s really fun to play in a group like that.”

All that fuzz and fun may now be coming to a town near you. The Shocking Pinks will be performing at the Essential Festival in April. And – hold on to your hats – they’ll join Cut Copy on tour around Australia in June. Harte is definitely excited to move beyond his New Zealand confines. “We can’t wait to get over there. It’ll be fun.”