we go to the shops and smoke a pack of cigarettes and talk through the night?” is one of the refreshingly juvenile questions that British singer-songwriter Oliver Pinder posits in his newest single ‘Beautiful Second’. It’s the kind of thing that you plan when you’re young and in love, when even the most simple or mundane of activities can be a transformative, life-affirming experience. This upbeat indie-pop ballad really does capture those fleeting moments of life that are, well… unexpectedly beautiful.
Discussing the story behind the single and how it came into being, Pinder explains:
“beautiful second was written about 3 years ago. It is about relationships that you know have an expiration date attached to them, you’re holding onto something good when you know they don’t feel the same way. I remember writing it on this old upright piano I had bought from Gumtree for 50 quid. A couple had owned it and kept it next to their Guinee pigs so it always smelt like sawdust. I’d never had it tuned so it always sat a half tone out, and that’s how the song stayed so I always have to transpose my keyboard down now just because that’s where it feels comfortable.”
It’s that old, time-worn piano alongside Pinder‘s open vocal expression that sits at the song’s core, grounding the listener and reflecting the artist as one who is an authentic talent. While this combination is a classic pop technique, the British artist pushes his sound into the modern day with a floating production, expansive reverb and emotionally intelligent lyrics.
If you’ve enjoyed ‘Beautiful Second’ as much as we have, then go check out Oliver Pinder‘s previous single ‘Stressed’ for another honest narrative about growing up, dealing with stress, anxiety, falling in and out of love.
You can find ‘Beautiful Second’ in our Shades of Pop playlist.
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