South London’s Ain’t returns with a tune that twirls through feelings like a dancer off to the races. Their new single, “Pirouette,” reinvents 90s alt-rock nostalgia in a scummy, DIY energy that is lovely in its imperfections but beautifully melodic. It’s a song that creeps into your soul, the soundtrack for breezy spring afternoons and late-night ponderings.
“Pirouette” carries a sense of motion from its first strum, which is geographic and emotional. There’s an anxious urgency in its torn-and-tattered production, resonating with the wobbly instability that led to it. Written by guitarist/vocalist George Ellerby amid a flurry of personal and musical change, its lyrics aim at the malaise in transitioning relationships, transitory relations, and the sensation of being on an unstable earth.
“Pirouette” pushes on, embracing its flaws with layered guitars, melodies, and a propulsive rhythm section that drives the track forward. The music mirrors the band’s evolution, written when Ain’t was a trio and fully coming together once new members Joe, Hanna, and Chapman joined the fold. You can hear that collective energy in how all the instruments are interwoven, and every member plays with a unique presence to the overall sound.
To add to the song’s charm, it’s accompanied by a VHS-style music video, a lo-fi, faux home footage view that suits “Pirouette,” which, while raw, also has an almost outsize tenderness. It sounds personal, almost like flipping through the pages of old memories and reinforcing the song’s themes of transformation and transience.
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