{"title":"Piroshka","description":"\u003cp\u003eFormed by members of four notable 1980s and 1990s indie bands: former [a=Lush] guitarist \/ vocalist Miki Berenyi; [a=Moose (2)] guitarist KJ McKillop; Justin Welch, the drummer from [a=Elastica] (he also drummed in the reformed Lush in 2015); and Michael Conroy, the bass player from [a=Modern English]. The group are signed to beloved indie label [l=Bella Union] and released their debut album in 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"brickbat","title":"Brickbat","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom four individual parts, with distinct musical pasts but also overlapping histories, a new unified chapter begins with Piroshka and the quartet’s thrilling debut album \u003ci\u003eBrickbat.\u003c\/i\u003e The album is named after the word for a missile, which nails the record’s heavyweight lyrics if not the music’s gorgeous, bittersweet and euphoric pop. Think of \u003ci\u003eBrickbat\u003c\/i\u003e as a wolf in sheep’s clothing – which suits the name Piroshka, the Hungarian take on the wolf-terrorised fairytale hero Little Red Riding Hood - a subtle nod, too, to a certain red hairdo that stood out in the 1990s Brit-guitar-pop scene…. The four band members are former Lush vocalist \/ guitarist (and former redhead) Miki Berenyi, former Moose guitarist KJ \"Moose\" McKillop, Modern English bassist Mick Conroy and former Elastica drummer Justin Welch. The connections between them are a veritably tangled family tree. Before they lived together and raised a family, Miki and Moose were notable figures on the so-called shoegaze scene, while Elastica were Britpop peers. After post-punk pioneers Modern English split for a second time, Mick became a latterday member of Moose, while Justin joined the reformed Lush in 2015. And when Lush required a bassist for what proved to be their final show (in Manchester) in November 2016, Mick stepped in. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThough \u003ci\u003eBrickbat\u003c\/i\u003e kicks off with a squeal of feedback, the album is far from a proper punk record, with as much sublime delicacy as physical force, with guitars to the fore but also electronic flourishes in all manner of spaces. Combined, they drive the nuggety melodic bombs long associated with Miki’s songwriting. Piroshka and \u003ci\u003eBrickbat\u003c\/i\u003e are a wonderful and, frankly, unexpected union of proven talent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - 180 Gram Black Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP+ - Limited Pink Vinyl. US Version.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bella Union","offers":[{"title":"Pink LP","offer_id":50438057001291,"sku":"1054788","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50438056411467,"sku":"1050911","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50438057591115,"sku":"1050912","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/f0901e15-828f-4028-80c6-77d9bd430b26_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1726937586"},{"product_id":"love-drips-and-gathers","title":"Love Drips and Gathers","description":"\u003cp\u003ePiroshka’s stunning second album, \u003ci\u003eLove Drips And Gathers\u003c\/i\u003e. The album builds on the acclaim of the band’s 2018 debut LP\u003ci\u003e Brickbat\u003c\/i\u003e and the reputations of former members of Lush, Moose, Elastica and Modern English.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If \u003ci\u003eBrickbat\u003c\/i\u003e was our Britpop album, then \u003ci\u003eLove Drips And Gathers\u003c\/i\u003e is shoegaze!” reckons vocalist\/guitarist Miki Berenyi, formerly of Lush, a band that effortlessly bridged the two genres like no other. “It wasn’t intentional; we just wanted a different focus. I’ve always seen debut albums as capturing a band’s first moments, when you really have momentum, and then the second album is the chance for a more thoughtful approach.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBassist Mick Conroy (Modern English) agrees. “Brickbat was a classic first album; noisy and raucous. On Love Drips And Gathers, we’ve calmed down and explored sounds, and space.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo recap; before Miki and KJ ‘Moose’ McKillop were a couple (and parents), they were pivotal figures on the London-centric 90s indie scene. Likewise, Elastica, whose drummer Justin Welch was part of Lush’s 2017 reunion, whilst Mick had played for both Moose and – on their last ever gig - Lush.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Lush Mark II came to an end, Justin persuaded Miki (who’d abandoned music when Lush first split in 1997) to start another band, Piroshka, which in turn reignited Moose’s own long-dormant ambitions. Whilst Justin and Miki were the dominant influence on Brickbat, this time Moose and Mick were given greater control over the production, with invaluable assistance from Bella Union’s in-house engineer Iggy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe way \u003ci\u003eLove Drips And Gathers\u003c\/i\u003e changes shape and dynamic is less a reprise of nineties Brit indie than a transformation into a more shivery, Euro-mantic version with glistening electronic filigrees. The opening ‘Hastings’ sets the tone. Luminous drops of guitar underpin Miki’s becalmed vocal before drums, bass and a Mellotron add pace while the decorative coda features their old pal Terry Edwards on flugelhorn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFramed by Mellotron, cello and piano. ‘The Knife-Thrower’s Daughter’ emphatically proves Piroshka can be restrained without losing any essence of drama: the calm before the euphoria pure-pop storm of ‘Scratching At The Lid’. The words ‘ethereal’ and ‘shimmering’ were surely invented for the likes of ‘Loveable’, but the uncanny DNA of ‘V.O.’ is less categorisable – a Bond theme in the making with electro-gliding beats, perhaps? ‘Wanderlust’ and ‘Echoloco’ might be described as Francophile cousins of Lush before the haunting lullaby of ‘Familiar’ segues into the pulsing, rippling instrumental finale ‘We Told You’ - more eighties synth drama than nineties indie, with vocal samples played on what Moose calls, “the Miki-tron.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLove Drips And Gathers\u003c\/i\u003e - named after a line in a Dylan Thomas poem - was inspired by love, family, belonging, memory. Miki and Moose split the eight lyrics, with some poignant overlaps here too. Miki’s ‘Loveable’ looks to Moose; Moose’s ‘The Knife-Thrower’s Daughter’ looks to Miki, but also their daughter Stella and his sister Anna; an empathic, touching embrace of the women in his life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStaying within the family, Moose eulogises his late mother (the idyllic childhood seaside trip of ‘Hastings 1973’) and father (the more conflicted ‘Scratching At The Lid’). On ‘V.O.’, Miki pays fond tribute to Vaughan Oliver, 4AD’s legendary in-house art director who died suddenly in December 2019, and who had a particularly close relationship with Lush during their time on the label (like Brickbat, Love Drips And Gathers’ beautiful and enigmatic artwork is by Vaughan’s former design partner Chris Bigg).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bella Union","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50499210281291,"sku":"1121204","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50499210608971,"sku":"1121206","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/92fb08d3-5b95-4957-b73b-ea2eb33acd50_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727770452"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_dcbf8508_thumbnail_4096_fca4d829-9c19-4fe7-953c-0cd664cc7b93.jpg?v=1726937540","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/piroshka.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}