Pin Me Down

Meshing influences from the 80s with a futuristic soundscape, Pin Me Down make dance music for rock kids, or “apocalyptic pop” as singer/songwriter/guitarist Milena Mépris likes to describe it.
Pin Me Down began when British guitarist Russell Lissack (of the band Bloc Party) met Milena Mépris in New York City, when Mépris’s former band Black Moustache supported Bloc Party at the legendary Knitting Factory. The two shared guitar equipment at the show and instantly became friends, bonding over guitar playing, Twin Peaks, as well as the bands they loved like Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, and 80’s guilty pop pleasures like Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. Armed with identical laptops and protools music programs, the two began sending songs they had each written back and forth over the Internet. Lissack had many song ideas, in addition to those he worked on with Bloc Party, many revealed a more sensitive side, while some featured his signature guitar delay textures and blistering riffs. Mépris, an accomplished songwriter and singer who often writes for others with a back catalog of over 300 songs, played Lissack some tunes she’d written for herself.
When their first single “Cryptic,” the duo’s ode to modern pop culture and the unknown, appeared on Kitsune Maison 5 GOLD compilation in Europe, the band was singled out and praised by the likes of NME, Dazed and Confused, Pitchfork Media, The Times (of London) and Drowned In Sound. So it was only a matter of time before the pair began to assemble more songs together. Whenever their busy schedules would permit, they recorded demos together in whatever city was convenient, until they felt ready to take the next step and flesh out their songs properly in the studio. Bringing in producer, drummer, jack-of-all-trades Alex Elena and producer Daniel Lindegren, they camped out in the heart of New York City’s east village and in London to make their debut album of danceable, heartfelt songs. While the melodies and lyrics deal with love, loss, and the (sometimes crumbling) world around them, one of Pin Me Down’s main concerns was to make sure their music was sassy and fun.