Exclusive: Stream ‘The Platform’ and ‘Downpours In May’ – Two new singles from Piles Of Clothes!

“I think there’s a much more live sound on these tracks, compared to my other stuff, probably because of the variation of people playing on them. It’s not just 50 multi-tracks of me wailing down a mic for 5 minutes at a time…”

Following on from the release of last year’s ‘Songs Etc.’ EP, Leeds based Piles Of Clothes is back – For your health.

‘The Platform‘ and ‘Downpours In May‘ are the fruits of a summer’s worth of labour from Piles Of Clothes a.k.a. Andy Crowder recording in Leeds with “babe“ Chris Milnes. On this release, Crowder worked with a crop of musicians he’d not worked with before, namely Ali Wells on Drums, Will Stock on Bass, Ellie Flynn on Violin, with backing vocals from Jordan Hodson. Further gems for fans of acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and self-deprecating songwriting… Being fans ourselves, we’re stoked to premiere both new singles below!

You’ll be able to download the double single FOR FREE right here, grab yourself a ticket to the launch show in Leeds and be sure to grab yourself a super limited edition t-shirt while you’re at it – but be quick, orders finish this weekend! Keep an eye out too for something special coming out soon between Piles of Clothes and our friends at Small Pond Recordings!

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EP Review: Piles Of Clothes – Songs Etc.

Review from Ben Forrester

Piles Of Clothes is the brain child of Leeds based songwriter Andy Crowder, whose musical output i’ve been aware of for quite a while now. He used to be in this awesome, twiddly math-pop band called Kytes who I was rather fond of, so I was eager to hear the first fruits of this solo venture.

Taking a more acoustically driven, indie-folk sound, Piles Of Clothes is a much more reflective and considered project and since hearing his lovely self-titled debut single, I’ve been looking forward to hearing more recorded material.

So here we are at the very start of 2017 and the long awaited debut EP from Piles Of Clothes has arrived! With it being nearly two years in the making, I can safely say that it has been well worth the wait.

‘Don’t Read Books, Watch Movies‘ opens the record in the most graceful and beautiful manner imaginable. Building up with delicately picked guitars and a pleasant snare shuffle, Andy gently yet passionately croons over top. The track builds up to a foot stomping speed before breaking back down to hushed guitar and vocal. Much to my delight, this builds back into a gorgeous crescendo of crashing drums, rousing vocal harmonies and warming Flugelhorn motifs. It’s quite the luscious start!

The rest of the record pretty much follows suit; a beautifully crafted set of folk infused indie-pop, though the highlight for me comes when the tempo is knocked up a bit on the impossibly catchy pop tones of ‘Blow Up Bed‘. This is Piles Of Clothes at their most infectious, with a proper euphoric chorus showing off the soaring dynamics of Andy’s voice, backed with this proper jovial indie rock backing that reminds me a lot of US punk-popsters A Great Big Pile Of Leaves.

The arrangements on this EP are nothing short of breathtaking. From the joyous sounds of the Flugelhorn in the first track to the glockenspiel tinklings of the gorgeous indie pop of ‘Vintage Wine Cellar‘, it’s these little flourishes that really take the record to new sonic realms of delight. It seems that this slow cooked approach to recording has paid off, allowing time for the arrangements to be expanded and made grander.

‘Songs Etc.‘ is a beautifully reflective piece that really hits you right in the feels. There is an innocent optimism to this record that refers back to simpler times, childhood memories and the impact that these memories can have as you enter adulthood. It’s themes like this, coupled with sharp songwriting and grandiose arrangements, that will see Piles Of Clothes generate wider and deserved commercial appeal in 2017!

We recently premiered a live session Piles Of Clothes did for huge new single ‘Don’t Read Books, Watch Movies’ which you can watch here!

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Exclusive: ‘Don’t Read Books, Watch Movies’ – Watch Piles Of Clothes live session with Something Productions

(Photo Credit: Sean Carroll)

Real lump in the throat stuff, this.

We’ve been big fans of Piles Of Clothes for a while now, so it’s an honour to present an exclusive first look at a live session our good friend Andy Crowder recently recorded for the heart-wrenching ‘Don’t Read Books, Watch Movies’.

The tranquil live session was filmed last September with Something Productions in Roundhay Park in Leeds. Around 15 minutes from Andy’s gaff (for you die-hards out there), an old bandstand in the pissing-down-rain makes for quite the picturesque location.

The Piles Of Clothes session is the latest in a series called Something Live, with producers Christopher Milnes and Nick Porter gathering together their favourite bands and filming sessions up North. The series has previously featured Campfires, Tall Talker and Newcastle’s Ryan Bird.

Don’t Read Books, Watch Movies was unveiled just before Christmas, taken from the new EP ‘Songs Etc’ out 27^th January 2017. Written and produced by Andy himself, the latest EP was recorded, mixed and produced by Michael Cutayar.
You’ll be pleased to know that the four-track EP is being released for that mouth-watering offer of ‘Pay-what-you-want’. It promises to bring out all the feelings as we move into February – be sure to keep an eye out for the release of Songs Etc. at the end of the month..

Take five minutes out of your day and get lost in Don’t Read Books, Watch Movies below:

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