The new single from Candy’s Room is reviewed and the band answers the Pure Pop Phive

By Henry Lipput

The new single from London’s Candy’s Room is “Electrocute” (Bandcamp), a full-bodied, soul-flavored .banger.

It’s a song about a guy at a club, way over his head, who thinks he’s going to be able to hook up with a girl on the dance floor. In his words she’s a diamond in the rough and something of a "beaut" but she’s -- in addition to being way out of his league --  the living embodiment of the third rail and may very well electrocute him – something he thinks would be a good thing.

“Electrocute” builds on the sounds of the band’s 2023 release Street Punk Gospel Choir especially the amazing closing track “Hither Green.” Candy’s Room is at its core a four-piece but they create their big sound with the help of a team of like-minded musicians. Next year’s album, Judge A Moth By Its Flame is produced by the wonderful Sox of Tugboat Captain so make sure you keep an ear out for it.

Candy's Room answers the Pure Pop Phive

How would you describe your music?

The sound of a lightning bolt hitting a night-sky dance floor, while a bard reads the order of service.

What are your major influences?

We take influence from bands with a certain rousing quality to their songs and records with ambitious arrangements. We mainly love songs which sound elaborate, but have a well-written pop song hidden beneath the surface. Artists like The Replacements, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Sonic Youth, and Prince were the main influences on this track. We looked into a lot of classical-leaning music for the album overall though, given the anti-Disney theme. This included composers like Ravel, Bernstein, and Old Disney soundtracks from the 30s to the 70s. Motown is probably our main influence, where these two worlds find a beautiful crossover.

Our non-musical influences are authors and filmmakers who explore the boundaries between reality and the imagination. Also, those who tend to see life through a cathartic melancholy. The literary side of this would be Celtic fairy tales by Lord Dunsany and W.B. Yeats, and more gothic works by Alan Moore, Poe, and Mervyn Peake. On the filmmaking side, David Lynch, Wong Kar Wai, and early Tim Burton films tend to inform the atmosphere of what we do elsewhere in the band.

Do you perform live? Do you have any upcoming gigs?

We perform live fairly regularly in London. We had a show on 21 August at The Lexington and another on 4 September at Paper Dress Vintage. 

In addition to performing live how do you support yourself so you can continue to make music?

We all work day jobs. Natty is starting work at a music college soon, Lucas (our flutist) is also in education, Jake (bass) works as an AV tech, and Galya (keys & vocals) as a graphic designer. We also occasionally apply for funding through the arts council and other charities, with varying degrees of success. It can be effective - if you're lucky. We also take additional night shifts running the door at local venues; barter with pirates on the Irish sea, and play the odd wedding show here or there, but only if we get to play originals!

What's your favorite album (that's not one of yours)

Natty (Vocals & Guitar): Marvin Gaye's What’s Going On is a current favorite. It is so brilliantly pieced together, effectively the closest popular music gets to a full-on symphony. The modulations and sequencing make it an absolutely perfect listening experience and the arrangements are unmatched. In particular, "Save the Children" is just an outstanding song and every time I hear it I can't help but well-up in tears. A great one from the London scene is Euphoria: An Ode To The Sun and the Grey by a band called Ava - it's a massively overlooked gem and has a real force behind it. There's a shyness to the music which makes it feel both humble and massive and deeply moving.

Jake (Bass): I love Surfer Rosa by the Pixies.

Galya (Vocals & Keys): I would say An Awesome Wave by Alt-J. That one is kinda nostalgic, because it was one of the albums that really impressed me when I started properly getting into music. It felt like something I hadn't heard before. And it is still one of the albums I find incredibly interesting sonically. I really like how they mix samples and use harmonies.

Lucas (Flute): I’m afraid I’m unfortunately the worst person to ask this.